City Foundry

Meh. Inferior in both selection, price points, and especially staff demeanor. I ended up having much better experiences at Collier West and Hunting with Jake and got some nice things!

They have beautiful items, but I don’t think that they understand how stores work. Here’s my understanding: a customer has money, a store has goods. The store offers to give the customer goods in exchange for money. Not here.
I called City Foundry. Asked about buying an item I’d seen there earlier in the week. Before answering any of my questions (e.g., delivery options), they asked who I was and where I worked. Because maybe they only sell to certain people? Like, not just customers with money? But specific customers with specific money? I don’t know. I didn’t get it. And I didn’t buy it.

Browsing the Atlantic Ave shops with the wife and wandered in here. Had some dough to spend but left due to the ‘No Touching’ sign. What a crock. Adults can’t touch your old metal junk that you found for nothing and now rock with a huge margin? Get a grip.

After going into this place today I knew I needed to write a review.
I’ve walked past this place for nearly 10 years and today decided to go in because I’m in the market for a vintage ceiling light. NEVER AGAIN. This place is insanely, insanely expensive. For no reason at all. I looked at three or four super simple antique glass pendant lights — I’ve seen identical and similar ones on ebay and etsy for between $ 50 and $ 150 — and at City Foundry the price range was $ 350 — $ 550.
The woman who works there was sort of friendly but mostly hovering, like she didn’t trust me to be in there alone. I didn’t like her vibe.
I still can’t believe how expensive this place is. It’s almost laughable. I believe in splurging on unique and really special things but nothing inside this place is unique or special enough (as I said earlier, you can pretty much find the exact same stuff at flea markets, on ebay, etsy, etc) to warrant the hundreds and hundreds of dollars more that they charge.

I had a great time at this store — not sure why there are so many negative reviews. Yes, like the other reviewers, I was not immediately approached by the owner. So to all of those people who weren’t approached, there is a simple solution — you go up to the owner and actually talk to him!
I had a great conversation with the owner and told him what I wanted. I was at first a little hesitant to tell him my budget because I was afraid he would think it was too low. However, he said he could work with any budget and proceeded to show me around the entire store (including opening up both basements) to help me find two dining chairs.
After much searching through what seemed like piles upon piles of furniture (all very well curated — the owner has great taste) that the owner knew his way around like the back of his hand (he kept pulling out chairs from random corners of the store/​basement and let me inspect them to see if I liked them), I found the perfect chair.
And to everyone who says this store is expensive, yes there are expensive items but there are some items for more cost conscious shoppers as well. I got my two solid wood hand carved dining chairs for around $ 300 — you may be able to find two dining chairs at West elm for that price (or a bit more) but you will also be paying for chairs made out of chipboard with a veneer that cracks very easily and that is hard to repair.
I had a great experience and found this store to be filled with beautiful vintage furniture — and would recommend it without hesitation to any one of my closest friends.
I hope this review helps readers see this store from a different perspective!

This isn’t going to sound good– but this store reminded me of a bad 80’s horror movie. You know, that one where the pretty girl employee is closing up and all the lights go out and then all of a sudden there is a guy with a mask and an antique shovel in front of her. Ah!
I don’t like horror movies, and I didn’t really like this shop. Yes, it’s packed with all sorts of interesting finds: metal medicine cabinets, world globes, retro styled end tables, metal baskets, bowls, other misc accessories, and dozens and dozens of hanging light fixtures. But as I wandered farther and farther into the store I just got creeped out. There is sooo much packed in there that someone could actually be hiding behind a cabinet and I’d never know it. I wandered half the store before I even saw any life from the staff– so imagine my thoughts when someone finally came out (from wherever) and asked if I needed any help. Despite her asking I really didn’t feel welcomed and decided not to spend any more time in the store. Not that I would have made a purchase anyway– prices were a bit steep for my wallet.
Notes: No photography allowed in the store. and you’re not supposed to touch anything without the assistance of the staff. I hate rules like that.

Spent thousands if dollars here and the lady always makes us feel like a huge inconvenience or implies we’re causing some sort of trouble. It was funny the first time because we thought she was just confused, but now it’s as if she just doesn’t want anyone in her store. so we won’t be returning.

