Comments on: Buy Local: Lighting? Sinks? Mailbox Made of Awesome?

By: holland

holland — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:50:49 +0000

check out BLUEGRASSGREEN on east market…
http://www.bluegrassgreenco.com

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:12:41 +0000

Brecher’s Lighting on Hurstborn.
http://www.brecherslighting.com/
They have some friendly and helpful employees, and some of the products they carry are still made in the US! No, really.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:47:26 +0000

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions everyone. I’m planning to check out Architectural Salvage and Habitat Restore. Willis Klein is already on the list for getting new locks.

And Scott I checked with the Wild Eggs folks and that contest is still ongoing. No one has won yet so run get yourself some eggs! If you win though I think you need to take me for at least one of your free breakfasts.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:21:19 +0000

We also live in an old house in the Highlands, and my husband is a handyman/remodeler, so we’re always looking for good buys on home stuff! I’ve heard good things about Habitat Restore, but haven’t had a chance to check it out. Hubby usually goes to Horton’s and Bashford Manor Lowe’s (they know him by name at both places), and he’s also found very cool stuff at Architectural Salvage on Broadway. We try to buy local whenever possible, but since he’s a frequent buyer at Lowe’s, he can sometimes negotiate great markdowns with them (i.e., he once got a Pella Window for $50 because they wanted to get rid of it).

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:04:25 +0000

I know it’s not local and a bit of a haul, but I got every bit of lighting for my new kitchen/bath at IKEA in Cincy. And for, like, peanuts. My fancy-pants-looking pewter chandelier was under $45. My three pendant lamps were $16 each. My cool art-deco hall pendant lamp = $24. I found local lighting stores to be insanely expensive. I’m ALL for shopping local, but I can’t pay a 50% markup over what you can get the same fixture for online. The Restore can be awesome– there’s a good chance you’ll find caulk there. I know I recommended this before (tho it is also crazy expensive) the Craftsman store near where the old Wild Oats used to be has GORGEOUS stuff. There’s a place by Rainbow Blossom on Lex that has great sinks and tubs and stuff. I found my bath sink online at either Lowes or HD– they have a much bigger selection online than in stores– and the local Lowes ordered it for me. I think that was a free service.

I’m totally guilty of not shopping local (except, you know, all the labor/contractors and stuff and my cabinets) when I rebuilt my kitchen/bath. But on my kind of budget, I just couldn’t pay the premium.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:06:56 +0000

My parents are crazy DIYers and have been renovating and re-renovating their 1920s bungalow, located in the Highlands in the neighborhood between Btown & Taylorsville Rds for 35 years.

As a result, I could tell you pretty much anywhere to buy anything that has to do w/home repair. They buy a lot of their stuff at the big box stores, but they patronize the locals when they can, and the locals are great for specialty stuff. For instance, when my husband & I moved into our house in Clifton, my dad took the lock out of our front door and Willis Klein in St. Matthews was able to rekey it for us while we waited.

Here’s a list of some of the businesses they’ve patronized and that we’ve used too. I haven’t bought stuff at all of them, so I can’t say anything about the level of customer service, but they are all local.

Plumbing stuff & fixtures: http://www.plumbers-supply-co.com/

Sinks, hardware, whatnot: http://www.willisklein.com/

Lights: Rueff Lighting Co – http://www.rueff-lighting.com (their web page is broken)
523 East Broadway, Louisville – (502) 583-1617. I’ve heard Brecher is good too.

Cool old bits (like drawer pulls etc.): Architectural Salvage: http://www.architecturalsalvage.com/home.asp

If you haven’t been to Keith’s Hardware on Btown Rd., many members of my friend Neil’s family have worked there or still are working there.

Happy remodeling!

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:05:42 +0000

There are locally owned businesses that carry the same things that Lowe’s does, but most of them are still manufactured somewhere else.

One thing that we discovered about Lowe’s is they DO carry local manufacturers of windows and doors. And we have considered using them when we get the 30bazillian bucks it is gonna cost for that project.

Have you shown your contractor that mailbox? If she can’t make it, she might know someone who can, it is very nifty, but I am sure it could be created for less than 200 bucks (and locally too!)

By: Tara

Tara — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:42:37 +0000

LOVE that mailbox!!

We got a lot of the lighting for our house at Brecher Lighting on Hurstbourne Lane. They have a good selection of traditional and modern, plus they can order just about anything you can find online.

By: scott t

scott t — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:06:46 +0000

… i know this isn’t the proper place for this, but i have a question…

is the millionth egg thing still going on at wild eggz or did somebody hit the jackpot already? im going there tomorrow and if the milestone hasn’t been met yet, im going to reach it…

i’ll say that the first part of this post is a sidenote…

what i really wanted to say was, “i like all the pics of your house. it looks like a fun place to live”

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:02:39 +0000

Excellent John! Thanks so much. That definitely sounds like someplace we should check out and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before. You sir are helpful and awesome.