Stoop And Stare: 30 Times People Threw Out Real Treasures In NYC (New Pics)

Bored Panda was interested in getting the founders' perspective on why the 'Stooping NYC' Instagram account appeals not only to New Yorkers but also to people living elsewhere in the US and even other parts of the world.

"New York City is a main character in and of itself," they told us.

"As the account has grown, we’ve been able to not just show some of the amazing treasures from across the 5 boroughs, but also incredible stooping successes, also giving followers a peak into how New Yorkers live," they said.

"Because of that, I think the concept continues to appeal to those inside and outside of the city."

The couple running the project highlighted the fact that they're very careful about what stooped items they feature on the account.

"We try our best to only post pieces that look like they are still in decent condition and could be great for a new home," they told Bored Panda.

"In addition, we stay away from things like mattresses, knowing that we don’t have the full history and want to ensure that the items people grab are fit to be rehomed."

Meanwhile, we were curious about what advice they'd give someone who's just moved to NYC and would love to take part in the stooping tradition and find some furniture. They were happy to share a few handy tips.

"First, follow @stoopingnyc on IG, turn your notifications on to ensure you’re alerted to the best finds as they’re posted and finally get ready to run when you see something that catches your eye!" they urged people not to dawdle.

The idea behind stooping is a fairly straightforward one. Essentially, when you’ve grown tired of a piece of furniture, item of decor, or anything else in your home, you bring it outside and place it on the curb.

Then, strangers will walk by, eye the stooped items, and take anything that they really like with them, giving these things a chance at a second (or third, or fourth!) life. The ‘Stooping NYC’ project documents the most impressive finds and also helps spread the word about some of the freshest treasures that folks noticed around the metropolis.

Nearly 8.5 million people live in New York City as of 2023, which means that lots of furniture and random stuff gets thrown out and adopted every single day. Having a project like ‘Stooping NYC’ pinpointing the best, quirkiest, and most unique items is invaluable.

At the time of writing, ‘Stooping NYC’ had 459k followers on Instagram. However, as the project continues to grow by leaps and bounds since its creation in 2019, more people spot these tips in the page’s stories. And so the competition for each item becomes even fiercer than before. You’ve got to be incredibly agile if you want to claim the crème de la crème.

"Stooping is so popular in NYC because it really is an activity that’s built into the culture of being a New Yorker. Unlike other cities, New York is transient and that means that people are always moving. No one apartment is quite like another, and so this activity of putting items that no longer fit/serve a need is something that has long existed," the couple behind ‘Stooping NYC’ shared with Bored Panda during an earlier interview.

According to the project founders, they tried to gamify stooping, turning it into a scavenger hunt of sorts. Back in 2021, they shared that on a typical weekday, they’d get hundreds, sometimes even a thousand submissions about stooped stuff from their followers. This number of messages has only increased as the account drew in additional fans.

The couple told Bored Panda that their followers tend to love “anything high value, super colorful, unique, and weird.” They said that this means they prioritize everything from “beautiful velvet couches, neon-colored swivel chairs, copper claw-foot tubs, beanie baby collections” to pastel pink SMEG fridges and even VHS tapes from the bygone ‘90s.

"We both really love the creative outlet this gives us, as a couple we love the fact that we have this together (we end each day with a 'stoop review'), and more than anything we love the community we have built. So we definitely feel an obligation to that community to keep up with everything coming in, knowing that we have the privilege of giving people so much joy through what we post," the project founders shared with us earlier.

"Early on, we found a beautiful antique typewriter on the stoop that we brought home for a friend. But aside from that, we really stick to the 'Stoop Laws' we have created: we never go get something before it’s been posted, we only post what’s already out on the stoop and we never hold items for specific stoopers,” they said.

"On a daily basis though, there are items we post that we absolutely would love to be lucky enough to get (if we ever had a place large enough to fit it all),” the couple said.

During another interview with Bored Panda, the dynamic duo said that they absolutely love the community that formed around their Instagram account. “We love this community and the positivity it puts out into the world." They added that the growth of the project has been amazing and gives them “so much joy.”

The couple also shared their thoughts on why folks follow the page. "From those who follow us and stoop as a means to save items from landfills, to those grabbing goods out of nostalgia (having thrifted as kids), to people who want the most unique apartments with money-can't-buy pieces, to those who love the gamification of a real-time scavenger hunt across the city,” they said.

"Additionally, we have created content segments that make Stooping NYC an easy and exciting account to follow from afar, with fans in Europe, Canada, Argentina, Italy, Spain, Australia, and Asia following every #stoopingsuccess to be a voyeur into the way New Yorkers live," they added, mentioning the global success the project has had.

We’d love to hear which of the stooped items in this list you loved the most, Pandas. Share your thoughts in the comments. Meanwhile, for some more dazzling Big Apple treasures featured on the ‘Stooping NYC’ Instagram page, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s earlier articles about the massively successful project.