Urban Ore

Urban Ore is not for the faint of heart. It is a sheer menagerie of things: doors, bowls, screws, old phones, VHS movies, phonographs and on and on. Sometimes you can accomplish your mission, other times you’ll walk out with a stack of unused barbecue skewers and a book on juggling. Depends on the day.
Bring your loot to the front and you’ll get rung up. If it’s a big item like a couch, flag down an Urban Ore employee who will tag your item, help you move it to the front, and get you out of there.
The good: fascinating finds of all sorts.
The bad: I usually want hand sanitizer after pawing through other people’s old things. Still so fun.

I happened to wander into here one weekend, and boy was I overwhelmed! At first it seemed like an unending expanse of thrift store, with the added benefit of a lot of houseware/​hardware for good measure (as opposed to just clothes and accessories). But after a closer look, I realized that you really need a clear idea of what you want to find or else you’d just be dishearteningly lost forever. Serious dedication of time is needed to comb through the piles of stuff… yes, they’re loosely organized (operative word being «loose») in certain spots like the records, books, lighting fixtures/​shades, electric appliances, doors, etc… but all the gray area in between is just… O. o
Could be fun to browse if you just take it one (small) section at a time.

Urban Ore is the true definition of «one man’s trash is another man’s treasure». I’m sure you can find some very unique items here and not so very unique items. It’s a great place to rummage through when you have time to kill. So why the 2 star rating you ask? I have no problems with Urban Ore having dogs and cats run through the property. I think it is kind of inevitable. But when said animals have clearly crapped in areas where there is foot traffic and said crap has clearly been sitting there for days, that kind of tells me that Urban Ore doesn’t really care to clean up after them.
So if you do come here, watch your step!

First time here, and there’s something for everybody! My husband made a killing with the 50 cent records. Perfect place to go if you plan on remodeling a house, as they have tons of doors, windows, fixtures, tubs, sinks, etc. It’s a major treasure hunt, so you have to be up for that. Some of the prices are great, some are not so great, so you have to know what you are doing. Good tip to wear warm clothes (it was freezing!) and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.

I rarely give negative reviews. Went in with my family on Black Friday. No specials? Ok. The manager said their girl was keep stuff out of the land fills and back bulk production and corporate America. Ok I get it, but the why are you sooooo over priced on any and every item. The item could be in pieces, falling apart, and they want to charge you near full price of what you’d pay in stores.
I give a negative review because it seems to me their goal is to get rich off selling junk.

I like this spot MUCH, MUCH better than Ohmega Salvage. I found exactly what I was looking for and it was surprisingly inexpensive. Its a great place to get lost in for a while.
The staff was very helpful and friendly.
I will be going back soon.

Se lo podría definir como un corralón de materiales para construcción usados. Ni idea de donde obtienen las cosas (demoliciones?), pero tiene una impresionante variedad de puertas, marcos, ventanas, accesorios, creo que es una manzana entera. Totalmente recomendable para quien este construyendo y no tenga problemas con materiales usados. Los estados de conservación son distintos, hay que mirar bien.
También hay cosas pequeñas como libros, revistas y electrónica antigua. Todo en general tiene buen precio (libros por u$ 1), salvo las computadoras «vintage», habia disketeras 1541 a u$ 40, me parece caro cuando te la venden sin saber si funciona. Es típico de estos lugares que la mercaderia se venda «as is», pero el precio tendría que ser mas acorde. Igual el problema fue con este tipo de items, el resto realmente no me puedo quejar del precio.

If you are looking for the odd, wacky, bordering on tacky but, you KNOW you can make something out of it!!! This is your place.
Originally I felt this place is where the odd things of life go to die. But, after some recent purchases, I am sold!
I found my inner DIY soul and it resides here!!! Check out but, leave your momma that can’t see anything but, Nordstroms, well that girl home. You need creativity not negativity.
Go, comb through it. Find your treasure.

Such a strange, yet intriguing place. Although I did find one knick knack, most items were a miss. I agree wholeheartedly with many reviewers: the store reeked of cats, prices were inconsistent, and the employee we encountered was rude. Glad we tried it, but we don’t plan on visiting again.

I don’t want to waste any more of my time on Urban Ore. Here’s the most succinct and true review. I’ll just republish.
This place is a bullshit rip off. They take people’s garbage and sell it at totally arbitrary prices. There is no rhyme reason or consistency to anything and most of the employees are incompetent scumbags.

