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Ruff & Ready Furnishings
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
U St/African-Amer Civil |War Memorial/Cardozo (Green, Yellow)
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
13 reviews for Ruff & Ready Furnishings
when you are in the mood for poking around a musty old store looking for cool unique pieces for your house, check out ruff and ready! just as ruff as the outside looks, on weekends when they are open, the furniture outside just beckons you to enter and search around.
the things outside are probably pieces that didn't fit anywhere else. yes, this store is one of the most crowded stores you have probably ever been to. if another customer is trying to move by you, find a small walkway to smoosh yourself into. there is a main floor, back outside area, back room, and a basement.
the basement has sale items and depending on what you may be looking for, there are plenty of great deals to be found if you take the time to look. the back room off the main room and back outside area is a bit spooky if you go in by yourself. the radio was on when i ventured in, and the ceiling is falling down in many places.
the whole store smells a bit stale and moldy, but the humongous frame i purchased for ten dollars did not hold onto the smell at all!! great deals to be had and friendly staff!!
Ok, I'm all for bargain hunting. The crowded stores full of a fun mix of junk, antiques, and someone else's treasures. The thrill of the hunt. The characters you meet. I've had my fair share of adventures in crumbling old thrift and vintage and junk stores. So please, know that I am not trying to be a jerk with the review I'm about to give.
But seriously, people - this place should be condemned. On my last visit, we entered the front of the store. Ok, not awful - super crowded with furniture, to the point where I could barely see what was for sale. Not a big deal. Scanned the piles carefully, just in case something was hidden and I wanted it. Headed towards the back of the store, entered the "courtyard." Furniture, junk and trash were piled and hung in heaps. Old buckets and containers housed scummy, still water that looked like it had sat there for months. Hardly anything looked like it was in condition to be sold, even as a fixer-upper piece.
I figured maybe it was a fluke. We entered the back warehouse-y building. Water leaked from the ceiling in multiple places, collecting in overflowing tubs, dripping onto furniture. More furniture piled up, but at least I could see what was what. Sort of. Very dusty. We wound through the maze, turning around only when we discovered the floorboards bending under our feet, holes in some of them, patches in other places. My boyfriend, not usually phased by the oddest of experiences, wanted to leave before the ceiling gave way.
I insisted we had to check the basement for bargains before leaving. We returned to the main building, ventured downstairs. The smell of gasoline was overwhelming. Old fans whirred loudly, perhaps in an attempt to clear the air. An ancient furnace clacked away, and my bf exited the basement, declaring that it was definitely not safe to breathe the air. I persisted, checking the very back of the basement. The floor boards were missing in places and the floor turned to dirt beneath my feet. The smell of gasoline became so overwhelming that I felt ill, and tried to exit in a hurry.
As I came to the top of the basement stairs, I overheard someone comment to the owner that he'd really cleaned up the store, especially the basement. (Cleaned up?? That was the improved version?) The owner replied "What do you mean? It's always been clean and organized." I kid you not. He sounded crazy.
I'm going back once again, if the building doesn't get condemned or collapse before then, just to give it one more chance. I'm trying to understand why no one seems to be as bothered as I was - maybe I had a fluke visit.
Oh, and when we were there, other people shopping mentioned their concerns about the building too. So I know it's not just me...
This place is like the Capital Hill Books of junk shops. Both stores make you feel like at any moment you can be buried under a pile never to be found again. They don't call it treasure hunting for nothing.
I have to say, this was an adventure. Open on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6pm, you have come in your gritties. Closed toed shoes and a pony tail are the only way for a girl to tackle this. The first two reviews are best! It's an antique store meets junk shop meets salvage yard. You will have to dig. The space is tight and extremely crowded and the store is more than a bit musty. If you have allergies, take a mask. If you're claustrophobic, stay away. Great things can be found if you take the time.
Walking through Ruff and Ready was like spending an afternoon in my grandmother's attic. The basement sale section is full of old dolls, furniture and musty smells of lost items. The isles are extremely narrow (like, I almost fell inside a wardrobe and nearly knocked over a vase, narrow). But that's half the fun of it, right? Half the fun of a place like this is trying on random hats and being afraid you'll be attacked by a bat flying out of a random corner, right?
Right, that's what this place is like.
I bought a bird's eye maple chest of drawers and a mahogany buffet table at Ruff & Ready. They are imperfect - slightly worn, a bad spot or two, but they're quality furniture pieces. Folks, furniture ain't made like it used to be!
This store is PERFECT for the Johnny-come-lately who's an old soul, who wants some quality vintage furniture. A thrifty person who has champagne tastes and a beer budget, willing to overlook a few "flaws" and see others as character.
Ruff & Ready is a jumble of moth-ball smell, bad stuff, with treasures mixed in. It's totally worth rummaging through if you're the kind of person described above. May the Force be with you!
If you love vintage/antique finds, the place is worth a stop. You'll have to sort through things and may sneeze a bit from the dust, but its worth it for the unique things you'll come across. Definitely check out downstairs(if you can stand the smell of kerosene) for even bigger bargains. So far ive scored an awesome mid century dresser for 75.00 and a couple other knick knacks. Bottom line, its cramped, its dusty, but its worth it if you really want some cool pieces that are reasonably priced.
So the wife and I stopped by R&R with some friends during our walk around DC Dog Days. No joke, one of our friends opened up a dusty old box there and something flew out and bit him! What the fuck??? I think it was El Chupacabre. All we know is that afterward it grew from a mosquito bite to a large hive to a big, red, warm bump on his arm the next day. I'm awaiting the eggs to hatch and baby El Chupacabres to crawl out.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/23/2008
I really wanted to love this place. Really. One of the last shreds of manhood in my genes is "the… Read more »
Just like your grandmother's attic! (smells like it too) Don't be scared by the disorder. T can help you find what you're looking for and he'll find you multiple options right under your nose. I could not navigate this place alone and would have missed so much if it hadn't been for his help. This place is packed with hidden gems and better still-- prices are negotiable!
It's a hybrid thrift-store/antique-shop on crack. I felt like Indiana Jones exploring this shop. Just after you've run through the caverns of stuff on the first floor, you discover a whole other set of caves of random stuff in the basement. Then you emerge back on the main floor to see that they have a whole backyard full of stuff, and behind that another packed warehouse! There's staff everywhere so you're never too lost, and they all seem to know where everything is.
I love this place!!!! Over the years I have found many,many treasures there. My favorite being my red velvet sofa with carved flowers and roses in wood.It is so beautiful and fit right in to the rest of my apartment. You have to really look but thats half the fun. The two guys that work there are very helpful and they deliver for a small fee!! So happy treasure hunting.
JAM packed (and I mean floor to ceiling, front to back, side to side) with every imaginable type of household item, from big pieces of furniture to kitchen knick-knacks. And a friendly black cat to boot. You'll find something you like here (and they deliver). Next time you're having a drink at Cafe St. Ex. on a Saturday afternoon, cross the street and take a tour through Ruff and Ready...it's definitely worth a visit.
a landmark in dc for hunting for furniture treasures!
