People Share What They Found Thrown Away And The Phrase ‘One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure’ Has Never Been So Real (40 New Pics)
It's called stooping, and it's how people get secondhand furniture from New York City curbs for free. Basically, it goes like this: someone who no longer needs their old mid-century coffee table puts it on the sidewalk in front of their home and anyone who might find it useful can simply pick it up.
Stooping is a longtime tradition but in the summer of 2019, it got a modern twist when a couple from Brooklyn created an Instagram account to help castaways find their new owners. Without overthinking, they called it Stooping NYC and started sharing everything the streets had to offer.
Loyal Bored Panda readers should remember this online project since we've already written about it here, here, and here. However, it just hit a huge milestone: 250K followers. So we thought it's a nice occasion to pay them another visit.
More info: Instagram
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West Elm Industrial Coffee Table With Storage
Are You Kidding Me
"Stooping has been around in NYC long before [our Instagram account], and we think that the concept is so relevant to the city because of what it means to life in the city itself," the couple behind the account, who want to remain anonymous, told Bored Panda.
"People move so frequently, no apartment is ever really the same, the transient nature of New York... all of that means that people are always looking for new furniture, or hoping to get rid of what they have. The act of stooping has seemingly become the New York version of 'paying it forward.'"
Get Lit With These Tiffany Lamps!
O M G!!
I'd leave it as is, I think it's part of its charm :)
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Looks like someone didn't trust their process and just gave up. Too bad because it is totally fixable!
you just cannot sell pieces like this in the US. They fell out of fashion. (I run estate sales) And this one has been painted really badly. I'd be leaving that in the street.
I'm pretty experienced in redoing pieces like this. These days you have to give something like this a trendier look. In the 9ld days I'd have stripped the paint off, then sand and stain. Nowadays you have to do something like this a creative, unique look. The old conventional fix, refinishing, is too dark and unimaginative. I don't know what part of the US you live in, but my sister buys pieces like this and I repair them if needed, then try to give them a unique look with stencils, decoupage, transfers, or paintings on them. Pieces like this are still easily found in consignment and/or antique stores in the areas around the town where she lives in Southwest Virginia, USA. A bad paint job is no reason to leave a good piece of furniture on the street. She has slowly replaced her old matching suites of furniture with pieces that have been given a new personality or she buys dull pieces that I feel I can do something interesting to. I now live in Ireland, for the past 16.5 years, and most of my time visiting her is spent going to estate sales and consignment shops, and antique stores. By the time I get to my daughters' houses I'm quite worn out!
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This is a beautiful find. Very charming. I have just the place for this beauty.
Sad some one put it out & didn’t care about if it would rain or so…. U see that often whit lovely things…
This brings out the up-cycling urge in me. Imagine it in beige and cream with gold detailing.
Gorgeous art deco carvings! I am not the biggest fan of the paint job though. It would look beautiful wants it's sanded down and varnished.
I could see this three ways: 1. As it is (not my favorite), 2. Stripped and re-stained 3. Painted a creamy white.
Visual Merchandising At Its Finest!
As the couple highlighted in one of our earlier conversations, hosting stooping on social media not only means that the locals have a much better chance to find what they need, but it also allows to 'export' a part of the city to outsiders, allowing them to have a digital walk through the neighborhoods.
"It gives access to a piece of New York City culture to people who follow from far and wide," they explained back then.
"It also has enabled us to 'gameify' stooping, with stoopers sharing stories of things they spot, stoop, take home, and ultimately give new life to. It would really be challenging to tell stories around the pieces like we do on any other platform."
The Look Of A Stooping Success!!!
Sitting Very Pretty! Perfect Incredible Aqua Corner Sofa
As The Kids Would Say…GTFOH!
The couple behind the account also said that one NYC area in particular is stooping a lot more than the others.
"Brooklyn is by far the most active stooping borough, but there are a ton of stoops that we get daily from all pockets of the five boroughs, Jersey and even Long Island!"
Stoopers are excited about a lot of things, running the spectrum from essential apartment features like bookshelves and kitchen islands to valuable treasures, such as beanie baby collections and pianos, and beyond. Plus, they also make sure that no plant ends its days on concrete!
“Take Me! I Still Work. Unlike My Freeloading Ex-Boyfriend!!”
Red Alert!!!!! Beautiful Globe Bar Cart
Well This A Great Sunday Stoop! Stools Included!
If you also want to try your luck hunting these gems, the couple said you should, "1) Follow @stoopingnyc on IG; 2) Turn on your notifications; and 3) Get ready to run when you see something you like! Things go quickly."
