Saw this on Yelp by chance as I was trying to search for another thrift store, and I'm so happy I did. I visited on a Sunday, about an hour before closing. I was surprised with how packed it was inside! However, there was plenty of parking inside the parking lot, as well as available street parking nearby. The store includes a large "showroom" inside, as well as an area outside that features items related to gardening, toilets, and windows. I appreciated that the store itself is very organized according to item type. There are also signs hanging from the ceiling inside that designate each type of area. I'm someone who enjoys thrifting smaller scale items such as dishes, vases, etc. I was hoping to find a lot of this here, given how large the store is. However, I was a little disappointed that there were only a few rows and cabinets of these types of items (hence why I gave one star off)... so if you are the same as me, maybe this won't be the place for you. BUT if you are remodeling or in need of furniture, this is a must! There are plenty of beautiful cabinets, dressers, desks, and chairs -- some definitely needed some work (new upholstery/paint), but there were others that were almost good as new. There are rows and rows of doors, windows, baseboards, toilets and sinks. Of course within these items, there are old and new so you would have to scavenge through them. Let's talk about pricing... the smaller items like dishes, vases, books, video games, etc are really reasonably priced (between $1-10). On the other hand, the doors were ranged from $500-$1000. Some furniture pieces were as low as $20, while the larger ones like dressers that were in good condition were around $250-$500. Appliances were also around $250 and up. Overall, I had a lot of fun visiting this store, even though It didn't have exactly what I needed myself. It's an interesting place with items full of history and stories, so I would definitely give it a look if you're in the area! read more

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I built my "Green-Green-Green-house" from salvaged steel windows I found at Urban Ore. Great place to find "discarded treasures", some of which are rescued from the dump, by Urban Ore's spotters at the dump. I have found everything from 1940's Rockwell Delta power tools to a vintage Eero Aarnio Ball Chair and an aluminum rowboat, I plan to make into an amphibious car. The workers are very nice and fair in pricing. For more expensive items, as a general rule, they charge about 1/2 of what the item would sell for online. My favorite salvage yard in the bay area. read more

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Friendly people all sorts of cool stuff. The go to place for donating or buying nicer door hardware hinges and old light fixtures.

There is really never anything I want to buy here. I have sold a few things to this recycle center. I didn't get much money for my stuff, but that was okay. I got things far enough out of the house that they could not find way back. I enjoy photography here. There is always some thing that captures my fancy and the possible subjects change every time I go read more

Urban Ore - Window women - Home & Garden Near Me - Berkeley, California

What else can I say that they have almost everything one could need. All my house, work, and recreational needs could be found here at a great deal. Thanks for being open! read more

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The Prices are absolutely RIDICULOUS! They are rude about coming down at all!! Don't think we will be back. They charge the same prices as a brand new doors and windows. Only these items need new paint and repairs done obviously because it's second hand. Why pay full price when you then have to put extra money into it fixing it up.... Whoever owns this place makes no sense........ I imagine everything outside will get worse due to sitting outside day in and out for long periods of time. A shame some things are never to be made or found again. read more

Interesting, organized chaos. They have really great items. The prices have gone up, but there are some great deals to be found. Whenever I drive through this area I make it point to stop by and have a look around. read more

I love Urban Ore. I've been going there since it was at 6th and Gilman in Berkeley long ago. It's a great East Bay institution. It kind of blows my mind that the owner doesn't realize that it would just plain make it an even finer local ornament if it had a union (or was, even better, cooperatively owned!) The place is really a public service for the community and the planet and having a union is totally fitting to that. read more

I love this shop but negotiating in bad faith with a union is a red line. As a frequent costumer, the union has my full support and the union busting practices that management is engaging in are being noticed. Treat your workers right, management and owners. read more

I came here to look for desks at the suggestion of the man at Berkeley Office Interiors. I have been here before to buy and to donate, but years ago. Before Yelp. I parked in front and walked through the warehouse. I saw lots of windows and doors and eventually found my way to the furniture. The selection is always random at places like this and today there were few desks and none that would be a fit. There was a line of people waiting to check out, so others were finding things they were looking for and the parking lot was full. It's a cool place. It just didn't have what I was looking for today. read more

Lots of fun - the detritus and material elements of many lives find their way to Urban Ore. Stocked with fragments of living, dusty and overwhelming, Urban Ore is a treasure hunt, a junk pile and an enticement into imagining what you could do with objects that are cast off and found at the same time. It's not curated, so there is a lot to sift through. read more

We enjoy visiting to see what building materials are available. We've purchased tiles a number of times to use in the bathroom and on our patio under potted plants. High quality and inexpensive. You never know what you will find there. We picked up a lovely stained glass piece that had come out of someone's home; it was framed in redwood and had been installed in a wall as a window. Love it. We also bought a mahogany table in almost perfect shape. I think we found it the same day it went on the sales floor so it pays to visit regularly. We like reusing and recycling and appreciate that Urban Ore is keeping things from ending up in landfill. read more

