off the top of my head:
-savers
-dig n save
-UW Madison has a VERY interesting resale warehouse for it's cast offs on the west side, sorry i can't remember it's name, but it's open to the public once a week.
also try thrift stores and estate sales in the smaller towns around madison! the prices tend to be A LOT lower than in chicago, madison, or milwaukee

I just discovered Juju.....the cutest little home/gift shop in the 3rd Ward in downtown Milwaukee. It has some really great items....from cute aprons and matching oven mitts to beautiful lamps and unique vases. Their specialty is affordable gift giving but they are so much more. There are also a whole host of really unique resale shops in the area...all within walking distance.

Good luck and happy shopping!

The resale warehouse that rebecca is talking about is called UW-SWAP (Surlpus with a Purpose). It's on 2102 Wright street. Just google "UW SWAP" and the first result is it. It's great for buying office furniture, lab glassware, computers, etc.

My absolutely most favorite place to shop is St. Vinnie's thrift store on Willy st. If you haunt it often enough (which is what I do), you're bound to find nice furniture, kitchen things, etc. I'd go there before trying anything else.

Use sparingly, but great for country-modern... tables, beds, accessories. Sure beats Pottery Barn.

www.schulercountry.com ....

located @ 533 N Main Street, Janesville, WI just south of Madison.

-kellen

Hey there,

I live in Milwaukee, and woe be to the design-conscious who are here. There are some gems, though. One place that rocks is Rubin's, which I've just noticed is in both Madison and Milwaukee. (http://www.rubinsfurniture.com/) Another is Cranston. (http://www.cranstonaccents.com/) These places are both located in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, a notably yuppie but still hip six square block section of the city. You can also check out Artasia (http://www.artasiagallery.com/), although a little bit of that goes a long way. There's the Tip Top Atomic Shop in Bayview on Kinnickinnic for all your 50s kitsch needs, and if you're willing to venture a bit west, and also willing to dig for your finds, there's a killer place called Open House Estate Sales on 92nd & Center. In general, good areas for great stuff are Kinnickinnic Ave in Bayview, and Brady Street on the east side. Welcome to Milwaukee.

Thanks for the sources. I think we are due for a visit to Creme City.

For those new Madisonians:

Atomic Interiors has great retro furniture and house stuff:
961 S. Park St.

Also, Century House on University has fabulous Scandinavian furniture and housewares. Click my name for the link.

And if you like kitchen stuff, Orange Tree Imports on Monroe St. is great (www.orangetreeimports.com), as well as Tellus Mater on State Street (http://www.tellusmater.com).

Mt. Horeb, a small town about 1/2 hour southwest of Madison, has a lot of great antique stores, as well as a wonderful vintage clothing store, called Elegant Bridal at 132 E. Main St.

Enjoy!