What clients say about Bauer Brothers Building Materials in Minneapolis (MN)
This place has virtually anything you could need to restore a house or in my case to find a piece that a careless mover broke replaced on my stair railing
I bought a radiator cover and a brass pole, and I couldn’t be happier with both the quality and the service. Scott’s customer service was absolutely on point, helpful, responsive, and made the whole experience effortless. Highly recommend!
Does not appear to be in operation anymore. Closed sign in the front door, windows broken out and the neighborhood looks like it’s used to stash stolen moving vans.
They have a ton of stuff from old houses. Unfortunately, this was my first time there, and I was never greeted by anyone. I'm not sure if anyone was working, but the door was unlocked. I just walked around for a bit and gave up. Maybe I missed how it works when you go there. So, if I did, I hope someone from the business will reply and fill us all in.
Years ago I had a bad experience at Bauer Brothers. A few weeks ago I had to go back to get a few radiators. The place has changed so much. The staff was so much more friendly. Things are more organized and seemed to have better lighting. I was extremely impressed and really can’t wait to go back. Thanks again!!
TONS OF STUFF!!! 4 floors! You need hours to look through everything. Super cool, antique and unique stuff but incredibly OVERPRICED! Like absurdly overpriced. The guy that worked there said they do allow finnagling but still, $750 for an old hutch?? When there are 4 floors of stuff??? Crazy’ but still a really neat store!
Very poor customer service. I called asking for a specific type of flooring baseboard and before I could finish, the lady cut me off and said we have flooring. When I went to explain what type of flooring baseboard I was looking for, she cut me off again, this time getting louder and repeating "WE HAVE FLOORING."
Worst customer service I have ever dealt with and extremely incompetent on the phone.
I've been going here for years when I need a really specific piece for something I'm working on. Recently though, the prices are absolutely insane. I went today to get a piece of weathered wood for a project, only 6"x9'x1", and they wanted $7/ft plus tax! The wood was split down the middle, rotted, and falling apart and I was going to have to be super strategic about how I cut it and would have had to glue the splits to get it to work. I was shocked and actually a bit pissed off. Like, I do this same work, salvaging things to be reused, by myself or someone else, and that was just absurd. The two boards I had carried all the way from the very back of the giant building were, combined, about 14' (didn't need all that but that's what was there), so they literally wanted me to pay $98 for two rotten and broken pieces of wood???? Not only did I find and carry them up there myself, but also, stood there for 10 minutes while the person who knew about pricing came up to the office where the annoyed seeming woman behind the desk had called him from. I'm super sad to say, I won't be back to Bauer Bros. Like, I can handle poor customer service, having to navigate that giant space with no help, digging through things to find what I need, etc, but I that combined with exorbitant prices on things that I can literally find in the trash, is where I draw the line. We all need to make a living, but damn. I for one am not willing to attempt duping well-meaning customers into spending that much for something that is absolutely not worth it. This makes me sad.
We found this place on accident several years ago and absolutely love it. Compared to other salvage stores in the cities and facebook marketplace (people your stuff isn't worth that much) the prices are reasonable. We have purchased items to be delivered and items we took home. Every time we had a great experience. Professional, polite and friendly. Somehow we always pick the the coldest day of the year to go and still will spend hours going through everything.
The older gentlemen (the uncle?) was my favorite. I was sorry to hear he passed.
Have come here a few times, some sort of map or at least a more consistent employee presence in the office would be nice - felt completely alone trying to find my way around. Also, the main door to the rest of the warehouse was locked so we had to find another way around.
Prices seem a little.. steep for a lot of the stuff here; especially the things that already need work before they're ready to be put into your house. Honestly, better to use this place when you're looking for something old and specialty and willing to pay for it, rather than an affordable method to help you restore your old home.
The place is definitely cool to explore and get lost in - you'll find stuff you didn't even know existed; and I've gone in just to look at stuff and cry at the prices in the past.
My sister and I visited the warehouse today. It was my first time. My sis just kept telling me about great prices and lots of things left behind that we could flip and repurpose. Our wallets were full of cash. We were excited to find some bargains. Unfortunately, that did not happen. We were working with one of the family members. She talked a lot about wanting to be somewhere else. Just not at the warehouse.. My sister was looking for fencing material and a sink. We looked at a very rusty wrought iron railing, 8 ft. We asked for a price and she started talking about how special it was. I pointed out the massive amount of rust. She said she would consider that... then she gave my sister a price of $250. We were speechless. We couldn't believe that number. We were expecting something around $75 with room to haggle. NOPE!!! Her price was firm. This woman put so much emotional value to everything! Her pricing was completely out of touch with the real market value. In the end, everything in that warehouse is something no one wanted and needed to unload it. Many household furniture was very outdated and would need a lot of work.. I did buy 1 item... I bought a door knob back plate that I found in a box full of random door and drawer hardware. She again points out how special these pieces are and generally are more expensive. She gave me a price of $10 firm. I gave her $11 to cover taxes. She took my money, put it in the cash register and closed the drawer... No intention of giving me any change. My sister and I left all of the "very special " stuff at the warehouse and kept our cash in our wallets. Truth be told, we can go to other salvage businesses and find the same type of things.. for a decent price. Sorry Baur Brothers... you miss out...