I seldom venture in for a couple of reasons. One is that every time I have ventured in, I have had an experience that I was not inclined to repeat. Today was no exception. After selecting a few items I wanted I stood on line for a rather long time. The man in front of me had a rather large number of items. I simply had a few. When it was my turn, the annoying man with the note pad told the man behind me to go ahead of me because "You only have a few things..." Wait, what? I only have a few things. Next, the man who rang me up was less then pleasant from the start. I asked a very simple question "I would like to bring some things, can I do that? How does that work?" His response was less then helpful. I pointed this out. I also pointed out that I had just handed him a one hundred dollar bill of which they were keeping the lion's share. I also pointed out that in my shop, when someone asks a question, we don't lose sight of who we work for. We know who is paying our salary. Overall, I am once again repelled by this place. I get it and I don't want it. I wish ya'll the very best of luck in your pursuits. I have no doubt that what you are doing is work just fine for you as is what I am doing. You see, I have a choice and I choose joy. As to the man with the attitude, my mother taught me that if you can't laugh at life or yourself, lord help you because, life is not going to be very fun. read more

This place has some gems! You just gotta look for them. Really cool antique store. If you're bored one of these days and you're in the area, I'd recommend looking around! I'm personally not even into antiques that much but it was sooo cool to see everything. Had a "blast to the past" moment. Haha! They have some good furniture here too if you need something and are on a budget. You'll definitely find some steals read more

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This place is a mixed bag. On the one hand you can score hard to find parts, objects, items that you never knew you wanted or needed. Then again, you later realize you didn't want or need the piece of trash you paid good money for which at the time you thought you wanted or needed but later realized was in fact just a piece of discarded trash. That's the good part. The bad is the home building materials are ridiculously over priced. A used beat up 10 year old vinyl window will go for 75% of full new retail. Come on, man, that is just silly. Used doors? Forget it. A run of the mill door with 16 layers of lead paint, rot and a gouge or two is priced near or over new retail pricing. Sinks are the most absurd. It will be a rusted busted dated stanky dirty sink with a broken faucet and they want a c-note and change. What you smoking brah? I don't get it. read more

Everyone is wearing a mask and the place feels very clean even in the clutter. I've been a few times and have found many small items for my house, plus some board games I'd been wanting! read more

Urban Ore - Back of the art piece - Home & Garden Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I think I love Urban Ore but then every time I get there I feel like...why don't I find anything with ALL THIS STUFF!?! I mean there really is a lot of stuff to look through so make sure you have a good hour to kill. Prices on some stuff could stand to be marked down, but they're still much cheaper than buying new. Bring hand sanitizer and don't expect anyone to offer assistance. If you get someone to take your money at checkout that's as much pleasant interaction as I've had :-) read more

A lot of things overpriced like old windows and doors (that they received for free btw) but you can find deals on some furniture and other good things. read more

I love salvage shops so was pretty excited to visit Urban Ore, which I'd heard so much about. I arrived all geared up for funky treasures, and was excited to see that the place is huge. The area just inside the door seemed like a sort of downscale Goodwill, with weird clothes and dingy-looking household items. Well, not my thing anyway, so I pressed on to the architectural salvage. OK. So they do have a LOT of stuff. Rows upon rows of sinks, toilets, baths, doors, windows--almost every single one of which is broken, filthy, and/or tragically unstylish. This is not find-a-cool-old-window salvage. This is slightly-more-organized-trash-dump salvage. Which, honestly, could also be cool, but the prices were about what you might pay for an equivalent item, brand new, at Home Depot. I will say this: if you are looking for a seventies amber-glass door with several coats of manky paint and your budget for the above is around $2,000, you will love it here. read more

They have items in every category. Fair pricing. Might not find any specific item you're looking for, but the sheer amount of inventory that they have means that you'll likely come out with SOMETHING nice. read more

If you are a DIY at heart then you will love this place. I heard it has changed over the years and I wish I knew about it back then. I would have loved coming here as a student. This place is a treasure trove of materials from do it yourself home decor to just fun art projects! It also has an awesome selection of used books, old records and yes VHS too which makes me chuckle. The place is very well organized and I hear even smells better too. I heard there use to be lots of cats there and they weren't exactly the best at using the litter boxes. The staff has done a great job of really tidying up the place and things are so more organized now. I think there is a map you can checkout on their website so you can navigate your way around... or you can be like me and just explore. In any case, I love visiting just to see what is new. It helps get my imagination going even if I don't even have a project in mind. I don't always walk out buying something, but I usually walk out with a smile. Can't wait to go back again soon. Cheers read more

Interesting place full of doors, windows, sinks, and assorted construction materials. Some of the stuff is old and of good quality. I'd come here if I were restoring a nice old Victorian. Some of it is pretty expensive, though. They also have clothes, picture frames, books, and records. Most of the vinyl is a good deal at $1 apiece. read more

A wonderful place to get lost hunting for old things, needful things, useful things and delightful surprises you didn't know you needed.