Covid has had an impact on the stooping culture too. At the start of the pandemic when there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding health and safety protocols, the couple refrained from posting. But once they started up again in the summer, they were flooded with a wave of submissions caused by New Yorkers leaving the city.
"In a moment in time when good news can seem few and far between, we continue to feel so lucky to have such a positive and wonderful community of stoopers that are focused on sharing with each other!" they added.
Super Cute “Free And Clean” Couch
Holy Saturday!
Holy Marvel!
Oh Baby!
Let The Saturday Bangers Begin
Gorg Table
I Don’t Want To Be Rude, But Why Hasn’t Someone Written Us A Stoop Anthem?!
Already Packed And Ready To Be Stooped
I Mean… Are You Serious? This Baby Blue Leather Couch Is Amaaaazing!
Super Cool Designed Trunk!
Free Yoga Mats
Drafting Table Alert!!
Beetle
Wowzers!
Oh The Snacks I Would Put In These!
How Amazing!
Banger Alert!!
Table For 4!
Basically The Cutest Little Cooking Machine Ever
Wow!! Haul!
What A Beauty!
Amazing Six Drawer Credenza
Bring Friends! In Front Of The Lab On Newel St In Greenpoint
We Were Going To Go To Bed But Barbie’s Playhouse Exploded
Mid Century Modern Recliner. Comes With A Beer. You’re Welcome
Love This Christmas Couch
Do You Have The Longest Apartment In The World? Then This Is For You!
We’ve Seen A Single Red High Heel Chair Before... But A Pair??
Note: this post originally had 133 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Sadly I have never lived anywhere that offers this kind of glory on the streets for free.
One thing you have to look out for in NYC and other big cities is bedbugs. The cities are infested with them and street furniture is one easy to spread them. They are notoriously hard to get rid of. And once one apartment gets them, every other place in the building will too.
Yup. There's a reason brass and iron bedsteads were all the rage in the 19th century - bedbugs didn't lay their eggs in the crevices as they did with wooden beds. Anything soft and upholstered is also a risk.
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It wasn't always so, but I'd be wary these days. I picked up bedbugs in a hotel a few years ago, took me nearly a year to get rid of them and when I saw my neighbors piling up a houseful of furniture on their lot, and then furniture from their grown kids' houses, I knew exactly what that was. I also bought a microwave from a guy on Craigslist a while back and it sat in my kitchen for hours before I realized it was absolutely crawling with cockroaches on the inside so I'd definitely stop and ask myself why a "perfectly good" item was sitting on the curb in front of someone's house.
In a way it's a good thing people don't do that in my city. My apartment is way too small for all the things I'd bring in thinking "I'll fit it SOMEWHERE" 😂
That's how some of those things end up on the curb. "I can make it fit." are some famous last words.
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Okay, sorry for the negative thought but seeing this makes me think about the society we live in. We are living in such a capitalist world that we are throwing away perfectly fine furniture just to buy new one again and again. Just because we dont like the color or the style. It's so weird to me. My grandma has this old furniture which she had since she got married and whenever I talk to her she is like "well why should I throw it away if it works." I can imagine some of these people are moving and want to get rid of stuff but I doubt it thats the case for most of these.
Moving or becoming homeless or someone died. I also understand that after some time you dont like a certain piece anymore and feel wayy better after removing it, but I think its better to sell or donate or give away than throwing it away or leaving it in the rain to rot.
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My neighbors across the street decided to sell their house, put everything in storage and do a road trip to figure out where they wanted to live next. They gave away SO much cool furniture and decor!! I redid my daughters room with a new desk, leather chairs, a new rug...it was amazing!!
Exactly as it should be, Amy. What a waste to send decent things to a landfill. Right? Kudos to your neighbors for passing things on.
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I just got most of the articles from this post, now please someone give a free house big enough to fit all the couches I collected here.
Not everyone has money for a car or a plane ticket to transport these. God. "Why would anyone leave this??" BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO KEEP IT.
I now live in England and they SERIOUSLY will fine you for fly-tipping for this. It was wonderful to be able to put something out and have it go to someone who wants. I miss it so much.
For anyone else who needed to look up fly-tipping, it is: "the illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a license to accept it".
Load More Replies... Most of these look like they're in cities where a lot of people don't drive or have access to a truck, so it's not easy to sell or move furniture. Here in Los Angeles, the only stuff you ever find on the street is garbage. If someone has something halfway nice, they sell it. Even if you don't have a truck, everyone knows someone who has a truck, or you can pay someone $50 to haul it.
