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Pleasantville store gives old items new purpose
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PLEASANTVILLE - The key chains and earrings are made out of the ornate ends of vintage silverware.
The coat rack's hooks are actually glass door knobs.
And the head board for the king-sized bed is a door, turned on its side and decorated with new metalsmithing and copper work.
The idea of repurposing - turning something old into something new - is celebrated at Parkside Unlimited, which opened in January on South Main Street in Pleasantville.
The business deals in antique furniture and custom-made home decor, selling pieces from about $50 to $200. Husband-and-wife owners Rich McNally and Peg Fulton say they are "recycling the past," salvaging items that once belonged to area Victorian homes or were junked on the curb but have since been refurbished for future use.
"We try to do things that show people how to reuse their stuff instead of just throwing it away," Fulton said.
Parkside Unlimited is a recycled business of sorts, as well.
McNally and Fulton previously ran the Parkside Bed & Breakfast in Ocean City for nine years. When they closed it, they took some of their old furnishings and materials with them - including their namesake and sign, which is now planted outside the new Parkside.
Repurposing objects, the couple says, is both eco-friendly and a way to be thrifty.
Web sites offer advice on how to reuse everyday items: Turn a door into a tabletop, a TV armoire into a wine cabinet or a dresser into a vanity.
There's even a forum at IkeaFans.com for people who want to trade tips on reusing their Ikea furniture, which is known for coming in separate pieces that require the buyer to assemble it.
Pat McGowan, who bought an old door, railings and window casings from Parkside, said this week that he can appreciate the desire to save an object and give it new life.
"It's very clever, it's very artistic and it's good that they're not throwing anything away," said McGowan, whose 1860s-style home in Northfield has been featured on the HGTV network's "If Walls Could Talk." "But I'm also a purist. I've seen people take shutters and turn them into room dividers. For a guy who's always looking for things that are hard to find, I like to still see them being used for their original purpose."
Bob Moore, 47, of Absecon, said he likes going to places such as Parkside or Cobweb Corner Antiques in Galloway Township to find 1920s period furniture for his home. Buying such pieces also instills a sense of patriotism, he said.
"They're from when we were an industrial nation and we built everything ourselves," Moore added. "Most of the stuff I buy is much better quality than what they're manufacturing today. All the old stuff is made in the USA."
E-mail Erik Ortiz:
Posted in Business on Sunday, June 28, 2009 3:45 am Updated: 7:01 am.
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