Dissapointing. Things are pretty expensive for what it is and the condistion, and not that amazing. Though there might be better stuff other days or other months. The staff that I encountered were condescending and rude people read more

Wow! Just wow. This place is packed with stuff and overflows into the outside lot. There are really interesting finds, unique architectural salvage pieces, household items, craft materials, countless building materials and everything else in between. It's an awesome hunting ground to look for doors, windows, sinks and tubs if you're doing a home renovation and don't mind using second hand stuff. I took a shower right away after I got home. It's to be expected after coming from a place like this. What I didn't expect were the high prices of items, especially furniture, since some were already beat up and in bad shape. I saw a lamp that I could've bought at Goodwill for $30 or less selling at Urban Ore for $125!!! It might be worth it to visit thrifty stores before coming here. But if it's a special piece you're looking for and can't live without, it might be worth to pay the price. Overall, it was a really interesting place to visit and I scored some stuff I can use to make hanging lights. If you're in the area, I recommend to stop by! read more

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best place to find all the creative pieces to finish a project. fun just to wander

It's an institution. More of a place to wander and discover things than it is a place to go when you're looking for something specific. When I studied architecture in San Luis Obispo, we did a field trip to the bay and this was one of the stops. read more

Overpriced dump. Not sure how you get people to "reuse" if you are overpricing broken and badly damaged items that may be impossible to restore. Badly chipped plates for $10, a similar vintage medicine pourer that I found at an antique store sold here at three times the price, loud ass unpleasant radio in the front, and everything was just filthy. Love the concept and goal--execution is poor. read more

I went to urban ore today for the first time. I am looking for a piece of furniture to hold all of my plants. There is an impressive amount of stuff at this place, like a huge warehouse worst of stuff! However, the furniture is *outrageously* priced. I saw a table made out of wood crates and it was priced for $60!! Ridiculous!! Maybe if I ever need cheap dishes I'll go back to this place but not for furniture. read more

This huge warehouse is so fun to get lost in and spend the afternoon. They have a huge selection of what feels like everything. If you need a day to disassociate among thrifty antiques, this is the spot babyyyy! read more

This place is a diamond in the rough. You can park inside the parking or on the street. Parking is a hit or miss. You find the craziest things here. I like the unique and antique things they have here. You definitely can find some steals here. If you're handy this is the place for you. Somethings look dirty but they are in great condition you just have to clean them. I love this place definitely worth looking. read more

I came there towards closing with a pile of donations they told me to come back in the morning. I said I work which is the reason I am here now. No they would not help me so I drove home and unloaded my truck in the sidewalk and put up a free sign. Another time I sent photos of some heavy metal items- a perfectly good wood stove and a sink, and they were like, we will take it if you drop it off. If I were able to drop off 500 pounds of metal myself I would but guaranteed they would turn me away. Disappointing service to say the least. read more

Awesome place to find WHATEVER you need. It's like a Costco of thrifty items. You won't be disappointed!

I have been an Urban Ore customer for years. Prices have increased over time, which is to be expected, but it's gotten to the point where it's out of control. Who is pricing this stuff? Tools in terrible shape listed for more than the exact same item brand new. Anything remotely nice priced as if it were at a fancy antique shop. There used to be affordable treasures amidst the rubble, so the hunt was worth it. Not anymore. read more

I have enjoyed picking through the piles of everything in stock here. It's fun to look at all the old stuff. I have bought several things over the years, ranging from light fixtures to decor, even a wall "shroud" for the pipe under my bathroom sink. If it's obscure and salvaged, they've probably got it! read more