You find a friend with a dolly and/or a strong back and some free time. Pay them in pizza.
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My advice is to join your local Free Goods or Freecycle group on FB - the people around me give away cool stuff all the time, you just have to be quick (which I'm not, thankfully, my house is already full...)
You'd get fined for leaving stuff on the street in my country. It's called littering.
I've heard of a few immigrants leaving their furniture out when travelling to avoid paying rent. This could be one of the reasons why such good furniture is left out in the open :(
And over the last few years there have been a lot of dead elderly people whose estates needed clearing up...
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Unfortunately most people are ungrateful, unappreciative, and uncaring; things which others could use and treasure shall not be trashed!!!! Our planet is not a garbage dump.
my parents found a gorgeous vintage walnut wood table on the road 20 years ago, we still have it and i use it to study on and it smells so woody even after more than 20 years
My friend’s dad found a perfectly working air hockey table and also a cotton candy machine! I don’t think same day tho lol
I don't know where y'all live where such beauties are just thrown out, but I want to live there!
New york city, where no-one can afford to live qnd half the population doesn't drive
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So many of these items date from the 1950s-60s, or even earlier. I recognized what my grandmother called a chifferobe, more or less in the style of hers dating back to the 1920s or 30s. There's virtually no market for it, and particularly boomers who are downsizing or moving to senior communities have no one to give it to. Their adult children have their own homes and furniture. It was very hard for me to give up so much of my parents' very well-made but old furniture that I could not ship to my home, nor find room for had I been able to pay the cost to transport it. Still wishing that I had been able to.
Where I live all of these items would be for sale for incredibly high prices.
Not one item here appeals to me. Nope, TYVM. Upholstered furniture could be harbouring fleas, flea eggs, bed bugs etc too.
I remeber how shoking it was finding to me to find brand new plates, mugs, coffee tables and chairs on the sidewalk when I was a kid. In France, we don't do that. Well I do sometimes. So in 70's as we were moving in Queens, my mother had sort of a special gifty bringing back stuff. Cleaned, sometimes repainted they save us money. It was fun.
SOOOO jealous of these, especially the gorgeous round red sofa/armchair
I probably wouldn't take upholstered furniture off the street straight into my house, but I would give it a good de-lousing and deep-cleaning treatment first!
These are all so beautiful and valuable - I'm glad they get to be loved more than once by people who get a chance to live with them, to love them and after a time, I hope people pop them back out onto the street for other caring people to find for free.
With wooden furniture and upholstery it's also worth checking for damp, mould and mildew, particularly lines of black along wooden joints, as once they're somewhere warm even small amounts can give off spores that could be a problem for someone with asthma. I speak from miserable experience!
I am so jelly. Even if I find something I don't have a car or the resources to grab it.
The word “stooping” really rubs me the wrong way in this context, I don’t know why.
Why o why put it out in the rain while you can use an nice second hand platform like Marktplaats??
Not everyone is on marktplaats and if you're moving out you won't be there. Duh
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Sadly I have never lived anywhere that offers this kind of glory on the streets for free.
One thing you have to look out for in NYC and other big cities is bedbugs. The cities are infested with them and street furniture is one easy to spread them. They are notoriously hard to get rid of. And once one apartment gets them, every other place in the building will too.
Yup. There's a reason brass and iron bedsteads were all the rage in the 19th century - bedbugs didn't lay their eggs in the crevices as they did with wooden beds. Anything soft and upholstered is also a risk.
Load More Replies... It wasn't always so, but I'd be wary these days. I picked up bedbugs in a hotel a few years ago, took me nearly a year to get rid of them and when I saw my neighbors piling up a houseful of furniture on their lot, and then furniture from their grown kids' houses, I knew exactly what that was. I also bought a microwave from a guy on Craigslist a while back and it sat in my kitchen for hours before I realized it was absolutely crawling with cockroaches on the inside so I'd definitely stop and ask myself why a "perfectly good" item was sitting on the curb in front of someone's house.
In a way it's a good thing people don't do that in my city. My apartment is way too small for all the things I'd bring in thinking "I'll fit it SOMEWHERE" 😂
That's how some of those things end up on the curb. "I can make it fit." are some famous last words.
Load More Replies... Okay, sorry for the negative thought but seeing this makes me think about the society we live in. We are living in such a capitalist world that we are throwing away perfectly fine furniture just to buy new one again and again. Just because we dont like the color or the style. It's so weird to me. My grandma has this old furniture which she had since she got married and whenever I talk to her she is like "well why should I throw it away if it works." I can imagine some of these people are moving and want to get rid of stuff but I doubt it thats the case for most of these.
