I may have mentioned in another recent column that we are building a house. With that comes lots of decisions. Greg, who has worked in the retail building industry for 50 years, knows about the latest products and trends.
On the other hand, I tend more toward picking up stuff on the side of the road in free piles and at yard sales. But there is a limit to that.
In the last year, we’ve managed to come to some pretty good compromises in our decisions.
The final interior wall to be decided upon was my art and craft studio wall that has the sunroom on the other side. I couldn’t decide if I wanted it open with just studs, draped with fabric, cast off windows used to fill the space, but I knew it would not be just a solid, painted, sheetrock wall.
Last week I thought I might like French doors to pass through from one room to the other. But I knew I did not want anything new, shiny and modern. Vintage, or salvaged, would be more my style.
We had shopped at Vermont Salvage in White River Junction another time, when we bought a two-bowl sink for our new kitchen. It is just like my grandmother had. So last Monday, we looked at the website, identified two good ol’ banged up French doors with three panes missing, then off we went to look in person.
We weren’t looking for anything else, but one does not go to Vermont Salvage to just make a quick stop. It is the kind of place you wander, linger, imagine, and say, “I wish we had some place to use that.” It might be something as big as the five-foot stained glass church window depicting the Holy Family (priced at $4,000), or the hinges, pulls and cupboard hardware priced under $10.
Something that’s caught our eye in our last few visits are rectangular chunks of a former bowling alley. Some are cut to a size for a banquet table, others much smaller, perhaps an end table. Beautiful golden maple, narrow boards, laminated and finished, not to be mistaken for anything but a bowling alley lane, awaiting a new life in someone’s home or business.
The whole warehouse, chilly in winter, warm in summer, is both a store and a sort of museum of past architectural styles and elements.
Need a porch column? They might have one-and-a-half, or they might have six. Want to match your vintage ceiling light globe? It’s a good place to try. They have lots and lots of doors, windows and cabinets. If you find something you need, make an offer. The owners are willing to talk.
If you just need a field trip, it’s a good place to go. You can find all the info on the website, and they have an Instagram and Facebook page. They are located right near the downtown railyard in Whiter River Junction.
