Great place for surplus second- hand items. so many treasures. they have an expanded thrift store and also building materials. a fun place to browse and shop. you can find supplies, surprises and things you have no idea how or what they were ever used for. prices are fair. large one of a kind vintage items go for a lot. many low cost items are available for purchase as well. they accept items as donations at a separate back entrance. I could spend hours and hours there. I always buy garden supplies and project wood metal and miscellaneous items. they have everything.lots of Furnature, kitchen items, patio chairs.... worth a visit for sure..
The staff here were helpful, which made for a pleasant visit. The store is a lot more organized that what I remember it to be two years ago, which makes it easy to find things.
Overall, the store is "okay..". The prices felt more like 'new' or 'antique' prices rather than 'used/in need of repair/missing components.' If the pricing were more aligned with the condition of the items, I could see myself spending money there. But that's just me, more power to them if they are making sales!
Urban Ore is a dream come true, if a person is remodeling or just needs to get some ideas, this is a good place to check out. It's located in The Southwest Corner of Berkeley, located just on The Emeryville/Berkeley City Line, across from Ashby Lumber.
Very disorganized. Plenty of stuff to dig through but even with the specific sections for certain items, there are still other items that don't fit that category in those areas or items from those categories in other places. And considering how much of it they get for free or low cost, it's kind of crazy how much it can cost. $20 for a beat up, rusty door knob set? Just a pair of knobs? $25 for a jacket with stains and holes? Not to mention half the items just aren't priced. And only one register open with the store packed, I saw people put items down and walk out once they saw how long the line was taking. I went looking for an employee, first one I talked to said they couldn't help me and to go talk to people up front. I talk to person up front, he radios someone, and they act snarky because I didn't see there were signs labelling the sections so I could tell them which key I needed. They followed me over to the section anyway so I don't see why it was necessary to tell me "well even the person you're with saw the sign" I had a hat on. It was raining outside. I had just gotten off a plane trip from another state, I was tired. I didn't think to look up at the ceiling to identify the stand since I didn't think it was that big a deal, but the employee seemed to think it was. I had tried to find another employee for five minutes before finding the first guy, since there's no uniform and several other people who weren't employees were also walking around with lanyards full of keys, I literally couldn't find anyone to help me and didn't want to bother the guy overwhelmed on the register.
I have always raved about this place to everyone but after my last experience i will be doing the opposite and referring them elsewhere. I had to replace a window in my garage and had a budget to work with and I told the gentleman working there and gave him the measurements. So of course the one he found was the exact amount as my budget which was 150. I brought the window home and it was too big. I went to return it knowing I had the reciept and everything would be fine even if I had to just swap it out. I was told that I could not return or exchange I could donate and get a slight discount off another one. He stated that I should have looked at the receipt so if you go there stand in line and hold everyone up so you can read your receipt because even though they are a charity organization they have no empathy for people. Horrible way to treat people
Sometimes I find some of their stuff to be way overpriced and sometimes I find their prices to be extremely fair… But more importantly, I find urban or to be a great resource for projects and things that are needed when you don’t wanna buy something new. And also don’t want to send your money to some huge Here are for the most part, friendly and knowledgeable. For a salvage yard it is also clean and orderly. It’s not like a trash yard exploded And it’s the apocalypse and you’re trying to find whatever you can wherever. Cabinets fixtures, suitcases chairs windows are all set out in different areas so you don’t have to go every place to find this stuff. I had a bad experience with urban or several years ago and I’m glad to say that was the only bad experience I have in memory. Recently urban or sold me a piece of lumber for less than they were supposed to have, but they stood by the price, and I really appreciated that and respected the fact that they were standing by what they said. That was different from what happened to me years ago. Thank you and I will continue to visit at least once every 3 to 5 weeks… Or as completed projects allow me to, if not sooner!
Really disappointed about how expensive this place has become. For what is essentially a glorified scrapyard supplied by junk haulers, they’re charging prices you’d see from high end furniture restoration shops. I’m a firm believer that if you want top dollar, you need to provide a top dollar experience, and Urban Ore is skipping a lot of steps right now. Disappointing. I used to love shopping here and would make it my first destination for everything, but now I can’t afford anything.
I bought a $600 door and the salesperson didn't tell me there was a 10% return fee. I didn't have my truck so I was going to return to pick the door up. Before picking up the door I checked out other doors and found some that were nicer and less expensive. When I went back to get a refund they told me about the 10% return fee. Had I known that initially I would not have bought the door. When I told the salesperson that I was not informed about the return policy they were not willing to waive the return fee. It was not as if they had to restock the door, they just put a note on it for 2 days saying it was sold. So all they had to do was take the note off. We got into an argument about the return fee at which point the salesperson threatened to not give me any of the money back, at which point I accepted the 10% fee. The salesperson also physically threatened me. I was so mad I left without taking my credit card out of the reader. I called the following morning to get my card and they said they didn't have it. I presume the salesperson just threw the card away. Bottom line - don't shop here.
So much stuff, so little time! A great place for a treasure hunt, keep your eyes and mind open, and you're sure to find a bargain.
I really don't get the negative reviews, I've been going for nearly 15 years on and off and never had a bad experience.
Saw a few things overpriced, a little mess and disorder here and there, but what else would you expect, it's all in the name, "urban ore" not "urban refinery"!
Found some great drawer pulls, and have also bought furniture and outdoor goods in the past.
A great way to furnish or refurbish on a budget in a way that's healthy for the planet and the pocketbook, what more could you ask for?
