Ditch the Big Box Stores this year, snag some sweet deals, and support local small businesses this Holiday Season!

Enjoy 15% off ALL inventory in both Second Use locations, ALL DAY LONG!

Seattle Only: Shop our Staff Made Market and find some one of a kind handmade treasures, crafted by our very own Staff Artisans! Get cozy and sip on some small batch, sustainably harvested coffee, roasted locally by Renovators Roast! Check out The Royal Hunter for some festive curated giftables!

Come get Holly Jolly with us!

Seattle: 3223 6th Ave. S. Seattle 98134 – 206-763-6929

Tacoma:2328 Fawcett Ave. Tacoma 98402 – 253-267-0820

From that humble workshop in Tacoma, the Willits Brothers Canoe Company built nearly a thousand boats over six decades. Their signature 17-foot design—red cedar planking, mahogany gunnels, and white oak stems—became a Northwest icon, celebrated for its beauty, balance, and enduring quality. The brothers never advertised. Their reputation traveled by word of mouth, carried by those who paddled their boats across quiet lakes and wide rivers, showing off their beautiful bespoke canoes.

When the Willits family, historians, and preservationists recently came together to document the factory site, a remarkable effort was made to preserve its legacy. The majority of the collection—canoes, records, photographs, and tools—now resides with the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum, where it continues to tell the story of the Willits brothers and their devotion to craft.

Before the workshop was cleared, several Willits experts carefully reviewed each remaining item. The pieces that were not essential to the museum’s historical narrative—offcuts, patterns, tools, work tables, and other nostalgic remnants of the shop—were entrusted to Second Use Tacoma for salvage. Every single piece was cataloged, tagged, and recorded, preserving the details of its origin and use.

These salvaged materials carry the quiet authenticity of the Willits work, the boards that framed a legacy of patience and precision. Though the canoes now rest in museums and private collections around the world, the spirit of the place remains—alive in the grain of reclaimed wood, ready to be reimagined in new hands. Keeping Tacoma History in Tacoma!

Second Use Tacoma is proud to give these materials a second life—connecting the craftsmanship of the past with the creativity of the present. In every salvaged piece , the story of the Willits brothers continues to float on.

You can find items from this job in stock on our website under Job #925T6073 .

This kitchen makeover Tacoma customer Heather shared with us is a perfect example of what you can do with a creative eye, some patience, and of course the bevy of reclaimed materials you’ll find in our stores!

Heather was excited to point out all of the tasty salvaged tidbits she cooked up in her kitchen:

“Stuff from the Tacoma Second Use is all over our kitchen now!”

“First came the cabinet handles. Then we found the live edge acacia butcher block and the huge sink. Then we found the subway tile and the edge trim bits. The latest was ripping out the ancient uppers and replacing them with open shelving made from reclaimed high school bleacher foot boards.”

“Bonus that we found the chicken on top of everything and bought it on a whim!”

Heather did a great job incorporating reclaimed materials into her project and so can you! Stop by, get inspired, find that DIY spirit, and email you project photos to customerprojects@seconduse.com, for a little store credit as a ‘Thank You!’.

What:

Our yearly Black Friday 15% off Sale and NEW Staff-Made Market!

Enjoy 15% Off all in-stock inventory at both of our stores, then stay awhile and enjoy festive snacks and warm bevies while you shop our Staff-Made Market, chock-full of giftable goodies made with love by your favorite Second Use Staff!

As is tradition, we’ll have special “doorbuster” inventory, not yet on our website, for all you lucky in-store early-birds.

When:

Friday 11/29, 9AM to 5:30PM

Where:

Sale at Seattle and Tacoma Stores, Staff-Made Market at Seattle Only, in The Royal Hunter Furniture Showroom.

Poster by 2U’s own, Flynn!

While the House of Tomorrow was very unique, and did meet the criteria for historical significance, it was not on the Pierce County nor the National Historical Register list. Further, it was built near the floodplain along Clark’s Creek, and numerous flooding events took their toll on the property. Relocation of the house itself was considered, but deemed too costly to pursue, so the county was forced to slate it for demolition.

The County did however want to salvage as much usable material from the house before it was razed, so Second Use was selected to remove usable materials throughout the structure. Water damage did take a toll inside, but the kitchen and upper floors did have some solid cabinets, doors and more that all could be reused or repurposed for projects.

Our crew spent a day on site, carefully removing each item and transporting them back to our warehouse, and was available to the public within a day. These cabinets shared the rounded style that was typical of the Smyser’s interior design. See the remaining inventory in our Tacoma warehouse.

Jobs like these help Second Use keep more than 3,000 tons of used building materials out of landfills in the Tacoma and Seattle area every year. We’re always looking for more salvage opportunities, so if you’re planning a renovation, reach out for a free assessment of your potential construction waste.

Our 12,000 square foot warehouse is located blocks away from downtown and the UW Tacoma campus near the Hilltop neighborhood. The store is currently open from 9a-5:30p daily, but you can browse our inventory of reclaimed doors, windows, cabinets, lighting, hardware, furniture, and more here on seconduse.com.

Bring your own shirt and we’ll make it fresh with a new Second Use Tacoma design! There is no charge to print a shirt if you bring your own or you can buy one from us, while supplies last.

Our Salvage Team just kicked off a large project for Washington State – the first part of a master design plan that will re-envision an historic hospital campus that opened in 1871.

Second Use was engaged to remove a maximum amount of the reclaimable materials from 11 buildings on the existing campus. The structures span many decades and represent various construction styles and building practices – so a complicated removal. This project caps a year of collaborative work to gain the access needed to save these resources, and to make these materials available to our Tacoma and Seattle communities – This is core to our mission at Second Use.

We anticipate several tons of material will be diverted from the landfill, and include: bleacher boards, maple & pine bowling lanes, fir flooring, cabinets, doors, windows, vintage lights, and plumbing fixtures along with a sundry of industrial artifacts (tools, appliances, office and shop equipment, decorations and more). 

New items added daily! See current salvaged inventory for sale >>

They have created a stunning accent wall that adds a distinct pattern and lots of warmth to this cozy bedroom. A paneled wall is a great way to add some personality and a bit of a Midcentury vibe to your small space.

New Veneered Door Stop, Item #630922, is still available (while supplies last) for just $2. each at our Tacoma store. Pick some up, get inspired, and send some pictures to outreach@seconduse.com for a special treat!