| You're a do-it-yourself kind of person. You want | | | | inventory for everyone. I purchased a complete |
| to get organized. You have the motivation; the | | | | U-shaped cubicle, file drawers, overhead shelves |
| energy; the plan... but you haven't the cash. Well, | | | | and task lighting for only $60 in cash. I didn't |
| I'm here to tell you that you can still accomplish | | | | expect perfection in the furniture; but it was |
| your goal without investing in costly supplies. With | | | | functional, heavy-duty and affordable. |
| a little elbow grease and/or planning, we can find | | | | Other opportunities exist when model home |
| creative and inexpensive solutions. | | | | furniture companies sell off their existing |
| One time I purchased an old green sewing cabinet | | | | inventory. Again, it's a cash and carry business, |
| for a small amount of money. I stripped the | | | | but the furniture is mostly unblemished and like |
| green paint and found that the wood was oak, | | | | new. |
| and it also had brass hinges. Once I re-stained the | | | | I also recommend building material warehouses. |
| oak and polished the brass, I was thrilled with the | | | | These warehouses receive daily truckloads, and |
| results. I've also purchased old water-stained | | | | inventory comes from many sources: |
| dressers, repainted the, purchased new knobs, | | | | Manufacturer over-runs, discontinued items, |
| and I've got the shabby chic look! | | | | manufacturer mistakes, general contractor's |
| Let's say you need a good used file cabinet. | | | | purchasing too much of a product. All of the |
| Where would you find one? You could drive from | | | | inventory is new, not used or damaged. |
| yard sale to yard sale, or just go directly to a | | | | Whenever a client has needed inexpensive |
| source. By searching the Yellow Pages or the | | | | storage solutions for their sewing room, I've gone |
| internet, you can find a used office furniture | | | | to my local warehouse and purchased a kitchen |
| warehouse in your area. I've purchased | | | | pantry. They come in a variety of wood and |
| everything from used cubicles, task lighting, desks, | | | | stain, and most items are half off retail. One time |
| file cabinets, bookshelves, task chairs... and all I | | | | I bought a beautiful maple cabinet and since one |
| needed was patience, cash, a pick-up truck, and a | | | | of the drawer fronts wasn't screwed in perfectly, |
| good pair of walking shoes. I would rather buy a | | | | I got it for less than half off retail. Keep in mind, |
| used, dented heavy-duty file cabinet, than | | | | however, that at these types of warehouses, |
| purchase a new, poor quality file cabinet. | | | | merchandise is sold as is, and all sales are final. |
| One year, a local company went out of business | | | | So, put on your thinking cap and get creative. It |
| and advertised that they were selling off their | | | | takes time to research and squeeze through the |
| furniture. On the day of the sale, I arrived at 5:00 | | | | aisles of these huge warehouses but, if you're on |
| a.m. Although I found myself in a long line of other | | | | a budget, it's a priceless investment. |
| savvy buyers, there was more than enough | | | | |