So I stopped in Weber's yesterday on 32nd St. I prefer Jack's for my cheap store fix but I like to keep my eye on everything. Weber's seems to have gotten in a shipment from a company called Karavan (www.karavanhome.com/indexnf.cfm) that makes soft goods i.e. pillows, throw rugs, placemats etc. A number of the pillows on the website (like the striped ones under "decorative pillows" page 4) are there at $3.99 vs. $39 on their website, along with linen napkins, placemats and pretty big rugs. Just thought I'd let the community know.

What ever happened to Odd Job / Amazing Savings??

That was an awesome place for party supplies / favors, greeting cards / gift wrap, personal-care items, and Secret Santa gifts.

My co-workers would pool our money to buy presents there and donate them to a holiday toy drive in our office building.

I guess the real estate (like the Union Square location) was more valuable than the revenue.

Boo hoo!

It looks like that whole chain went out of business. There used to be one on 32nd St. to complete the triumverate of Jack's, Weber's and Odd-Job. I was sad when they were bought out by Amazing Savings! because the phrase "odd job" had actual meaning back in the day when NYC had an active garment/manufacturing trade. It's times like this I start to feel my bones ache.

Also gone is Industrial Plastic's huge warehouse near the corner of Canal Street and West Broadway. They say that they are moving but have no place yet. Love all that brik-a-brac.

Just talking through an idea here...

I'm moving to a place with a narrow dining room. I want the flexibility when we entertain to push things back against the walls. So I'm thinking I want to contrive 2 console-like tables that can be pushed together for family dining and pushed apart for parties.

The trick is finding table tops that are both narrow and long. I'm thinking hollow-core closet doors might work. Whaddya think?

Lisa, I'm currently sitting at a desk made of a door, so I think it's not a bad idea. My desk/door is 24" wide so 2 of them pushed together would be 4 feet wide and you usually need, what, 18" for people to sit comfortably and then another 18" for people to walk behind them around the table. So as long as your dining room is at least 10' wide, it would work.

You may also want to take a look at this months Real Simple magazine. They have a piece on a couple who have totally organized their loft and try to make things have more than one use. I seem to remember that they have a dining table on wheels that splits apart to become buffets during parties. Maybe it would provide some inspiration.

Thanks, Ruth! (Off to take back latest issue of Real Simple from depths of teen daughter's room...)

I had a door-desk in college, and loved the clean sweep of it. I need to make this look a little more upscale, but with some ingenuity, I think it's possible...

Right, Maxwell?

lisa,
my husband made a console out of a piece of mahagony from the lumber yard and legs from ikea (VIKA CURRY--comes in a lot of colors). the wood is unfinished and really beautiful. it's really easy to take apart for moving or storage.

Thanks, Alison. More affirmation! The Vika Curry legs were one of the ones I was thinking of...

Your lumberyard must be nicer than mine. Haven't found any mahagony. Would love to find a stout piece of chestnut, but that will be a matter of persistence and luck.

okay, i asked the husband where he got the wood and he said "a lumber yard in brooklyn". which is probably not very helpful. he made the table when he lived in NY and now we live in seattle so, yeah...

That's so nice of you to have asked him! Well, I'm moving to Chicago from a small town in Connecticut, so I'm hoping my prospects for cool salvage will improve.

BTW, Seattle is wonderful. I have a sister there.

Industrial Plastics is gone?!? Between that and the missing Astor Place cube, I really need to get out more and make the rounds in my 'hood now that spring is almost here...