Urban Ore — Attraction in Berkeley

This is long, but such an appalling experience that I need to spell it out. I have loved regularly buying from Urban Ore for several decades — both for my own home’s furnishings and for my art studio — as well as routinely recommending it as a favorite to friends and art professor colleagues visiting from out of state. Even though I live an hour away, it’s been my go-to place, and I’ve accompanied students there on “field trips.” I’ve also bought antique and vintage furniture from them on behalf of others, using FaceTime.

But after today, I will never go there again, and I ask others to heed my warning.

I called a couple of days ago to inquire about bringing a trailer load of antiques and vintage items for them to purchase, liquidating the last of my in-laws estate from Palo Alto, where my FiL was a professional artist for 6 decades — expecting to get about 25% of the low-average resale value, which we estimated from checking recent internet sales to be about $6200. Not much on the dollar, but it would save us time, and Urban Ore is, after all, one of my favorite places. Got all the deets from them over the phone about how this works.

Or, so we thought.

We rented a trailer and spent half a day loading it, turned the house keys over to the realtor, and then my husband drove the trailer from Palo Alto to Berkeley. When he arrived at the yard, he was shocked to be asked for a dump fee. Not only had Urban Ore failed to disclose on the phone that they no longer “buy”, they also didn’t mention that they’re actually operating a dump. We had no recourse, since the house was already out of our hands. Urban Ore wasted our time, wasted our money, and will profit nicely from this underhanded method of “buying” antiques.

This was actually my second bad experience with Urban Ore. But, I thought the first was a glitch. About six years ago, I paid Urban Ore $500 for an antique piece of furniture, watched them place a Sold sticker on it, took a photo, and came back the next day with a rental truck to pick it up. It was gone. After about thirty minutes of wild conversation with management, I was ultimately told it had been given (for zero dollars) to someone else (thrown in with another purchase they’d made), shortly after I paid $500 for it. They also said this had never happened before and were very apologetic. Management would only give me a voucher for $500 worth of goods, not a refund — a voucher that expired a year later, long before I could find another item there for that amount that I wanted. I let the issue go at the time, thinking it was an isolated incident. Now I’m questioning my past attitude. Their operation may not be criminal, but they’ll never get my business again, nor, I hope, any of...

Awesome Mission Statement , History and follow through and awesome staff from Derek to Ben to Chilean indigenous and women at the counter. Awesome array of antiques and records from 45 to LPs end earlier and books and best place to buy electronics cord in three big barrels well organized and artwork and furniture and electrical and plumbing and craftsman details and doors galore Awesome array of antiques and records from 45 to LPs and earlier and books and best place to buy electronica cord in three big barrels well organized and artwork and furniture and electrical and plumbing and craftsman details and doors galore amazing quality and cheap prices. Ben helped me get five vintage stove handles for three dollars! support Urban or during this pandemic lockdown because it’s a fun place for you and the best place to donate now that the Goodwill and Salvation Army are closed to the public and beautiful quality windows and spiral metal staircases Building material and marble and tile and granite for any and all projects high-quality at low prices a treasure of 3 acres from clawfoot tub‘s to modern toilets in beautiful bubbly Berkeley. Thank you to Chris Witty for donating to our local eco-friendly one of a kind that should be modeled after to every city in the world so that we’re not buying new from mega corporations that are creating climate crisis. Lovely personalities committed conscious careful Staff . Messi visit just for...

Sometimes I find some of their stuff to be way overpriced and sometimes I find their prices to be extremely fair… But more importantly, I find urban or to be a great resource for projects and things that are needed when you don’t wanna buy something new. And also don’t want to send your money to some huge Here are for the most part, friendly and knowledgeable. For a salvage yard it is also clean and orderly. It’s not like a trash yard exploded And it’s the apocalypse and you’re trying to find whatever you can wherever. Cabinets fixtures, suitcases chairs windows are all set out in different areas so you don’t have to go every place to find this stuff. I had a bad experience with urban or several years ago and I’m glad to say that was the only bad experience I have in memory. Recently urban or sold me a piece of lumber for less than they were supposed to have, but they stood by the price, and I really appreciated that and respected the fact that they were standing by what they said. That was different from what happened to me years ago. Thank you and I will continue to visit at least once every 3 to 5 weeks… Or as completed projects allow me to,...