This rating is based on customer reviews, inventory size, pricing, and service quality
Housewerks Salvage in Old Baltimore, MD scores 89/100. Reviews are largely enthusiastic about its vast, one-of-a-kind architectural inventory and the landmark building. Shoppers praise the knowledgeable, helpful owner/staff, custom work (e.g., lighting), and fair-to-good deals if you hunt. Common complaints: premium pricing, rough organization (dig-through yard; some cite trip hazards), spotty follow-up, and an occasional refusal to sell found parts. Finding pieces can take time, though staff often suggests alternatives. Wait times are rarely mentioned. Overall, a treasure-hunt destination with character, not a neat warehouse.
This is an amazing place. Your eyes will pop out when you see the variety of items Ben has collected over the years. We had a beautiful coffee table made by him 16 years ago from an ornemental iron railing. Today we just purchased a 100 year old plant stand that Ben will refinish and add a glass top. This place is a gem and I am happy it survived through Covid.
I posted two pictures - the second one shows the refinished plant stand
Extensive spot to buy used items from Lumber to couches, you can find it. Prices are not super cheap but you can def get some good deals if you know what you are looking for
Housewerks is amazing! They have a huge selection of all sorts of incredible historical, architectural, and design pieces.
We found a couple lights we really liked, and Ben worked with his team to rewire and customize them exactly to our vision.
We'll definitely be going back!
What a neat store!! Now please do not go here if you are searching for a neat, well organized collection of housewares. This is not that type of place. Instead, If you are searching for a treasure for your own home pulled from the garbage of other peoples homes... this is nirvana. There are so many treasures to wander throughout. The best part, however, is the wisdom available. I came in with an artifact that I did not know what to do about. I left with a much deeper understanding of what I have and my options to do something meaningful with it. For this I am extremely grateful and wholeheartedly support their efforts to recycle so many treasures.
The gentleman working on the rainy day I wandered in was very nice.
They have some really cool stuff if you are looking to outfit a bar/restaurant or an office with some vintage flair.
Nothing really for my modest split level, unfortunately.
This is a really cool place with lots of unique things that you will not find anyplace else. Mix of architectural salvage and furniture sourced from the us and europe. The owner is very friendly and happy to tell you about the history of anything you may find.
Things were all over the place! No order and trip hazards. The stuff was truly old but unless you going for something on particular well try it out. The service was great the guy was knowledgeable. Go around to second chance. Its in the same area 3mins away.
My wife and I have become regulars at this place. We live in DC but the drive to Baltimore is worth it for all the great stuff as well as Ben’s deep experience of everything vintage and home restoration. If you need great vintage pieces for your home at a good price, this is your place. Plus the building itself is just cool to stroll around in because of the great architecture.
Really cool place! Lots of unique pieces at reasonable price. The owner was very kind and knowledgeable of all the items laid out. I appreciated getting the history of the items I was interested in. I will definitely be coming back!
Great place with very unique inventory. Even the building is unique and has a rich history. The owner was very knowledgeable and obviously has a passion for what he does. It was also very nice that he knew the history and origin of each piece. It was a lot of fun simply hearing where everything came from. The first time I visited, I spent more than two hours pouring over everything! Settled on some unique glass and tile pieces that I simply could not find anywhere else. Awesome.
We spent the day antiquing in the DC/Baltimore area, and this was one of my favorite shops. The items in the shop were true antiques, not reproductions. They had some awesome shipyard materials in the front lot (think BIG and HEAVY items). The store wasn't huge, but they had plenty inside to browse through. Everything seemed to be reasonably priced. The staff that was there were very courteous and answered all the questions I had about some of the items. We will head back to browse again in the future.
Great place to do a little treasure hunting. Owner was very personable and helpful. He had the backstory and details about all the items inquired about.
While they didn't have the particular piece of hardware for my 112 year-old house, They were very helpful in pointing me in a direction where I might find what I need. The owner did an internet search for me and suggested carpentry techniques to install the part.
After hunting around outside for an hour, I found some cool industrial parts buried in some old boxes that were filled to the brim with rusty water. I’ll note, these boxes I found my items in were far from any of the stores obvious work areas where they make and restore items for their store (the boss accused me of taking them from a work space, not true)The items I located were completely rusted over, wet, and nasty, but with a LOT of love, would be useful. After texting the owner, the shopkeeper stated the boss refused to sell them. Are you kidding me?!?
The boss is clearly some kind of junk collector who isn’t interested in selling merchandise. The pricing on marked items makes that clear. Interesting items for sale, but expect to pay a premium on everything from rusty bolts to broken glass. Shopper beware!!!
So many architectural treasures and cool weird stuff! The building itself is worth seeing, most stuff is out in the yard, you must enjoy poking around and digging in bins.
I thought I was at Fred G. Sanford's house, but that's a good thing in this case. They had many old parts and cool old junk to choose from. Good place to visit if you're a collector, welder, or artist.
Prices have gotten over the top for someone who is looking for true salvage. These "guys" (& girl) work very hard to get this stuff but unless you have pockets for antique salvage its not what your looking for. Think NY/ Chicago prices.
Granted the staff is very knowledgeable and Friendly!!!
My review is based on someone who builds pieces and sells them...
A walk down memory lane! Old treasures --old time service. I love the place! It worth going to just to gaze upon the building itself.
The staff was awesome! Went way out of their way to help me. I was looking for lighting and found a treasure trove of lights. They even create new lights by putting old lights together. It's just fabulous. They are creating lights for me and I know they will be awesome. I rarely take the time to write reviews but Housewerks is worth the visit. Schedule plenty of time to hunt around. I cannot wait to go back.
Maybe we just hit them on a bad day, but we were clearly given the impression that we were a nuisance. Short answers, exasperated expressions, etc. In addition, we liked something that was marked sold and were told we would be followed up with on possibility of finding a duplicate. Never heard from them, despite us reaching out via email a week later.
Will go back for another look, as they have an intersting selection, but the experience did not leave me head over heels......
Whether your looking for something to inspire a creative project or you need to track down period correct hardware your historic home, Housewerks is a must. The building alone is worth a visit. The staff is friendly when you need help, otherwise you are free to browse. They also hire this place out for parties!
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