Secondhand chic: Decorating your home

Lets face it — redecorating a dorm room is not easy to do. Beige-colored walls, gray-stained curtains and multicolored carpeting does not lend well to a refined color palette. Those who have apartments and houses escape this nightmare but are left with the responsibility of purchasing furniture.

Shopping for furniture and decorations at thrift stores can help cut down the cost. Just five minutes away by bus, Cloud 9 Consignment & Thrift is a nonprofit thrift store that contributes one-third of its profits to the local community and another third to nonprofit programs like Habitat for Humanity and the Refugee Resettlement Program. Cloud 9 offers a wide selection of second hand furniture with reduced prices. Finding great deals can be a hunt at Cloud 9, but the charitable cause makes it worth it.

Capitol Hill’s Seattle Trading Post is one of the more clean and organized secondhand stores. The owner, Jeff Penney, is constantly shopping for products. Some of his items include bikes, shelves, stereo systems, oil lamps, typewriters, café chairs and bar stools. He said he buys whatever he can resell.

“I try to take care of the needs of the neighborhood,” he said.

Just around the corner from the Seattle Trading Post is I Heart Rummage, an independent craft fair at Chop Suey, a bar and nightclub. I Heart Rummage is held the first Sunday of every month from noon to 4 p.m. The fair showcases 25 local crafters and designers with urban crafts and functional art. This past Sunday’s event featured Jet City Roller Girls as a special guest and music by DJ Jessie Beans.

If your decorating style is more retro, head to the Fremont Vintage Mall. Previously known as the Fremont Antique Mall, the store has recently changed ownership and been remodeled. Fremont Vintage Mall rents floor space to various sellers who offer a wide selection of mid-century modern furniture.

The Fremont Sunday Market is also a great place to search for antiques and secondhand furniture. Located between Phinney Avenue and Evanston Avenue on 34th Street, the market boasts a selection of kitchenware, stain-washed furniture, original paintings and Egyptian cotton bed sheets.

Next time you find yourself on the road to Ikea, turn around, because Seattle’s thrift and vintage stores offer an original selection of great finds at unbeatable prices.