Testing Our Strength & Determination In The Name Of Free Materials
Although there is still much to be done before The Traveling Pheasant can begin installing the interior cabinetry, I am laying the plans for when the time comes.
The current plan is for the mobile coffee bar is to build custom cabinets for the interior counters. The counters would be shelving units finished with a façade and cabinet doors to look like traditional cabinets. Attempting to make life a little easier by not having to make the doors too, I would love to salvage them from a second hand retailer and up-cyle!
There are two great places in Baltimore that specialize in reclaimed furniture and building materials – Second Chance and The Loading Dock.
Second Chance is a nonprofit that deconstructs buildings and homes, salvages usable materials, and sells them from their enormous 200,000 square foot warehouse. With the revenue generated, they provide job training and workforce development for those in the Baltimore region.
The Loading Dock (which is still on my list to visit!) is also a nonprofit building materials reuse center, packed with new and used items and architectural salvage. Their 45,000-square-foot warehouse is packed with items for reuse and is eliminating waste within the building industry.
The Adventure Begins
My mom and I decided to visit Second Chance first as it was closest. We had been before but not taken much notice in the cabinet section at the time.
Sadly, they only sold cabinets as whole units, not just doors. However, all was not lost though! Wandering into the lumber area, I was delighted to discover they also sell new sheets of plywood in small and large sheets at a fabulous price. I picked up 9 small sheets for a dollar a piece! I plan to come back for the large sheets (they were currently sold out) and for the 2x4’s that were also a fraction of the price of the hardware stores.
As we were leaving, we noticed a huge pile of items in the back corner of the parking lot where people were looking and taking stuff to their cars.
I walked over to find loads of old windows. I started looking through them hoping to find one to replace the current one on the driver’s side. Bummed that none of them would be the right size, I turned to go.
Then I spotted it. There was a unit with decent looking cabinets doors and enough of them to get the whole set I needed. Leaving my mom to stand guard, I walked back inside to find out what this random outside area was.
I was shocked to learn that this area was all FREE! You can take whatever you like. This was a major discovery and I will be going back periodically to check out what new goodies I could use!
Running back, we started to try and tear off the doors; That lasted like 5 seconds.
We desperately needed a screwdriver and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I walked back inside before they closed to ask if I could borrow a screwdriver and leave it at the door when I was finished. They were very kind enough to just give me one.
You’d think it would have been smooth sailing from there, but no!
Almost all of the screws were either so stuck or the heads had been stripped. I was still not going to let this stop me. I was fully in “make it happen mode" from my years of working in the events industry and not getting a solution was never an option.
Our strength was tested as we man handled them off the hinges with sheer determination. I was not leaving that parking lot without those doors!
At this point, I was sweating (I don’t know why I was wearing such a heavy sweatshirt), the store had closed, the parking lot was empty, it was getting dark and about to pour down rain. Two crazy ladies in a Baltimore parking lot ripping apart cabinets.
The Loot
The I was excited to sanitize and wash them down, taking a true stock with measurements of what we had collected. They cleaned up very nicely and I hoped I could even use a drawer or two, it not the hardware.
Until we get further down the line, I am not certain that I will be able to use them, even after the trouble we went through. Regardless, it was still a funny story and quite the adventure!
I am still toying with the idea of buying ready-made cabinets or just the pre-painted, finished doors. More planning and testing is needed, but stay tuned to see the final choice!
Forever keeping tools in my car now,
Heather
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