Brooklyn Secondhand Art Supplies & Creative Reuse Guide

Secondhand shopping is not only for clothes and furniture. For a Brooklyn artist, teacher, student, parent, costume maker, set builder, or occasional crafter, the useful find may be a bag of yarn, a stack of paper, a picture frame, a box of beads, a lamp for a studio, or one missing piece of hardware. Buying those things new can make a small project surprisingly expensive. Buying them used can also create a different problem: a tote full of materials that do not work together, cannot be returned, or take up more room than the project deserves. The good version of creative reuse starts with a specific need and a realistic plan for what you can carry, store, and finish.

Brooklyn has a handful of unusually good secondhand stops for making and repairing. Brooklyn Creative Reuse is the clearest destination for conventional art and craft supplies. Big Reuse's Bushwick and Gowanus shops are broader nonprofit thrift stops for useful home and studio materials. Old Iron Architectural Salvage is the specialised choice for renovation-scale hardware and old-house parts. They are not interchangeable: a shopper looking for fabric should not expect a salvage warehouse to solve the problem, and someone replacing cabinet pulls should not buy the first mismatched box of craft-store hardware they see. Start with the project, then choose the store format that fits it.

“**Best Brooklyn Stop for Art and Craft Supplies**”

**Best Brooklyn Stop for Art and Craft Supplies**

Brooklyn Creative Reuse in Industry City is the first stop when the project needs materials rather than finished objects. The nonprofit resells donated fabric, yarn, paint, paper, brushes, drawing and drafting materials, sewing notions, canvases, frames, beads, tools, and office or school supplies. Its stock changes with donations, so it is better for an adaptable project than for finding one exact brand or color. Go with a short list—such as fabric for a tote, collage paper, a frame for a print, or classroom supplies—and two or three acceptable alternatives. That keeps a cheap browse from becoming a costly storage problem.

Fabric and yarn deserve a slower inspection than most thrift finds. Unroll enough fabric to check for fading, odors, brittle folds, stains, sun damage, and a usable continuous length. For yarn, look for moth damage, smoke or mildew odor, tangles that will cost more time than the yarn is worth, and enough matching skeins to finish the project. A partial bundle can be excellent for mending, trim, a small textile experiment, or a child-sized project; it is risky for a sweater, large curtain, or anything where color matching matters. Check labels when they are present, but do not assume an unlabelled fiber behaves like wool, cotton, or washable acrylic.

The shop is inside Industry City and is open Wednesday through Sunday, with later starts Wednesday and Thursday. Pair it with food or a walk around the complex if you are visiting from farther away, but do not turn a material run into an all-day impulse purchase. Bring a reusable bag for small finds and a measuring tape or the finished dimensions of the project when shopping for fabric, frames, or paper. Confirm current hours before travelling; donation-driven shops can adjust their schedule.

**For Studio, Home, and Repair Materials: Big Reuse**

Big Reuse has two Brooklyn locations with different strengths. The Bushwick shop on Troutman Street is the better choice for smaller, low-cost thrift finds: books, kitchenware, clothing, accessories, home goods, and smaller appliances. It is useful for project containers, glassware, trays, desk accessories, a lamp, a book for collage reference, or everyday objects that can become props or storage. Its donation-driven stock rewards flexibility, and it is close enough to other Bushwick thrift stops to make part of a broader route.

The Gowanus flagship is the more practical destination for furnishing, building, or equipping a studio. Its inventory can include furniture, appliances, tools, building materials, reclaimed lumber, surplus tile, vintage hardware, and household goods. This is where an apartment project becomes a measuring exercise: record the width of a doorway, the dimensions of the wall or worktable, the vehicle or delivery plan, and the maximum repair budget before you go. A cheap shelf, chair, sink, or tool is only a bargain if it can fit through the door and safely do the job.

For both Big Reuse locations, inspect function before aesthetics. Plug-in items should be treated cautiously unless the store has tested them and you can verify condition. Open drawers, check chair joints, look underneath for water damage, and test whether hardware is complete. For lumber, tile, or hardware, buy a little extra only when the material is genuinely repeatable; a one-off color or size can be hard to match later. The aim is to leave with a complete solution, not a promising fragment.

**Architectural Salvage and Vintage Hardware**

Old Iron Architectural Salvage in Gowanus is a specialist stop for people restoring an older home or working on a project with real installation requirements. The warehouse focuses on salvaged cast-iron tubs and sinks, along with vintage hardware and architectural pieces. It is not a casual craft store, and its early trade hours reflect that. Go with measurements, photos of the existing opening or fixture, and a clear transport plan. A vintage pull, hinge, sink, or tub may be beautiful, but compatibility matters more than charm when plumbing, mounting holes, weight, and building access are involved.

If hardware is the goal, bring the old piece when possible—or at least photograph it beside a ruler and note screw spacing, thickness, handedness, and quantity. A single knob can work as a decorative hook; a set of hinges needs to match closely enough to operate together. Check for cracks, stripped threads, missing fasteners, sharp edges, and paint or finish that will require safe removal. Salvage shopping is most successful when you are willing to adapt the design to a found object, but not when you are gambling on a critical part without a backup.

**Three Useful Creative-Reuse Routes**

For a focused art-materials run, build the day around Brooklyn Creative Reuse. Make the project list first, visit early enough to compare rather than rush, and stop when you have the materials needed for the next step. Industry City works especially well for a costume, collage, classroom, mending, or small home-decor project because the shop's stock includes many small categories that are expensive to buy individually new.

For a low-cost home or studio reset, start at Big Reuse Gowanus and add Old Iron only if you have a restoration need. The two are close enough to make a dedicated salvage route, but they serve different decisions: Big Reuse is better for practical furniture, tools, and general materials; Old Iron is better for a specific architectural part. Leave time to measure, photograph, and think before committing to something heavy.

For small objects and reference material, use Big Reuse Bushwick as a flexible add-on to a Bushwick thrift day. It can be productive for books, containers, kitchenware, and household items that support a project without requiring a major delivery plan. Pair it with the neighborhood's clothing stores only if both goals are real; creative reuse works best when you can explain what each purchase is for.

**A Better Secondhand Project Checklist**

Before leaving home, write down the project, finished dimensions, acceptable colors or materials, budget, deadline, and what you already own. Bring measurements, a bag, and a way to photograph labels or parts. At the store, ask four questions: Is this enough material to finish the project? Is its condition safe and usable? Can I carry or transport it? Would I buy it if it were not discounted? If the answer to the last question is no, leave it for the person whose project actually needs it.

After buying, sort and clean the materials promptly. Wash or air out washable textiles according to their likely fiber, wipe hard surfaces, quarantine anything with a pest or mildew concern, and label partial supplies before they disappear into a drawer. Keep receipts if the shop offers them, especially for larger furniture or hardware. The most sustainable secondhand material is the one that becomes a finished repair, lesson, artwork, costume, or useful object—not the one that waits indefinitely for an imagined future project.