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People Share What They Found Thrown Away And The Phrase ‘One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure’ Has Never Been So Real (40 New Pics)
It's called stooping, and it's how people get secondhand furniture from New York City curbs for free. Basically, it goes like this: someone who no longer needs their old mid-century coffee table puts it on the sidewalk in front of their home and anyone who might find it useful can simply pick it up.
Stooping is a longtime tradition but in the summer of 2019, it got a modern twist when a couple from Brooklyn created an Instagram account to help castaways find their new owners. Without overthinking, they called it Stooping NYC and started sharing everything the streets had to offer.
Loyal Bored Panda readers should remember this online project since we've already written about it here, here, and here. However, it just hit a huge milestone: 250K followers. So we thought it's a nice occasion to pay them another visit.
More info: Instagram
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
West Elm Industrial Coffee Table With Storage
Mavis Movenpicker 3 years ago
As awesome as the majority of these items are, you have to be careful that they didn't throw it out because of a bug infestation. In one of my FB plant groups someone found a fantastic wooden plant stand in the trash that ended up costing her $1500 for pest control because it was infested in bed bugs 😭
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GoddessOdd 3 years ago
I wish they threw this kind of stuff away where I live... but couldn't city dwellers at least donate it? Here trucks will come and pick up your stuff for you.
postboredom 3 years ago (edited)
It's looks like pretty good quality. A little varnish and good as new
Jubum 3 years ago
Wow, that's so great! If you leave something on the street in Germany, you will receive a report from the regulatory office as soon as the object has touched the pavement and a report from the police for theft if you take something with you. And of course, the whole time you live in the neighborhood you will get angry looks and scowls, even the dogs will despise you, which is far worse than police and law enforcement combined.😒
Evelyn Haskins 3 years ago
We put unwanted items out on the footpath if they ae not good enough to sell. People can them help themselves IF they want it. We have a number of useful items collect that way, And we have saved some of our unwanted things from going into the Rubbish buy putting them out. we used t have regular bulky waste collection which worked the same, but the Council (aka Chamber of Commerce II) stopped them. Why provide for the residents when you can build more expensive towered to bring in the *b*********y tourists!
S A GOULD 3 years ago
University where I worked once threw out a 20' tall mountain of durable furniture they had in storage. When students and staff found out what they were doing, they left work to come back with pickups, vans and station wagons to cart off as much as they could. Head of the department where I worked had the dock workers save six large drafting cabinets, (Cost at least $500 new, this was in the 70's, just minor scratches on top). He kept some, "gave" the rest to me. I called a friend with a van, and split mine with her for delivering them.
Barbara Vandewalle 3 years ago
It takes very little efort to take good items to a second hand store.
Mary Hilton 3 years ago
I had a similar table. They are great for eating in front of the television.
Jane Dorothy Warner 3 years ago
In the UK that expression is, "One man's meat is another man's poison".
Marten Verheijen 3 years ago
The verb "stooping" might be derived from the dutch word for sidewalk: "stoep".
Katinka Min 3 years ago
omg...this post is killing me...HOW IS THIS THROWN AWAY??? ARE YOU CRAZY???
Pia kjærgaard 3 years ago
I ask My self that almost every Day. I love My furntures having history… 85 % of mine is from late parents,grandmother,things I have collected throg My Life up t now with love from places & people…
RELATED:
#2
Are You Kidding Me
"Stooping has been around in NYC long before [our Instagram account], and we think that the concept is so relevant to the city because of what it means to life in the city itself," the couple behind the account, who want to remain anonymous, told Bored Panda.
"People move so frequently, no apartment is ever really the same, the transient nature of New York... all of that means that people are always looking for new furniture, or hoping to get rid of what they have. The act of stooping has seemingly become the New York version of 'paying it forward.'"
#3
Get Lit With These Tiffany Lamps!
#4
O M G!!
#5
Visual Merchandising At Its Finest!
As the couple highlighted in one of our earlier conversations, hosting stooping on social media not only means that the locals have a much better chance to find what they need, but it also allows to 'export' a part of the city to outsiders, allowing them to have a digital walk through the neighborhoods.
"It gives access to a piece of New York City culture to people who follow from far and wide," they explained back then.