In theory this place should be awesome. In reality it’s a fail. Recycle and keep stuff out of the landfill? Great idea. Charge top dollar for stuff you get for free (in mostly POOR condition, I. e, «free junk») to pay employees for hiding out, and having attitude when you find out where they’re hiding? Bad model.
Being in Berkeley, the Good Intention Capital of the World, makes this failure all the more glaring. Is it in the business of recycling and saving the landfill? Or paying people for being professional slackers? One visit, and you’ll have the answer.
Or save yourself some driving and disappointment, by going to the local non-​profit thrift store if you’re looking for bargains, or the many used building materials places in the area if you’re looking for that stuff. You will find «treasure» here, not. Guaranteed. If it’s worth a dime, they will want a dollar. No surprise stuff sits there for months.
The employees obviously get the good free stuff before it ever sees the public, because if it isn’t wrecked, dented, rotted, or covered with dirt, it won’t be for sale.
Urban Ore could be a model of moving reusable stuff around, reducing waste and lowering the cost of living for people in the Bay Area. Instead, it’s just another cynical «concept» business.

I like the idea of Urban Ore (one’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure) and I’ve found great bargains here. Recently my son and I stopped in to buy plates for his dorm/​apartment and we walked out of there with about 12 plates, 10 glasses, 8 mugs, 2 nice ceramic mixing bowls and a cutting board for just under $ 50. I also found a Krups espresso machine for $ 40 that makes really good espresso and amazing foamy milk for lattes. That was a great find. A few years ago I got a vaccum sealer for $ 2 (for vacuum sealing food before putting in the freezer) and it still works like a charm. The used books section is always worth a look, and if you’re into VHS tapes and cassettes they have a decent selection for dirt cheap.
The pricing feels pretty random, but I’m not complaining. It usually works in my favor.

A treasure hunter’s paradise! If you like thrift stores, flea markets, or estate sales, you’ll love Urban Ore. It has larger household items like doors, dining tables, and chairs, as well as smaller items like greeting
cards, nuts and bolts, picture frames, clothing, and jewelry. All at bargain prices!
They also take donations of household goods (on the Folger Street side) and building materials (on the Murray Street side). We actually went to dispose of a cracked toilet and were really pleased with the hassle-​free drop-​off experience. The staff was very pleasant and helpful!

This is quite possibly my new favorite store EVER!
Urban Ore is for anyone and everyone who lives by the phrase «One mans trash is another mans treasure». The giant warehouse and yard is stocked with literal junk. But within that junk are some amazing treasures.
They have very cheap furniture that looks brand new; dining tables, coffee tables, end tables, desks, chairs, dressers. The only thing I did not see and probably because I wasn’t specifically looking for them are bed sets. I was able to find a very nice bamboo cutting board for $ 1.00. They have a vast selection of books. Computers, cameras, photo albums, computers, cooking implements, clothes, and these are just to name a few things they sell.
In the yard area they have a toilet garden, a bathtub and sink garden, and a wide range of different doors, shutters, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Everything is priced very reasonably. For the amount of stuff I purchased it would of cost up to $ 50.00 brand new, and here it all came to a grand total of $ 10.00 just because they were used. Everything is still in working order, they are just second hand.
Over the weekend I visited Urban Ore twice, and though mostly everything was the same they did have a few new items on my second visit. So they must be adding new stuff every day. It’s definitely worth a look, and I can guarantee you will not leave empty handed.

Aww, do you remember when Urban Ore was THE spot?! Growing up, my daddy pretty much rotated our weekend activities between flea markets, bargain bookstores, consignment shops, the inevitable warehouse run, and – of course – Urban Ore.
But the Urban Ore that I am familiar with no longer exists. In it’s place sits an overpriced and yuppie-​drenched depot of the same name but with a totally different culture. It’s no longer about re-​purposing, creatively reusing and making yourself a lil’ homemade magic for a few bucks. It’s about what everything is about: makin’ that moolah! And that definitely sucks for the nostalgic part of me that came hoping to get a glimpse into the ol’ days of yore.
The weirdest part is you’d think this new price hike would equal a super organized, tidy layout. Um, nahsomuch my friend! It’s a total wreck in here. I know compulsive hoarders with better floor plans.

