They have always existed. Flea markets and spaces where you buy and sell furniture, ornaments and used objects are not new. However, the crisis and inflation, as well as the massive diffusion of networks, took this practice to new levels. The finishing touch is provided by ecological awareness, which supports the idea of no longer mass producing and, instead, reduce, recycle and reuse. Thus, today “low cost” deco is imposed for everyone.
empty the house
More than 20 years ago, Maria Maranessi He found some things he didn’t use. And he decided to open the doors of his house to sell them. Thanks to the success of that action, he understood that he was facing a possible business. Today his name is also a brand that has been comprehensively organizing for two decades weekend sales due to transfers abroad, removals and successions, among other reasons.
Its team includes salespeople, interior designers, architects, Marketing graduates, graphic designers and appraisers, and among its items for sale there is everything from furniture, decorative objects, tableware and appliances to art objects, paintings, sculptures and current and antique jewelry. . Among the most sought after products, especially in recent times, furniture and design objects stand out, as well as art in general.
“Every weekend more than 500 people visit us. Our clients are restless, curious, friendly,” explains Maranessi herself. She also says that in recent years they have noticed an increase in demand from both sides of the counter: both those who need to sell the contents of their homes and those who visit looking for used items in good condition. “In our beginnings supply and demand They were much scarcer. Today everyone sells what they no longer use. Everything is reused. Objects that were forgotten come back to life and the previous story opens the way to a new one,” describes the specialist.
The power of the social media
The rise of social networks is another reason for the growth of low-cost deco. Several companies gather findings and then publish them on networks to make private sales. With such fury that they have as many followers as a massive brand.
This happens, for example, with The Stock House, whose community is close to 62,000 people. This project was born in 2010, when after working on the decoration supplement of the newspaper Perfil, Sol Achával noticed that there were many people who wanted to change their impeccable furniture for newer ones, and that there were many others who wanted to start improving their homes. There the supply and demand for it was born. “My first client was a friend who brought a set of cutlery from abroad that didn’t work for her and I sold it to another friend who was going to live alone,” she describes. It didn’t take long until a virtuous circle was generated in which, when someone released something, another received it to beautify their home. Over time, the team expanded with Tina Lemos and Mariana Gándara.
Simply follow your account to access about 20 or 30 new products every day. But if anyone is interested, it is important to write quickly: the first person contacted has a priority of up to 40 minutes. If you do not confirm your purchase, the sale will continue respecting the order of arrival of the messages. And once the customer defines what they want, shipping is coordinated, which is often on the same day.
From the selling side, the process is also simple. The Stock House receive photos of the furniture or item to be published and they will see it personally to take measurements and check details. “Our motto is ‘trust that the published furniture was seen by discerning eyes’,” the team points out. And the high quality of its products is one of its great differentials and the reason for the segmentation of its audience: women between 30 and 55 years old with interests and knowledge of decoration, followers of the big furniture brands, as well as men of the same age who are dedicated to design, along with artists and people adept at ecology. “Those who buy at Casa The Stock are looking for brand-name, value and quality furniture at reasonable prices.” Depending on the condition of the product, it can range between 40 or 70% of the original price.
With a community that exceeds 81,000 followers, Don Toto Market is another account with powerful reach. Although instead of acting as a link between sellers and buyers, here the premise of its creators is to offer a curation of furniture from the last century, all restored and ready to be used daily. “We have always had clients who have loved furniture from other times and others who, upon seeing our way of displaying it, realize that it is not necessary to have a retro house to add a vintage detail,” they describe from the project. Among the most sought-after products, dresser drawers and showcases rank highly.
“The concept of ‘what is used’ is being positively understood. At Don Toto we are promoters of second chances, but we understand that it takes creativity and time. Therefore, with our photos and assemblies we also seek to give ideas to create spaces and to show that adding furniture and used objects can be very nice,” they reason and encourage. In fact, they highlight the beauty of incorporating elements with previous lives. “Many of the furniture in the Market is from trades. From post offices, hardware stores or haberdashery stores, and today they are fulfilling another function in kitchens, living rooms or bedrooms.” The fact is that joining the trend of circular decoration is not only a matter of costs, but also of energy. In a mass-produced world, it’s about buying products with soul.
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