"It also has enabled us to 'gameify' stooping, with stoopers sharing stories of things they spot, stoop, take home, and ultimately give new life to. It would really be challenging to tell stories around the pieces like we do on any other platform."
#6
The Look Of A Stooping Success!!!
#7
Sitting Very Pretty! Perfect Incredible Aqua Corner Sofa
#8
As The Kids Would Say…GTFOH!
The couple behind the account also said that one NYC area in particular is stooping a lot more than the others.
"Brooklyn is by far the most active stooping borough, but there are a ton of stoops that we get daily from all pockets of the five boroughs, Jersey and even Long Island!"
Stoopers are excited about a lot of things, running the spectrum from essential apartment features like bookshelves and kitchen islands to valuable treasures, such as beanie baby collections and pianos, and beyond. Plus, they also make sure that no plant ends its days on concrete!
#9
“Take Me! I Still Work. Unlike My Freeloading Ex-Boyfriend!!”
#10
Red Alert!!!!! Beautiful Globe Bar Cart
#11
Well This A Great Sunday Stoop! Stools Included!
If you also want to try your luck hunting these gems, the couple said you should, "1) Follow @stoopingnyc on IG; 2) Turn on your notifications; and 3) Get ready to run when you see something you like! Things go quickly."
Covid has had an impact on the stooping culture too. At the start of the pandemic when there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding health and safety protocols, the couple refrained from posting. But once they started up again in the summer, they were flooded with a wave of submissions caused by New Yorkers leaving the city.
"In a moment in time when good news can seem few and far between, we continue to feel so lucky to have such a positive and wonderful community of stoopers that are focused on sharing with each other!" they added.
#13
Super Cute “Free And Clean” Couch
#14
Holy Saturday!
#15
Holy Marvel!
#16
Oh Baby!
#17
Let The Saturday Bangers Begin
#18
Gorg Table
#19
I Don’t Want To Be Rude, But Why Hasn’t Someone Written Us A Stoop Anthem?!
#20
Already Packed And Ready To Be Stooped
#21
I Mean… Are You Serious? This Baby Blue Leather Couch Is Amaaaazing!
#22
Super Cool Designed Trunk!
#23
Free Yoga Mats
#24
Drafting Table Alert!!
#26
Wowzers!
#27
Oh The Snacks I Would Put In These!
#28
How Amazing!
#30
Table For 4!
#31
Basically The Cutest Little Cooking Machine Ever
#32
Wow!! Haul!
#33
What A Beauty!
#34
Amazing Six Drawer Credenza
#35
Bring Friends! In Front Of The Lab On Newel St In Greenpoint
#36
We Were Going To Go To Bed But Barbie’s Playhouse Exploded
#37
Mid Century Modern Recliner. Comes With A Beer. You’re Welcome
#38
Love This Christmas Couch
#39
Do You Have The Longest Apartment In The World? Then This Is For You!
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Sadly I have never lived anywhere that offers this kind of glory on the streets for free.
Lyone Fein 3 years ago
One thing you have to look out for in NYC and other big cities is bedbugs. The cities are infested with them and street furniture is one easy to spread them. They are notoriously hard to get rid of. And once one apartment gets them, every other place in the building will too.
Seabeast 3 years ago
Yup. There's a reason brass and iron bedsteads were all the rage in the 19th century - bedbugs didn't lay their eggs in the crevices as they did with wooden beds. Anything soft and upholstered is also a risk.
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RatherLoopy 3 years ago (edited)
It wasn't always so, but I'd be wary these days. I picked up bedbugs in a hotel a few years ago, took me nearly a year to get rid of them and when I saw my neighbors piling up a houseful of furniture on their lot, and then furniture from their grown kids' houses, I knew exactly what that was. I also bought a microwave from a guy on Craigslist a while back and it sat in my kitchen for hours before I realized it was absolutely crawling with cockroaches on the inside so I'd definitely stop and ask myself why a "perfectly good" item was sitting on the curb in front of someone's house.
Paulina 3 years ago
In a way it's a good thing people don't do that in my city. My apartment is way too small for all the things I'd bring in thinking "I'll fit it SOMEWHERE" 😂
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
That's how some of those things end up on the curb. "I can make it fit." are some famous last words.
