…more press in The Line & MinnPost

http://www.minnpost.com/line/2013/08/new-thrift-store-old-and-dusty-green-and-creative

http://www.thelinemedia.com/features/thrift082813.aspx

Covet

Christy Frank, owner of Covet at 38th and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis, agrees.

Covet, a home consignment store, sells just about anything, but the more utilitarian, the better, she says. Covet started off as an occasional store at 33rd and Lake Street in South Minneapolis before settling into its current digs a couple of years ago. It offers a range of secondhand objects along with custom furniture and frames, or a mix of “new and a little bit old,” she says.

The concept can be hard for people to wrap their minds around. “People ask, what kind of store is this?” she says. “My store doesn’t follow what you expect.”

Courtesy of Covet

Covet has everything from Art Deco to Pottery Barn items to coffee tables
made out of recycled shipping pallets.

Covet has everything from Art Deco to Pottery Barn items to coffee tables made out of recycled shipping pallets. It’s less about antiques than “good design, good shape,”  according to Frank. It focuses on “good affordable design, and at the core of it, reusing as much of it as possible,” she explains.

One coffee table even included parts from a piano and a bed frame. “It’s an entirely sustainable piece of furniture,” she says. “It’s as green as it gets.”

The popularity of items like that indicates larger trends. She’s noticed a trend on Pinterest, with people reusing industrial materials. She theorizes that when the recession hit, people sought out consignment more, as a way to save money or make a little extra cash. “Out of necessity, I think that as a culture we’re getting more green,” she says. “People are more in tune with recycling and reusing.”

It can take longer to find the right piece this way, but “it’s a responsible way to shop. It’s affordable.” Instead of buying a living room out of a showroom, “It can add a little more interest to the home,” too, she says.