It’s like a junkyard for junkyards.
While Urban Ore may have been cool some years ago, where you could literally rebuild your dream tree house using good-​as-​new parts for cheap and old barn beams for benches at your café, there seems to have been a misstep in terms of management.
While things are still somewhat organized, there seems to be no system of getting rid of things that don’t sell. Things are just piling up much like a hoarder’s house and hence they are at the point of where they are at now. Staff seems overworked, unhappy, and things are getting damaged as folks rummaging through trash seem to reflect the care that has gone into the space.
Where they are at now is a reflection of a cool idea gone rampant. They need a system of clearing out things that don’t move, not just moving it into a pile in a dark corner of their warehouse. Otherwise, in a few years, I imagine they’ll be in a much darker place than they are now — which won’t look very pretty.

Urban Ore is a recycler who buys unwanted household items on the cheap and sells it. women’s clothes and books. also.
came looking for a certain lock, didn’t find it. left with a clift notes book on writing (1).

Urban Ore is a tinker’s paradise. It’s appropriately named, as you’ll find few treasures ready to display on your mantel. Mining the ore requires sifting (through mountains of junk); assay (analysis of what it’s worth to you); but rarely any grinding or smelting. Appliances will be broken, parts may be missing, furniture needs re-​finishing. Factor those in when assessing all the great deals.
For the fixer-​upper having some familiarity with UO’s inventory, with a specific parts list for a particular DIY project, great deals are to be had. Example: I recently had call for a large granite-​topped table. Local firms quoted me $ 700-​$ 1000 for the top, FOB. I picked up one at Urban Ore made of better natural material for $ 70, and rented a pickup for $ 20 to ship it to the assembly point. Voila! 90% savings.

Let’s just say.
I LOVE this place. Cool shit. Good prices. Great staff.
No matter if it’s a big project or a small project, indoors or outdoors — they’ve got something that can beautifully add to your masterpiece.
Oh and as for the reviews that say they price things based on what you look like — I feel like it’s more like they price stuff based on your attitude. I see it so much, wanna be «urban» upper class silver spoon fed individuals with a holy-​er than thou attitude. The ones who are trying to save a buck so they can spend what they saved at the nearest crate and barrel. They come in with their nose so far up in the air if it were to rain they would drown and expect everyone to wait on them and the prices to be .60 cents. If I had the opportunity to charge people based upon their difficulty I would jump on it! I hate stuck up pain in the asses just as much as the next guy!

If I had an older house and more time on my hands, I would probably be a regular here. A nice chap from the Rejuvenation store referred me to Urban Ore when I was looking for a replacement glass shade for a 20s era floor lamp. I didn’t find one, but my eyes were sort of glazed over with everything that I did see.
Specialists are assigned to each department, and I found that they were pretty helpful. Much more helpful than someone at a box store. They seem to have a personal interest in helping you with your project.
Lots of furniture with tons of character and charm in varying states of needed TLC. Most of it was really well priced, but you have to be up for a project. If you aren’t inclined, not sure it’s worth your while.
I tend to skip thrift store clothes unless they are high end, but I was impressed with the extensive housewares. Lots of unique art and home décor that was decently priced.

Expectations are the key, wherever you go. So I’ll set your expectations of Urban Ore immediately: This ain’t IKEA. Accept that, and you’ll handle Urban Ore better. I have nothing against IKEA; some people like football and some people like fishing, some people like Urban Ore and some people like IKEA, it depends on your tastes and wishes.
This is not your ordinarly run-​of-​the-​mill thrift store. Although it has clothing, housewares, furniture, and 12″ vinyl records, it’s more of a home improvement store. The things that you would throw away after replacing them in your home — doors, cabinets, potties — go here. Then people who are looking for these things can find them without paying IKEA prices. But you may find your item in better condition or at a lower price somewhere else. But in shopping around for what you need, this place could have it.
Naturally, they need some cleaning and fixing. In the case of the records, I found many records with no covers and vice-​versa (bummer, I really wanted that Phil Keaggy disk). But Urban Ore is trying to keep them out of the landfills of the world, and using us second-​hand-​lovers to do it. Cool, huh?
I’d visited here before, never bought anything until a few days ago. Time to get another dresser for my daughter, and I found and bought a good one here. Naturally, I added to my already-​volumnous record collection too.
So that’s the rundown. If the pictures and above review turn you off, and there are many who would be turned off by what they read, then IKEA is close by.