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Kate Fei 3 years ago (edited)
Okay, sorry for the negative thought but seeing this makes me think about the society we live in. We are living in such a capitalist world that we are throwing away perfectly fine furniture just to buy new one again and again. Just because we dont like the color or the style. It's so weird to me. My grandma has this old furniture which she had since she got married and whenever I talk to her she is like "well why should I throw it away if it works." I can imagine some of these people are moving and want to get rid of stuff but I doubt it thats the case for most of these.
Josy Bannon 3 years ago
Moving or becoming homeless or someone died. I also understand that after some time you dont like a certain piece anymore and feel wayy better after removing it, but I think its better to sell or donate or give away than throwing it away or leaving it in the rain to rot.
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Amy Taylor 3 years ago
My neighbors across the street decided to sell their house, put everything in storage and do a road trip to figure out where they wanted to live next. They gave away SO much cool furniture and decor!! I redid my daughters room with a new desk, leather chairs, a new rug...it was amazing!!
Joyce Deering 3 years ago
Exactly as it should be, Amy. What a waste to send decent things to a landfill. Right? Kudos to your neighbors for passing things on.
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Legen ( wait for it ) dary 3 years ago
I just got most of the articles from this post, now please someone give a free house big enough to fit all the couches I collected here.
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
Not everyone has money for a car or a plane ticket to transport these. God. "Why would anyone leave this??" BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO KEEP IT.
RMA 3 years ago
I now live in England and they SERIOUSLY will fine you for fly-tipping for this. It was wonderful to be able to put something out and have it go to someone who wants. I miss it so much.
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
For anyone else who needed to look up fly-tipping, it is: "the illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a license to accept it".
Load More Replies... Vivian Ashe 3 years ago
Most of these look like they're in cities where a lot of people don't drive or have access to a truck, so it's not easy to sell or move furniture. Here in Los Angeles, the only stuff you ever find on the street is garbage. If someone has something halfway nice, they sell it. Even if you don't have a truck, everyone knows someone who has a truck, or you can pay someone $50 to haul it.
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
You find a friend with a dolly and/or a strong back and some free time. Pay them in pizza.
Load More Replies... 
Little Wonder 3 years ago
My advice is to join your local Free Goods or Freecycle group on FB - the people around me give away cool stuff all the time, you just have to be quick (which I'm not, thankfully, my house is already full...)
Ivy la Sangrienta 3 years ago
You'd get fined for leaving stuff on the street in my country. It's called littering.
postboredom 3 years ago
I've heard of a few immigrants leaving their furniture out when travelling to avoid paying rent. This could be one of the reasons why such good furniture is left out in the open :(
BorPand8 3 years ago
And over the last few years there have been a lot of dead elderly people whose estates needed clearing up...
Load More Replies...
Christina Uhlir 3 years ago
Unfortunately most people are ungrateful, unappreciative, and uncaring; things which others could use and treasure shall not be trashed!!!! Our planet is not a garbage dump.
Shaista Afridi 🇦🇫 3 years ago
my parents found a gorgeous vintage walnut wood table on the road 20 years ago, we still have it and i use it to study on and it smells so woody even after more than 20 years
Apollo Brackady 3 years ago
My friend’s dad found a perfectly working air hockey table and also a cotton candy machine! I don’t think same day tho lol
Merry Miller Moon 3 years ago
I don't know where y'all live where such beauties are just thrown out, but I want to live there!
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
New york city, where no-one can afford to live qnd half the population doesn't drive
Load More Replies... 
Marsha Brown 3 years ago
So many of these items date from the 1950s-60s, or even earlier. I recognized what my grandmother called a chifferobe, more or less in the style of hers dating back to the 1920s or 30s. There's virtually no market for it, and particularly boomers who are downsizing or moving to senior communities have no one to give it to. Their adult children have their own homes and furniture. It was very hard for me to give up so much of my parents' very well-made but old furniture that I could not ship to my home, nor find room for had I been able to pay the cost to transport it. Still wishing that I had been able to.
Lisa Pockat Bork 3 years ago
Where I live all of these items would be for sale for incredibly high prices.
Kitty Fenerty 3 years ago
Not one item here appeals to me. Nope, TYVM. Upholstered furniture could be harbouring fleas, flea eggs, bed bugs etc too.
