What's Old Is New Again

What's In Store

Salvage and reuse is the mantra at Architectural Salvage

Architectural Salvage houses a cluttered yet intriguing collection of items for the home. Some are standalone, while others require a unique setting. An old water fountain from a local school is one example. It stands at the base of a makeshift staircase, along with a large Carnation Ice Cream sign and an antique, claw-foot bathtub filled with crystals. Stained-glass windows line a wall that also displays an assortment of hardware—from light-switch covers to antique doorknobs.

“We have more of a cherry-picked selection,” says Elizabeth Scalice, owner of Architectural Salvage. What began 12 years ago as a project to utilize her art background and fulfill her desire to use recyclable materials is today a successful business of salvaging architectural relics, design elements and other odds and ends—and finding clever ways to reuse them. She has helped outfit many a room, some of them in highly trafficked public places. For instance, at Parallel 33, the globally inspired restaurant in Mission Hills, a cupola from Architectural Salvage serves as the front entry. And when designing the interiors at Bleu Bohème in Kensington, the proprietors looked to Scalice for inspirational pieces.

Finding salvaged pieces, however, wasn’t always this easy. The growth of her business has “really been an organic process,” says Scalice, who years ago experienced difficulty finding reusable items for her own remodeling project. She has since become quite savvy at locating the right resources—from onetime remodelers to busy contractors. Her customers range from resalvaging junkies who return every two weeks to large construction companies that design from the ground up.

Although her Little Italy store has plenty of room for the variety of items she finds, Scalice says she still has to turn away some pieces. The will to say no to certain goods allows this artist-at-heart to ensure she has enough space for the old garden gates that continue to be her best-selling items. People like to use them as entrances to their wine cellars, she says. No matter the purpose, Scalice is just happy the gates—along with her other old discoveries—find a new home.

Visit Architectural Salvage at 2401 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy, 619-696-1313; architecturalsalvagesd.com.

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