City Foundary is an ultra concentrated treasure trove. It’s no wonder why newspapers and magazines rediscover the store every year in their write ups. It’s crammed with wonderful vintage pieces and industrial parts. Many items are hidden away in the basement and stored in a giant warehouse where they also create custom furniture and lighting.
Walking space is limited so don’t come with small children, pets, or big totes and shoulder bags. It can be fun to leisurely peruse the collection with the generally cordial staff in tow. BUT! If you come in knowing exactly what you want, they’ll really turn it on to find what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for basement bargains, it’s best to dig through a thrift store. The inventory is curated and space is situated on a trendy expensive strip in Brooklyn. Expect the prices to match, though it’s not unheard of to find some great deals. Sohrab, the owner, has run the shop for 12 years. With a background in interior design and fabrication, he has a deep appreciation for objects and materials that can be infectious.

Not a store for regular people due to the high prices. I added one star because I enjoyed browsing here (the owner said «hi»), though I would never buy anything. For those that have money to burn, this would be a good place to hunt for interesting items.

Great selection of stuff… variety is key.
But HIGHLY over-​priced for even small, damaged and not fully restored items…
Slightly, «douche-​y» owner… paranoid about… everything, I think.
Seriously, this place is truly a STY and is stacked to the ceiling with all kinds of cool items. But apparently, this owner is nervous that you topple his whole store over. It is a trip and fire hazard, no doubt and he’d better keep FDNY out of there if he wants to stay in business.
And unfortunately, the owner goes out of his way to make you feel unwanted or uninvited… because he is afraid someone will break something in his very unorganized store… A customer must be able to look at an inspect an item in the store somethings WITHOUT assistance or waiting for the owner.
Yo bro, it’s just a wooden spoon… not the original constitution… relax.
Dude, get a storage unit, pull back your store inventory, organize the place a little better (think shelving) and get better insurance or something… you simply cannot be so antagonistic with your customers who want to BUY something.
I’ve been in fine china stores that were not as fussy as this place.
If your store is THAT fragile, you need to do something a little different in your store or make it appointment only.
Otherwise, great selection of items, but please organize them a little better and allow easier customer access to those items… without your assistance (which, by the way, is not always necessary) so please stop all the lecturing to grown ups.
Great and interesting selection, but just not an overall good shopping experience each time I’ve gone there… I leave feeling irritated by the owner each time so I am not going any more.congratulations. And as I said before WAY over-​priced…

ugh. This place is beyond frustrating. Its like a treasure trove of reallllllly expensive antiques. I have been trying for weeks to get inside and see whats up, and its always closing early. Even when I make an appointment, for a certain time, as the owner requests, it still finds away to make itself unavailable. humph.

A perfect place to feed the ex-​mad scientist-​steampunk dustbowl-​robot love machine-​mechanical pencil drafter-​curiosities prone-​anatomical model explorer-​metallic dust immune-​monster within. But only if your inner monster is loaded with doubloons, diamonds, or daddy’s credit card… mine is not, which only makes it angrier.

Really cool stuff in here. Some interesting light fixtures, old tv’s, furniture, all kinds of stuff. Kinda over-priced…he was trying to get $ 275 for an old bass drum worth about $ 150. Some cool bar stools and utility drawers that look like they were from dentists or doctors’ offices.

I love lamps.
And not just in the Steve Carell-​in-​Anchorman kind of way, but I really do adore well-​made lamps, desk and table lamps in particular. City Foundry is an antique furniture store that makes you want to explore nooks and crannies and its annex a few doors down, and you’ll know it when you see it since City Foundry usually has old storage pieces, bar stools, and their brethren on the sidewalk during business hours.
Not only lamps, but they also feature many other wonderful vintage pieces like metal hutches, sign-​size letter blocks, old catalog filers, botanical and anatomical diagrams, and other things you may find lying around in someone’s old garage or barn storage.
Not as keenly organized or specific as a few other stores in the neighborhood, City Foundry is a solid shop for that unique piece in home décor and is extremely accessible to non-​antique seekers. For those of you who like getting lost in stores, this should be a stop on your list.