Cécile V. 3 years ago
I remeber how shoking it was finding to me to find brand new plates, mugs, coffee tables and chairs on the sidewalk when I was a kid. In France, we don't do that. Well I do sometimes. So in 70's as we were moving in Queens, my mother had sort of a special gifty bringing back stuff. Cleaned, sometimes repainted they save us money. It was fun.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
SOOOO jealous of these, especially the gorgeous round red sofa/armchair
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
I probably wouldn't take upholstered furniture off the street straight into my house, but I would give it a good de-lousing and deep-cleaning treatment first!
renee brack 3 years ago
These are all so beautiful and valuable - I'm glad they get to be loved more than once by people who get a chance to live with them, to love them and after a time, I hope people pop them back out onto the street for other caring people to find for free.
Eb 3 years ago (edited)
With wooden furniture and upholstery it's also worth checking for damp, mould and mildew, particularly lines of black along wooden joints, as once they're somewhere warm even small amounts can give off spores that could be a problem for someone with asthma. I speak from miserable experience!
Joanna Werman 3 years ago
I am so jelly. Even if I find something I don't have a car or the resources to grab it.
Logic and Reason 3 years ago
The word “stooping” really rubs me the wrong way in this context, I don’t know why.
Mik 3 years ago
Why o why put it out in the rain while you can use an nice second hand platform like Marktplaats??
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
Not everyone is on marktplaats and if you're moving out you won't be there. Duh
Load More Replies... Jo Choto 3 years ago
Sadly I have never lived anywhere that offers this kind of glory on the streets for free.
Lyone Fein 3 years ago
One thing you have to look out for in NYC and other big cities is bedbugs. The cities are infested with them and street furniture is one easy to spread them. They are notoriously hard to get rid of. And once one apartment gets them, every other place in the building will too.
Seabeast 3 years ago
Yup. There's a reason brass and iron bedsteads were all the rage in the 19th century - bedbugs didn't lay their eggs in the crevices as they did with wooden beds. Anything soft and upholstered is also a risk.
Load More Replies... RatherLoopy 3 years ago (edited)
It wasn't always so, but I'd be wary these days. I picked up bedbugs in a hotel a few years ago, took me nearly a year to get rid of them and when I saw my neighbors piling up a houseful of furniture on their lot, and then furniture from their grown kids' houses, I knew exactly what that was. I also bought a microwave from a guy on Craigslist a while back and it sat in my kitchen for hours before I realized it was absolutely crawling with cockroaches on the inside so I'd definitely stop and ask myself why a "perfectly good" item was sitting on the curb in front of someone's house.
Paulina 3 years ago
In a way it's a good thing people don't do that in my city. My apartment is way too small for all the things I'd bring in thinking "I'll fit it SOMEWHERE" 😂
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
That's how some of those things end up on the curb. "I can make it fit." are some famous last words.
Load More Replies... Kate Fei 3 years ago (edited)
Okay, sorry for the negative thought but seeing this makes me think about the society we live in. We are living in such a capitalist world that we are throwing away perfectly fine furniture just to buy new one again and again. Just because we dont like the color or the style. It's so weird to me. My grandma has this old furniture which she had since she got married and whenever I talk to her she is like "well why should I throw it away if it works." I can imagine some of these people are moving and want to get rid of stuff but I doubt it thats the case for most of these.
Josy Bannon 3 years ago
Moving or becoming homeless or someone died. I also understand that after some time you dont like a certain piece anymore and feel wayy better after removing it, but I think its better to sell or donate or give away than throwing it away or leaving it in the rain to rot.
Load More Replies... Amy Taylor 3 years ago
My neighbors across the street decided to sell their house, put everything in storage and do a road trip to figure out where they wanted to live next. They gave away SO much cool furniture and decor!! I redid my daughters room with a new desk, leather chairs, a new rug...it was amazing!!
Joyce Deering 3 years ago
Exactly as it should be, Amy. What a waste to send decent things to a landfill. Right? Kudos to your neighbors for passing things on.
Load More Replies... Legen ( wait for it ) dary 3 years ago
I just got most of the articles from this post, now please someone give a free house big enough to fit all the couches I collected here.
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
Not everyone has money for a car or a plane ticket to transport these. God. "Why would anyone leave this??" BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT AFFORD TO KEEP IT.
RMA 3 years ago
I now live in England and they SERIOUSLY will fine you for fly-tipping for this. It was wonderful to be able to put something out and have it go to someone who wants. I miss it so much.
