I was back, once again, to one of my favorite stores–the ReStore shop in the Reston/Herndon Area. I absolutely love the fact that the store has a vintage telephone gossip table for sale.
Vintage Telephone Gossip Table
The below telephone gossip table looks in pretty good shape although I think the wood probably needs to be refinished. Not sure if the seat is original to the piece but I think that would make it more valuable if it is.
A telephone gossip table has a small desk surface which you would place your telephone on. The bottom space shelf was for the storage of the thick telephone books. A side chair with four legs was attached.
Telephone Gossip Tables were popular during the 1940’s and 1950’s. They were made in a variety of styles to match your home furniture. The seats could be made of wood or cloth material.
Telephone Gossip Tables will usually sell for more money than a regular bench since they are so unusual. They get their name from people who would sit there and gossip on their telephones.
With technology today, our telephones go everywhere with us and are so small that no gossip table is needed. However, a telephone gossip table makes a wonderful antique addition to those who value “telephone technology” from years ago.
Lamps and Lamp Shades
The ReStore shop generally has a pretty good selection of lamps for sale. I, also, like the fact that their lamps come with the lampshades. The below photograph shows a selection of lamps in their store.
If you recently looked for lamps, a lot of stores sell the lamp and the lamp shade separately. I noticed even some second-hand stores selling the lamps this way.
Faux Red Pomegranates and Wooden Glass Topped Coffee Table
I’m always on the hunt for secondhand faux food since it tends to be pricey when purchased new. I’ve collected and donated secondhand faux food to certain museums for their displays. It usually works out pretty nicely.
In the two below photographs you will notice a large bunch of faux pomegranates on the glass topped table.
I would have purchased them but pomegranates are not grown in this area and are too exotic to use in the museums I donate to.
However, if you are tired of those faux red apples in your fruit bowl, now would be the perfect time to change them out. I think the whole bunch of pomegranates was priced at only $5. You would pay that much for only one or two pomegranates for sale in a craft store.
Faux Pomegranates 
Vintage Glass Topped Coffee Table
The above right photograph of the glass topped coffee table shows that it in good shape. So often people mar the top of their wooden coffee tables when they place wet drinks or coffee cups down without coasters.
How nice it would be to have this glass topped coffee table around. It would be an easy wipe to clean up any wet stains and the wood would keep beautifully forever.
Used Keurig Coffee Makers
The below photograph shows rows of used Keurig Coffee Makers. It looks like perhaps an organization was updating their coffee makers and donated the old ones to the ReStore shop. What a bargain at only $10 a coffee maker. Keurig Coffee Makers are priced at about $70 to $110 each when new.
Jade Green Storage Containers with a Vintage Looking Shoe on the Lid
I liked these small jade-green lidded storage containers. Each container has an old fashioned shoe on the lid.
These containers would look nice in a bathroom or on a lady’s dressing table. They could hold hair bands or cotton balls. They are very reasonably priced at only $3 each. They, also, would make a nice gift for anyone who loves shoes.
There were several of these containers for sale in the Houseware Department.
Decorative Wooden Corbels?
The next piece I would like to blog about is this set of decorative wood (?) pieces. I believe there were four pieces in this clear plastic bag. It looked like the bag was never opened and was a little dusty.
I think they were hand carved wooden architectural decorative pieces or perhaps wooden corbels for a fireplace mantle. I couldn’t get a good look at them since they were in the bag.
These are priced at only $20 for a set of four.
Carved wooden pieces like these would be extremely expensive to buy. Elaborately carved wooden hand carved corbels are priced at hundred of dollars.
If you have an unfinished wooden area on a fireplace mantel, stairwell, etc., this might be the pieces you are looking for. You have to use your imagination a bit on this item.
Vintage Tea Cart
I checked out this cute tea cart in the store but I guess it could also be used as rolling patio table or a bar, (see below photograph). All the rubber wheels roll nicely. The table is quality-made out of white metal and the top of the table and the bottom shelf have glass insets in them.
This table looks very much like a mid-century Russell Woodard Tea Cart. Woodard Tea Carts online run any where from $400 to $670. The large wheels and handle shape look very much like Woodard Tea Carts. However, I was not able to find this particular flower design online.
Today all the above items and many others, are for sale in the ReStore shop. Happy Shopping!
The ReStore shop is operated by the Habitat for Humanity which is a non-governmental and non-profit organization.
Thank you to the ReStore shop for allowing me to take photographs for my blog of their rare and unusual items.