There was only one staff member available today and it was impossible to find him because that place is so big. However, you knew when he was close, because, despite it being a public place, he was smoking indoors the entire time, even when conversing with you. It was disgusting. Also, the prices are high. We prefer to reuse and repurpose things. But some items you could buy new for nearly the same price they were asking.
One guy was very helpful but then another guy came by at 4:17 and said to get out- he wanted to leave at 4:30. don’t try to come here after work and get something before closing. only 20% of things have prices, it’s dimly lit and cold and in some cases the whole structure is soggy and questionable. want to buy a used marathon water heater for $2000 …roll those dice! otherwise a fun place to look. and, like i said, one guy was great! again, coming here is really rolling the dice!
Very friendly people. Good prices on stained glass windows. Wish that some items up high on first floor had price tags, such as lights. Otherwise a great home store.
I regularly go here to get used radiators for my customers. They always have something that will work for my job.
Bauer Bros have a HUGE selection of previously enjoyed building products. The selection is always changing and you will have to go in and walk around to see what they have. Ask for advice on what you are looking for and someone will probably have an answer.
Seemingly endless rooms filled with cool stuff. Helpful staff. Decent prices relative to other local architectural salvage places. Latest purchase was a new old back door that couldn't be more perfect for my restoration project.
A great place to get deals on architectural salvage. We have purchased light fixtures, claw foot tubs, drawer fronts and cabinets. Headed there today in search of a transom window. You have to be willing to spend some time poking around and exploring which for me is the best part of a visit! Love this place!
We are regular shoppers at Bauer’s. We own an old Victorian home and Bauer Bros is the only reasonably priced place to find all of those obscure, historic items we need to repair and restore our home. Thank God they had the vision to realize the importance of rescuing these rare remnants from our past. It’s so much fun to browse and find the unusual items hiding in the corners. The staff is very knowledgeable about their large inventory and will know how to direct you to the right area. I can’t wait to visit again.
Beyond poor customer service. I called to ask a question and the lady was beyond rude. I saw something online and called to see if they had had it. She was colder than ice to me. I said can you send pics like everyone else was even a one woman store did. In the coldest voice she said no we have a limited staff and laugh at me. I been going there for year I don’t deserve this rude customer service. She said nice have a good day slam the phone. I will never shop in there again! Don’t go they are rude.
This place is massive and takes a long while to get through. Surprised at prices- pretty expensive. A few employees were not wearing masks (August 2020). One unmasked employee was acting pretty unprofessional and screaming/yelling at someone (a customer?) to "get out". That was a turn off!
But, if you're looking for something to do and are interested in old houses, architecture, there is some pretty random cool stuff. Kind of like a free museum but you have to really dig around.
This is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. The staff is friendly and really helpful when hunting for random things! Whether you have a specific item or project in mind, or you want to browse and get your inspiration for future projects. I’ve gotten everything from practical needs to antique treasures here and have sent many people their way.
* also definitely follow their Instagram for a sneak peek at the fun new things that arrive in their shop! @bauerbrotherssalvage
Such an amazing treasure hunt! I go here often when I'm looking for the rare, unusual or very hard to find items. The inventory is ever-changing and unlike anywhere else in the Twin Cities. I always go with an open mind and imagination because what you're buying is unique and while they may not have that exact size, color, etc. as what you're looking for at the moment you visit (although chances are they will have what you need), what you're getting is so much better. Prices are AMAZING. The staff is professional, always friendly and incredibly helpful! Do a self-directed tour first and then ask about specific items - makes the process really fun and easy. A+ A true gem!
If you have an old home and you want stuff for it, this is a place to start. Buffets, doors, storm windows, baseboards and pretty much everything else. I've been using Bauer Bros to return our 1904 Victorian Farmhouse back to the way it should be. Prices are usually negotiable. Have fun and dress warm in the winter.
What an AMAZING shop !!!! We needed some old siding to fix around a window we replaced, nobody had siding that would match our siding. So our options were to lay a 1/4 inch plywood sheet, then siding (big bucks !!) We were told to check this store out, they HAD exactly what we needed and very reasonable per foot !! We got all the lumber we needed for $36.00 !! Had we not found this, our bill would of been between $250 to $300 total ! And they have everything under the sun in this store, I could not quit saying "WOW" look at that !! Will defiantly be going back there to shop & recommend this store to everyone !!
I really like this place. It's the consignment shop for historic houses. I'll go here first if I ever need a solid and historic door/radiator/railing/moulding/stained glass/etc. Or whenever I just want to look around. Be warned, even though it's mostly indoors, it gets chilly in the Winter. And the sales folk are a bit cold all year 'round.
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