Second Chance Inc. — Attraction in Baltimore

Second Chance Inc. is a true treasure in the heart of Baltimore, and a place that everyone should visit at least once. This isn’t just any secondhand shop—it’s a place where history, sustainability, and community all come together in the most remarkable way. From the moment you walk through the doors of their expansive 250,000 square foot warehouse, you can feel the passion and dedication that drives this organization. The sheer variety of items on offer is staggering, from beautifully reclaimed furniture to architectural elements, vintage art pieces, unique building supplies, and so much more. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast, a professional designer, or someone who simply loves to hunt for hidden gems, there’s something here for everyone.

What sets Second Chance Inc. apart isn’t just the incredible inventory but the mission behind it all. This Baltimore-based social enterprise is making a tangible impact by creating “green collar jobs” for individuals facing employment barriers. They give displaced workers a second chance by training them in the deconstruction of buildings, saving materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. This process not only preserves the rich architectural heritage of the region but also contributes to environmental sustainability. Every item you purchase here has a story, a past life, and by bringing it into your home, you’re adding a new chapter to that story.

Moreover, the staff at Second Chance Inc. are nothing short of wonderful. They are knowledgeable, friendly, and always eager to help you find exactly what you’re looking for or offer creative ideas on how to repurpose the treasures you discover. Their enthusiasm is infectious, making every visit an inspiring experience.

Shopping at Second Chance Inc. is more than just a retail experience—it’s a way to support an organization that is doing real good in the community. If you believe in sustainability, love unique finds, and want to support a cause that makes a difference, I highly recommend you come shop here. You won’t just leave with something special for your home—you’ll leave knowing you’ve contributed to something much larger. Second Chance Inc. truly lives up to its name by giving both people and materials a second chance, and that’s something...

I have been to this place a couple of times and have somewhat mixed feelings. On one hand, this place is like a treasure chest and it is very cool to just browse around and muse about random eclectic things. I also love that you can find spare parts for some of the older items in my house that otherwise would be impossible to repair or require a couple of months of watching over Craigslist and ebay.

On the other hand, you have unreasonable pricing on many items, an over-complicated buying process, and attitudes of some of the staffers, which makes it about as enjoyable as shopping a used car dealership.

First the pricing. While some of the things are bargain-priced according to the age and state of the item, many of the things, however beaten up and old, are priced about 75% of a comparable brand new item. To my mind going lower would significantly increase the turnover and free up the storage space. It might also make sense to permit discretionary discounts on the things that sit on the floor for too long. This brings me to my second point.

While the majority of the staffers, especially the loading/moving guys, are super friendly and always helpful, I seem to always get at least one or two people further up the chain trying to “stick it to the men”. From trying to find a floor manager for 30 minutes, to the manager doing “I appraise this at $250, but willing to go down to $130 or two for $250” stunt on an item without sticker in the $50-100/pair row, to the supervisor “it costs this much because I said so” and absolutely refusing to even consider the alternatives, to being schooled for taking a cart to the checkout because the loader couldn’t leave the assigned area and the floor managers didn’t seem to care (why not just use walkies-talkies and make the checkout transparent to the customer?).

At the end of the day, I did get what I needed for $80/pair, but it took me 3 trips to the store, several months of waiting for the inventory to produce a correct sticker, and required dealing with the fussy staff. It should not be this complicated. I will continue going to the store when I can’t find what I need on Craiglist or ebay. However, I would suggest lowering the expectations and get ready to be very, very patient...

This place used to be great, not anymore. Now solidly mid. I think Second Chance has reach the point in their business cycle where they are just trading on their name. Yuppies, hausfraus, "artsy" types, and other people with more money than sense, all que up eager to pay top dollar for construction salvage. I guess telling people you got it at Second Chance carries some sort of cache with a certain set.

I am not sure who is setting prices these days. The prices have essentially doubled and tripled in the last year. The crazy thing is people are gladly paying even at these prices. An uneducated consooomer is their best customer.

Today, I actually saw regular used items you can get at Lowes listed at new in box prices. I picked up a consumer grade Craftsman style lamp. They wanted around $100 for it. My first thought was that it might be an American made desk lamp circa 1920. I flipped it over only to see, Made in China. It was a sad reproduction. This same lamp would be less than $50 at any home store. However, I am sure someone will buy just to say they got it at Second Chance.

Second Chance sets a time based pricing tier. The item will drop in price every few months if no one buys it. After about 3 months or so they put it out back for the landfill. It's a little disingenuous to say they are keeping things out of the landfill. They are just trying to extract a little profit before the landfill. They also quite intentionally destroy items to prevent you from getting them for free. See the other reviews that mention this. They put all of their landfill items in the back of the lot. Now, they could just let people pick at this for free in order to give the stuff one last chance to be recycled before going to the landfill. But no, they smash the stuff like a spoiled little child. It they can't profit from it, then no one can.

There are better deals for reclaimed items in the area but they don't have the branding as Second Chance. I understand they have to keep the lights on, but they have gone crazy. I really hope the management at Second Chance reads these reviews, because this is how you...