I want to support this business - I really do - but over the last 10 years my experiences there have become less positive. PLUS SIDE: This is still a fun place to browse - international friends especially love the uniquely American flavor to all the junk. There are beautiful antiques and old tech that evokes pleasant nostalgia. It's good for small finds - I recently bought a little oscillating fan for $5 that works great. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: Customer Communications about donations. The receiving dock was never stellar in customer service (eg some of the guys not acknowledging you when you walk up, or visibly conflicting on which one of them will have to serve you). I didn't mind because Urban Ore took things off my hands I didn't want to have to trash - knicknacks, lamps, books, dishes, toys, random household items other places won't accept, etc. They've gotten pickier now about receiving but haven't updated their customer communications. Their website and other staff should have *correct information on what the receiving dock will accept.* I tried to donate books recently, which are still listed on their website and which a front desk employee said I could bring. But when I came back with the books a donations employee said they weren't taking books anymore. I asked did he know who would take them, because I hated to put books in a dumpster. He shrugged. That was a hassle and waste of time that could have been avoided with accurate information. Customers who experience this are less likely to keep donating, which is one half of their whole business model! The other half of the model - Re-sale - also seems to be changing. I have heard from contractor friends over the years that the building materials prices are mostly too high, especially when they've been sat outside for a while. Often it's better to buy new. Eg, my friend was dismayed to see perfectly good electric drills and other tools being rained on. It was a shame and my friend asked staff about putting them under a shed or shelter of some kind. More shrugs. I get that during the pandemic donations likely went up as people lost their homes, and space is so precious that not everything can be under cover. But instead of disappointing people and losing repeat custom, I think some communications improvements would help. For example: 1) Make sure there is one price for each item and that employees agree on it. 2) Website update for pandemic: Be honest about what they accept and don't under current conditions, and don't waste people's time - some of them have just been made homeless and yet are taking the time to recycle their belongings. They could provide a list on alternative places customers can take the things they don't accept. Eg, I had an old TV and they did give me a name of an electronics recycling place, which was helpful. 3) Customer service training: How to greet customers, how to not show conflict between employees, how to respond to customer inquiries consistently and accurately. 4) The Cat P*ss: Some reviewers mentioned this so I'll add that yes, it's *strong* indoors. I know that being around it all day could make employees tune it out, but I warn friends when I bring them for the first time because it's the first thing they notice. Cats are a great way to prevent vermin but it takes effort to maintain their hygiene. Someone needs to get a black light and some enzymatic cleaner and go through the place finding *all* the spray spots. Throw away any item soiled with pee. Cats will be more likely to keep spraying until you get rid of all of it. I've no doubt Urban Ore has lost custom because of this, particularly on high-value purchases. Who would pay $5 K for an antique that might have residual cat pee on it? If the business needs to sell more high-value items, it needs to improve its environment. I hope they learn from the customer feedback I see here. I want them to succeed but they're going to have to work on some things - consistent pricing, up-to-date info about donations, cat pee smell, and general customer service. I wish them luck as they grow and adapt their business model for changing times. read more

Urban Ore - Current donations list on their website - including books. - Home & Garden Near Me - Berkeley, California

About the Business says that the owner is Dr. Daniel Knapp, a sociologist and former professor. You'd think a sociologist would care about the many bad customer service reviews. Evidently not. Just returned from my second bad experience at Urban Ore. I've had 45 minutes to think about why I won't be returning, and it has nothing to do with the merchandise and everything to do with the attitude of the people who work there. It took me a while to come up with what it was about the attitude of each of the six different employees I encountered today that was so off-putting - because no one was aggressively a jerk. But neither was any of the staff actively helpful or interested. The best way I can describe the experience: each employee was completely self-absorbed. In each encounter no greeting, no offer to help, no thanks for my business was ever expressed. What was expressed was brusqueness (asked to move out of the way, asked whether item had a tag, asked to move away from items that hadn't been processed --which there was no way to know, since there was no sign), distraction (employees chatting it up with each other), and utter boredom (at the cash register). Which is a different kind of rudeness, but rude it is. The experience was so off-putting to my husband that he immediately walked away from the items we were going to purchase - he no longer wanted them. These interactions were identical in that I came away from each one feeling like the staff person couldn't care less about customer service, i.e. my experience as a customer. In fact, the experience has been so consistent over my two visits there that it is clear to me that it is embedded in the culture at Urban Ore. Which is why I didn't ask to speak to a manager. What would be the use? read more

The tall gentleman and his partner were great! Friendly and professional. Very impressed.

I have had great trips to Urban Ore and busts. But never had a bad misunderstanding with their employees until today. Turns out in the building department you need to make sure you find the same employee to ask pricing on items--and you need to make sure you remind them you had gotten a price earlier. (That price was for x and y, you decided to not get y and now would like a price for x and z.) If you just ask the guy at the building desk what he would do for this bundle he will publicly shame you and yell 'didn't you already get a price?!' then call the other employee you talked to earlier over and go through a showy deal of giving a much higher price even though the price you got earlier was for a different grouping of items. I didn't try to explain the circumstances as it sounded like the employee had judged me and would continue to escalate. Just paid and left. I get they must have problems with people asking every employee for a better price, but that makes them very reactionary and apt to treat customers badly who were excited to find things they could recycle. I used to love coming. Edit: In case you were wondering, yes this bothered me enough I actually created a yelp account to comment. Hope the warning saves someone else a rough day or encourages that department to treat their customers more kindly during a pandemic when everyone is just trying to get by. read more

one of my favorite stores ever. recycling materials....especially outside, construction, landscaping, tools, random bits....great! read more