Moving or becoming homeless or someone died. I also understand that after some time you dont like a certain piece anymore and feel wayy better after removing it, but I think its better to sell or donate or give away than throwing it away or leaving it in the rain to rot.
Load More Replies... My neighbors across the street decided to sell their house, put everything in storage and do a road trip to figure out where they wanted to live next. They gave away SO much cool furniture and decor!! I redid my daughters room with a new desk, leather chairs, a new rug...it was amazing!!
Exactly as it should be, Amy. What a waste to send decent things to a landfill. Right? Kudos to your neighbors for passing things on.
Load More Replies... I just got most of the articles from this post, now please someone give a free house big enough to fit all the couches I collected here.
Not everyone has money for a car or a plane ticket to transport these. God. "Why would anyone leave this??" BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO KEEP IT.
I now live in England and they SERIOUSLY will fine you for fly-tipping for this. It was wonderful to be able to put something out and have it go to someone who wants. I miss it so much.
For anyone else who needed to look up fly-tipping, it is: "the illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a license to accept it".
Load More Replies... Most of these look like they're in cities where a lot of people don't drive or have access to a truck, so it's not easy to sell or move furniture. Here in Los Angeles, the only stuff you ever find on the street is garbage. If someone has something halfway nice, they sell it. Even if you don't have a truck, everyone knows someone who has a truck, or you can pay someone $50 to haul it.
You find a friend with a dolly and/or a strong back and some free time. Pay them in pizza.
Load More Replies... My advice is to join your local Free Goods or Freecycle group on FB - the people around me give away cool stuff all the time, you just have to be quick (which I'm not, thankfully, my house is already full...)
You'd get fined for leaving stuff on the street in my country. It's called littering.
I've heard of a few immigrants leaving their furniture out when travelling to avoid paying rent. This could be one of the reasons why such good furniture is left out in the open :(
And over the last few years there have been a lot of dead elderly people whose estates needed clearing up...
Load More Replies... Unfortunately most people are ungrateful, unappreciative, and uncaring; things which others could use and treasure shall not be trashed!!!! Our planet is not a garbage dump.
my parents found a gorgeous vintage walnut wood table on the road 20 years ago, we still have it and i use it to study on and it smells so woody even after more than 20 years
My friend’s dad found a perfectly working air hockey table and also a cotton candy machine! I don’t think same day tho lol
I don't know where y'all live where such beauties are just thrown out, but I want to live there!
New york city, where no-one can afford to live qnd half the population doesn't drive
Load More Replies... So many of these items date from the 1950s-60s, or even earlier. I recognized what my grandmother called a chifferobe, more or less in the style of hers dating back to the 1920s or 30s. There's virtually no market for it, and particularly boomers who are downsizing or moving to senior communities have no one to give it to. Their adult children have their own homes and furniture. It was very hard for me to give up so much of my parents' very well-made but old furniture that I could not ship to my home, nor find room for had I been able to pay the cost to transport it. Still wishing that I had been able to.
Where I live all of these items would be for sale for incredibly high prices.
Not one item here appeals to me. Nope, TYVM. Upholstered furniture could be harbouring fleas, flea eggs, bed bugs etc too.
I remeber how shoking it was finding to me to find brand new plates, mugs, coffee tables and chairs on the sidewalk when I was a kid. In France, we don't do that. Well I do sometimes. So in 70's as we were moving in Queens, my mother had sort of a special gifty bringing back stuff. Cleaned, sometimes repainted they save us money. It was fun.
SOOOO jealous of these, especially the gorgeous round red sofa/armchair
I probably wouldn't take upholstered furniture off the street straight into my house, but I would give it a good de-lousing and deep-cleaning treatment first!
These are all so beautiful and valuable - I'm glad they get to be loved more than once by people who get a chance to live with them, to love them and after a time, I hope people pop them back out onto the street for other caring people to find for free.
With wooden furniture and upholstery it's also worth checking for damp, mould and mildew, particularly lines of black along wooden joints, as once they're somewhere warm even small amounts can give off spores that could be a problem for someone with asthma. I speak from miserable experience!
I am so jelly. Even if I find something I don't have a car or the resources to grab it.
The word “stooping” really rubs me the wrong way in this context, I don’t know why.
Why o why put it out in the rain while you can use an nice second hand platform like Marktplaats??
Not everyone is on marktplaats and if you're moving out you won't be there. Duh
Load More Replies...