Been to many places like this around the country, I appreciate the assortment here the most. Not strictly a building material supply store, not strictly a thrift store, it’s everything in between. Lightbulbs, sinks, motors, fans, cords, wire, clothes, wrenches, serving spoons, everything. Prices could be lower but they’re at a reasonable level for sure
Fun place to stop and browse, I rarely leave with anything. Clothing can be a real steal, the furniture broadly seems a lil expensive even for the common pieces, however if you want something uncommon or to see weird stuff this is the place.
Make Urban Ore a Thrift Store Again!
Did they get bought out by venture capital? Pricing is out of control. Used to be such a gem. Particle board, mass produced bookshelf for $800
Seriously disappointed. I used to live this place- even despite how expensive it can be for the kinds of old junk they sell. Because occasionally, you find some really great gems, and I of course want to support local businesses in my area.
I saw & read about the workers strike, and so I was avoiding shopping here for awhile. It sounded like they'd come to some sort of an agreement/paused the strike; however, its looking like it was not only suboptimal... but now the protests outside are saying that the agreement is not being honored. How hard is it to provide a safe, honest work environment where your employees are at least paid enough to survive?
Seriously? We came here yesterday and ended up turning right around to go somewhere else. My partner and I recently moved and were looking to buy tons of scrap for projects, and to look at furniture and tools. I've spent a lot here in the past and had looked forward to stopping by and bringing along someone new- now i am just embarassed for having brought it up at all.
I live out of town but it’s one of my favorite places in the bay— unfortunately when I tried to take my girlfriend during our trip into the area today there was a picket line by their employee union claiming that they’ve gone back on their word in their latest negotiations. I won’t cross a picket line, so no Urban Ore for us this trip but I hope next time they’ve gotten their stuff together and bargained in good faith with their employees so I can enjoy and find some cool stuff like I used to!
In the past i have always been happy with their prices. This past Fri 6/20/25 i needed an adjustable wire shelf rack from the outside....we pieced together what we could...no shelf clips anywhere... Could only find 3 poles of the correct size so i grabbed a foot longer pole figuring i would use it as a back one. I found 4 shelves that suited me. We brought them up to the counter outside to ring up. We ask how much and he says "$41" in a snarky way. I said "seriously... amazon has complete ones with the shelf clips and 4 wheels along with 1 more shelf for $50" . Needless to say we put the the rack parts back and walked out while i ordered it on amazon. Their loss. Mind you these are metal semi rusty racks they keep outside missing the clips that hold the shelves in place!
This place has it all!! It's a mix of an awesome curated thrift store, building materials, furniture, clothes, electronics, sporting goods, I could go on and I could spend all day in here indulging in my hobbies and collections. I found some great camera gear and reasonably priced electronics. The staff are busy and hard to pin down, but they will take time to show you things if you are polite.
I heard Tesla is having a sale too after the recent pickets. It’s 2025, treat your workers better. I’ve been a loyal customer for decades but am very disappointed with how downhill this business has gone. Trying to lure customers to cross a picket line with a sale and huge signage is a new low for Bay Area businesses. Such a bad look
Those poor kids are striking because you won’t pay them $23 an hour? How can they even survive in the Bay Area on that, let alone less? I won’t be coming back until a fair contract is negotiated with your staff
I came with high expectations that were exceeded. I didn’t buy anything. I was mesmerized by the DC power bricks organized by voltage. It was like something from a dream when I came out into the light and saw the vast lot of toilets, just like in the pictures. The threaded rods had washers and nuts attached. Really a sight to behold.
I love shopping here and will always come here first before looking elsewhere for stuff i need. Such a wide selection and it's always fun to wander even if you're not looking for anything in particular. The workers here are always super helpful and nice, and i hope their unionization efforts are successful in achieving the working conditions they deserve.
I hope management and owners can stop union busting and bargain with workers in good faith!
It feels like everything but the house is here - the longer stuff stays the more it will start to feel like a museum, but there are tons of useful and quirky items from picture frames to housewares and doors. The staff was helpful and seemed to have their way of communicating to help you not get too lost, but the condition of a lot of stuff was borderline and needed to be cleaned or organized - with so many staff it seemed like downtime could have been used to do some straightening! Nevertheless super cool and one of the most Berkeley places you can go in Berkeley
If you like old things, and goiing through old stuff, this may be the place for you! It is kinda like a scavenger hunt—you may or may not find what you are looking for. It might be a good idea to take a list of what you are looking for—unless you don't mind getting lost for hours.
I went in looking for wide-mouth quart canning jars. I found 2 wide mouth and 4 regualar quart canning jars for a dollar each—they can be difficult to find these days.
In the back of my mind, I was looking for a way of dealing with mail and paperwork. I found something made out of metal with three levels for holding business papers for $8.
Another thought I had was to see if I could find some LP vinyl records for my teenage grand daughter. Well, they had a large number of records, but I easily gave up on that idea because there was no order. However, the price was right—only $1 each. So, for someone who has a lot of time and patience, that could be a goldmine.
It makes me happy that there are still places that one can take stuff and keep it out of the landfill.
More of a junk yard that a salvage yard, but maybe that’s just semantics.
There is a ton of junk here. The bulk of it is strange, misfit items that nobody really wants but are in good enough condition to keep on the shelves. Anything that is relatively nice, or at least salvageable, costs nearly as much as it is new.
It seems that their building supplies and hardware is where they shine, but it is once again not exceptionally cheap and the quality is inconsistent.
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