Urban Ore

Urban Ore is a tinker's paradise. It's appropriately named, as you'll find few treasures ready to display on your mantel. Mining the ore requires sifting (through mountains of junk); assay (analysis of what it's worth to you); but rarely any grinding or smelting. Appliances will be broken, parts may be missing, furniture needs re-finishing. Factor those in when assessing all the great deals.

For the fixer-upper having some familiarity with UO's inventory, with a specific parts list for a particular DIY project, great deals are to be had. Example: I recently had call for a large granite-topped table. Local firms quoted me $700-$1000 for the top, FOB. I picked up one at Urban Ore made of better natural material for $70, and rented a pickup for $20 to ship it to the assembly point. Voila! 90% savings.

5 stars for the Urban Ore Workers, IWW IU 670!

0 stars for the owners refusing to bargain in good faith and for union busting.

I've been going to Urban Ore since the 90s. Whenever I got to a point in a project, where I needed something, the first place I thought of was Urban Ore.

The best part about Urban Ore is the staff. The employees run an amazing shop. They know where everything is, and are happy to show you where it is.

That's why it's difficult for me to understand why the owners of Urban Ore refuse to bargain in good faith with the Union.

Get to the table, bargain a contract to TA, and put it to the membership for a vote.

urban ore is a bay area institution, all thanks to the fine folks who keep it running! it is a feast for the eyes, the senses and the curious. it is paradise for the bower birds, heaven for the bottom feeders. it's a great place for a date. it's one of the few spots left in this city to kill time. wingnuts know. so do dads, my elementary school teacher, your wacky neighbor and tinkerers of all kinds. berkeley is not berkeley without urban ore. thank you, urban ore. thank you, urban ore workers!

this is why I SUPPORT the URBAN ORE UNION! and kindly call on its owners to stop UNION BUSTING and bargain in good faith.

This place is enormous and well worth the visit for the scenery, if nothing else. We visited on a particularly sunny day and the light coming into the warehouse made for a pleasant scene. If you're a student or artist (or perhaps both) trying to find reasonably priced furniture, building materials, set props and builds, various mechanic bits and bobs, books or CDs by the bulk, this would be my first and only stop.

The clothing section is a bit small, but was worth a quick ruffle through. The star of the show really is its variety. As a Berkeley thrift, they're a bit more price-savvy than rural competitors may be, meaning "superscores" like a Breville Barista for $10 will be few and far between, but they more than make up for that in their furniture pricing and selection alone. Not to mention any wonders you may stumble upon amongst the heaps and piles of sorted objects strewn loosely about. It has practically everything, with a few standouts being a couple hand sanitizer stands (obvious post-COVID recycles from local establishments), 13 copies of the movie "Babe" on VHS (lined neatly in a row for your aesthetic pleasure), a Looney Toons reference written in sharpie cautioning the handling of a table, and, of course, a shop cat.

Bob the shop cat, to be precise. I first encountered him upon my third, dazed loop of the building, perched atop an ottoman tolerantly receiving pets. Once the petter had moved on, I swooped in; keeping my scratches respectfully to his head, neck and back before yielding to the looming onlookers, who eagerly took my place. I circled the area like a vulture for a bit until they had dispersed, at which point I made my seat on the ottoman next to Bob, who began to loaf, entirely unmoved by my presence. (Pictures below.)

At one point, an employee rounded the corner with gloves and cat bed in hand, intent on their mission. I relinquished my seat and observed them first attempting to coax Bob onto the cat bed--then, when that inevitably failed, gently pulling him backwards off the couch (which predictably resulted in Bob angrily protesting and biting the glove-protected employee.) Upon being released, Bob then sat swishing his tail and pointedly ignoring the employee as they prodded him with the cat bed--once they gave up, cat bed limply in hand, Bob looked over his shoulder to ensure they were gone before curling victoriously back onto the couch.

I took some photos of his unrepentant and lovely face. He is such a small and cute grumpy little grandpa.

Would most definitely return for Bob.

This is one of those places that has whatever it is you need lol. I love coming here for furniture or random stuff. The prices are really good and you can find some very unique and beautiful furniture -- that's the beauty of second hand!

It's a huge place with a large selection of just, things. I like to take my time and look through everything when I come here. From electronics, to vinyls, to clothes, doors, whatever they have it!

There were two workers who helped me grab some heavy furniture and load it into my car so thank you for your help-- incredibly kind and did a great job!

It's just fun to browse! We are looking for architectural garden items. Can't wait to go back.

I love shopping here and will always come here first before looking elsewhere for stuff i need. Such a wide selection and it's always fun to wander even if you're not looking for anything in particular. The workers here are always super helpful and nice, and i hope their unionization efforts are successful in achieving the working conditions they deserve.

I hope management and owners can stop union busting and bargain with workers in good faith!

Such a cool place to dig for treasure. A wide variety of used items: furniture, home goods, media, clothing, outdoor items, etc. I didn't find anything this visit, but I'd gladly return to dig again. Reasonable prices. Small and busy private parking lot.

So if Fred Sanford had a heaven, this may actually be it.

Urban Ore is one of those treasure hunt places we love. Founded in the 90's its roots go back way further than that. They were working on zero waste, recycling, up-cylcing etc before those terms were even trendy. It is basically a place where building materials are recycled and given a new life.

It is a vast indoor/outdoor warehouse filled with salvaged building materials. From vanities to electrical gear they have a little of everything. It also is a thrift warehouse as well.

Given its size and you predilections you can spend a whole day here picking through stuff. If you have specific needs ask. the staff is friendly but unobtrusive and stuff is litterally being processed in real time an put in inventory.

And. Mary Lou... The city of Oakland hauled away this very fine toilet for free with the bulky pickup and cost nothing. But, thank you for your reply regarding your $10.00 service charge. Your prices are too high as many others have complained.