Before embarking on this furniture journey, please note that while these five consignment/refurbished/antique furniture stores are awesome, there are infinitely more in DFW, many of them great. Honorable mentions include Curiosities, Lost and Found Antiques and Big Mango Trading Company.
But these are five of our favorites, covering the gamut of price points. Name-check your own in the comments.
Ross at Peak Thrift Store Ross at Peak Thrift Store is one of the cheapest thrift stores in town and chock full of furniture. Don't be fooled by the word "thrift"; it doesn't mean dirt cheap. Thrift, as the owner Margarita vehemently explains, means used furniture. The old sign said "furniture" and the city made her take it down. Not to worry, though: You can still buy $20 chairs and dressers for around $100 to $150. There are treasures galore inside this Jenga-packed jamboree, like VHS tapes, records, picture frames, paintings and more than 100 different street signs.
Art is Art Mother and daughter Renata and Carrie, both artists, decided to channel their business savvy into a job they love. Insert Art is Art, a consignment shop featuring original art, all done by local artists. The store sells a mix of mid-century and contemporary furniture, with a few idiosyncratic pieces, like a wire-spool converted table or a surf-board styled cocktail table.
Most tables cost between $100 and $300. Be sure to head up the spiraled staircase to the second floor, where more furniture and art fill a converted apartment. The store has almost as much furniture as art, and some of the pieces include artists' bios.
Lots of Furniture The largest of these shops, Lots of Furniture is an apt title for this store. Ninety-five percent of the store's stock comes from Europe, and the rest comes from local pickers. To the novice antiquer, the pieces seem a bit pricey -- $215 for a broken chair? But owners and identical twins Ted and Chris assure me they sell their pieces based on what they pay, not market price. Chandeliers and glass windows hang from the ceiling, and huge ornate wood pieces, costing in the $1,000 range, fill the store. You can find pieces, mostly English and French, ranging from the 18th century to 1940s. Check out their website for new arrivals. Highlights include outdoor furniture and adorable cats and dogs that wander about as you shop.
Lula B's West Lula B's is less consignment or antique shop and more co-op for dealers. Between the two locations, about 60 dealers tag, price and organize their individual items and set them up within the store. The result is an eclectic collection of mid-century and contemporary furniture, glassware, art and more.
Lula B's West features more furniture, Lula B's East more clothing, but West does have a small vintage clothing store complete with prom dresses, hats and cowboy boots. Chairs, costing between $50 and $200, hang from the ceiling, and the store is full of knick-knack finds like a 1950s Texas trivia game or a vintage china set.
Again & Again Though a bit pricier than the rest, Again & Again does more than sell vintage furniture. The store offers custom refurnishing and has a team of designers in-store to help repurpose pieces.
The store focuses on eco-friendly repurposing and can help polish up an old piece or transform it to create something unique. Almost all of their inventory is online, so check out their website for prices and refurbishing tips. Services include upholstering, lacquering, refinishing and creating custom furniture and accent pillows.