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
For anyone else who needed to look up fly-tipping, it is: "the illegal deposit of any waste on to land that does not have a license to accept it".
Load More Replies... Vivian Ashe 3 years ago
Most of these look like they're in cities where a lot of people don't drive or have access to a truck, so it's not easy to sell or move furniture. Here in Los Angeles, the only stuff you ever find on the street is garbage. If someone has something halfway nice, they sell it. Even if you don't have a truck, everyone knows someone who has a truck, or you can pay someone $50 to haul it.
Alexandra Konigsburg 3 years ago
You find a friend with a dolly and/or a strong back and some free time. Pay them in pizza.
Load More Replies... Little Wonder 3 years ago
My advice is to join your local Free Goods or Freecycle group on FB - the people around me give away cool stuff all the time, you just have to be quick (which I'm not, thankfully, my house is already full...)
Ivy la Sangrienta 3 years ago
You'd get fined for leaving stuff on the street in my country. It's called littering.
postboredom 3 years ago
I've heard of a few immigrants leaving their furniture out when travelling to avoid paying rent. This could be one of the reasons why such good furniture is left out in the open :(
BorPand8 3 years ago
And over the last few years there have been a lot of dead elderly people whose estates needed clearing up...
Load More Replies... Christina Uhlir 3 years ago
Unfortunately most people are ungrateful, unappreciative, and uncaring; things which others could use and treasure shall not be trashed!!!! Our planet is not a garbage dump.
Shaista Afridi 🇦🇫 3 years ago
my parents found a gorgeous vintage walnut wood table on the road 20 years ago, we still have it and i use it to study on and it smells so woody even after more than 20 years
Apollo Brackady 3 years ago
My friend’s dad found a perfectly working air hockey table and also a cotton candy machine! I don’t think same day tho lol
Merry Miller Moon 3 years ago
I don't know where y'all live where such beauties are just thrown out, but I want to live there!
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
New york city, where no-one can afford to live qnd half the population doesn't drive
Load More Replies... Marsha Brown 3 years ago
So many of these items date from the 1950s-60s, or even earlier. I recognized what my grandmother called a chifferobe, more or less in the style of hers dating back to the 1920s or 30s. There's virtually no market for it, and particularly boomers who are downsizing or moving to senior communities have no one to give it to. Their adult children have their own homes and furniture. It was very hard for me to give up so much of my parents' very well-made but old furniture that I could not ship to my home, nor find room for had I been able to pay the cost to transport it. Still wishing that I had been able to.
Lisa Pockat Bork 3 years ago
Where I live all of these items would be for sale for incredibly high prices.
Kitty Fenerty 3 years ago
Not one item here appeals to me. Nope, TYVM. Upholstered furniture could be harbouring fleas, flea eggs, bed bugs etc too.
Cécile V. 3 years ago
I remeber how shoking it was finding to me to find brand new plates, mugs, coffee tables and chairs on the sidewalk when I was a kid. In France, we don't do that. Well I do sometimes. So in 70's as we were moving in Queens, my mother had sort of a special gifty bringing back stuff. Cleaned, sometimes repainted they save us money. It was fun.
Irishwoman abroad 3 years ago
SOOOO jealous of these, especially the gorgeous round red sofa/armchair
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
I probably wouldn't take upholstered furniture off the street straight into my house, but I would give it a good de-lousing and deep-cleaning treatment first!
renee brack 3 years ago
These are all so beautiful and valuable - I'm glad they get to be loved more than once by people who get a chance to live with them, to love them and after a time, I hope people pop them back out onto the street for other caring people to find for free.
Eb 3 years ago (edited)
With wooden furniture and upholstery it's also worth checking for damp, mould and mildew, particularly lines of black along wooden joints, as once they're somewhere warm even small amounts can give off spores that could be a problem for someone with asthma. I speak from miserable experience!
Joanna Werman 3 years ago
I am so jelly. Even if I find something I don't have a car or the resources to grab it.
Logic and Reason 3 years ago
The word “stooping” really rubs me the wrong way in this context, I don’t know why.
Mik 3 years ago
Why o why put it out in the rain while you can use an nice second hand platform like Marktplaats??
Frannie Kaplan 3 years ago
Not everyone is on marktplaats and if you're moving out you won't be there. Duh
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
