Vintage is in and making a major comeback thanks to local consignment stores dedicated to making old new again. From sofas to chaise lounges, sideboards to coffee tables, the pieces you remember from childhood are what’s hot in today’s market.

Whether you’re on a budget or simply want something to make your home unique, consignment is the way to go. Offering everything from bedroom and living room furniture to accessories like paintings or vases, there’s a little something for everyone if you’re shopping secondhand.

“We can hit everybody’s personality at some point in this store,” says Terry Myers of Showcase Furniture Consignment.

 “We’re finding people come to our store because they have to have something small. The furniture of yesteryear is unique because it was built smaller and it fits in (condos). A lot of these good, solid, wood pieces from 40 or 50 years ago are ideal.”

For the past five years Showcase Furniture Consignment has catered to a wide variety of decorating styles ranging from contem­po­rary to classic.

The two-storey 6,500-square-foot store features consignment, or “pre­viously enjoyed” furniture, which includes fur-­niture from show homes. It also sells new, custom-made upholstery furniture such as sofas, chairs, and loveseats, and works with local artisans on custom-made wood products.

In many ways it makes more sense for people living in small spaces to go furniture consignment shopping than to waste time looking at new, contemporary stores. While the development of condominiums seems to be at an all-time high a lot of furniture manufacturers are still building big, bulky furniture ideal for houses, says Myers.

Not to mention consignment shopping is a lot more forgiving on the pocketbook. Because the furniture is secondhand or vintage, prices are considerably lower than buying new, she adds.

One of the largest and oldest stores in the city, the Consignment Gallery, has been a leader in the local consignment market.

For nearly ten years the store has catered to all furniture styles and tastes. Owner Marvie Giordano fell in love with eclectic home furnishings while on a trip to California. When she returned to Calgary she decided to take consignment shopping to another extreme and opened her own furniture store.

Employing strict rules on the type of furniture it sells in-store, the Consignment Gallery and other stores like it, has elevated the perception of what “previously enjoyed” furniture signifies. At one time many people thought “consignment” meant “used,” which conjured up images of old, dilapidated furniture found only at thrift stores or pawn shops.

In reality, consignment is when an item is sold by someone or a store on behalf of a second-party, the proceeds of which are split between to the two.

Before a store like the Consignment Gallery or Show-case Furniture Consignment will consider consigning an item it inspects all items to ensure the condition, colour, and shape meets stores’ standards. In fact nothing damaged or exhibiting signs of wear and tear will be accepted and placed on the showroom floor.

“We actually pride ourselves on the fact many people can’t tell (the pieces) are secondhand in the store,” says Rachelle Steel, general manager of the Consignment Gallery. None of its items are refurbished or re-upholstered.

“If we wouldn’t put it in our own home, we wouldn’t sell it,” says Steel.

One of the most popular items for sale is often show home furniture sold on consignment. Thanks to the number of developers and show homes in the city cus-tomers have a large selection of styles to choose from when decorating their own homes. In some cases items are replicas of antique pieces like paintings, vases, lamps, and bowls.

Most of the furniture sold on consignment is obtained through estate sales, from people downsizing from houses to smaller spaces, and in some cases, from people who regularly redecorate their home.

“Nowadays we’re getting a collection of people in the store,” says Myers, who used to own Atlas Consign and Design before it closed in June.

Whether young or old, first-time buyer or downsizing, she says more and more people are turning their attention to consignment furniture because they appreciate the quality of the merchandise, the reasonable prices, and the funky styles on the market.

In contrast to her consignment counterparts Barb Brown of Honey B’s Vintage Home Décor loves taking worn vintage furniture and refurbishing it to its original standards.

What began as a hobby quickly turned into a career when Brown acquired a reputation for her attention to detail and love of refurbish-ing old furniture.

“It was a hobby and something I really loved to do because it was creative,” says Brown.

“A lot of people really like the vintage look and can get quality furniture for a fraction of the price of something new. It is eclectic and you know you’re going to get a piece that not everybody else has.”

Opening Honey B’s three years ago she says the store is a great place for people to unleash their creativity. Brown has given many of the pieces such as sideboards, coffee tables, or radio stands facelifts and new leases on life. The sizes are ideal for condo living and the pieces of often multi-functional.

“It is smaller in stature and built really well for condos. The smaller pieces like vanities and dressers, sideboards, every-thing is much more shallow and shorter in length. There are a lot of little areas in condos that it will fit in nicely,” says Brown.

Other stores like Traders of the Lost Art specialize in unique architectural pieces like stained glass windows, Euro-­pean doors and chandeliers, and outdoor elements from stone basins, and cast-iron urns to garden benches.  CL