East Bay Depot For Creative Reuse

Like walking into a somewhat nicely organized hoarder’s house, you’re bound to find hundreds upon hundreds of the strangest (yet most inspiring) effluvium waiting for you at EBDFCR (wow, what an acronym…)
Beads. Doll heads. Corporate swag. Ribbons. Vintage photos. Patches. Office supplies. These are just some of the junk you can find on average here, but do not expect any two items to be alike. The uniqueness of this place makes return visits kind of addicting.

Stuff you need. Stuff you don’t need. Stuff you never knew you always wanted. Stuff you may regret buying later. But an hour into rummaging through people’s old photos and feeling like a supercreep, you realize that these hoarders are onto something: you will suddenly need some of this someday.
Also, my friend found the Pawnee book for $ 1. So there’s that.

I gotta stop writing 5-​star reviews I know but. this place is the greatest.
Take ur time. Look everywhere. Get creative.

This place really caught my interest. I’m a mixed media artist so finding a place with so much vintage ephemera was thrilling. This store has so much to offer like vintage books, magazines, photos, craft supplies, recycled products like yarn & buttons and so much more. I walked out with some great hand written letters from WW2, an art school textbook, vintage maps and various other pieces of ephemera. This is a place you need to come back to from time to time to see what’s new because it’s always changing. When I’m in the area I’ll be sure to check it out.

I have visited a few times and have to agree with other reviews regarding the customer service and pricing. It is certainly «hit or miss».
Recently, I saw spools of ribbon with a price of 0.39 cents on them. I grabbed two (2) and figured I’d pay about 0.50 cents for each. But, when I got to the register, I was charged $ 1.00 for each. It wasn’t that it was an outrageous price but I really could have gone to Dollar Tree and paid the same. It’s also a place where things are donated so they should be more considerate of pricing (which I have experienced there but it’s not consistent).
It also seems like no one is investing in training the staff and I am curious about the «non-​profit» status. Who exactly is benefiting from the donated items that are sold?

Absolutely some of the best junk that i’d ever buy. Thus store really sells the idea of «one mans trash…»
The store clerks are very welcoming and strike some really good deals. My friend purchased this very awesome coffee table for $ 25 — ill post a pic.
Really if ya cant find it somewhere else it’s here.

This place is totally overwhelming and I could really spend a lot of time and unnecessary money here. I wish I had the head space to be more crafty. If I had kids or more time maybe I could make that happen, one day one day. This place made me question, why am I buying anything new or there has to be a purpose for this and that. Everything under the sun you just gotta be willing to sift through the randomness.

Must-​go for: Knitters, Fabric-​lovers, Teachers, Antique collectors, and anyone looking to or is pursuing a creative project.
I’m normally not a creative person and it’s troubling for me to find supplies to make props out of, mind you, but at East Bat Depot finding materials to make my props is an adventure in itself. I don’t have to worry about my wallet burning the back of my pocket which, believe me, makes it very hard to find materials for props if each individual material is expensive. Almost everything here is either free or under $ 10 and I heard teachers also get a discount. From toys, to neckties, to clay pots, to reams of printer paper, to old dvd and vcr players, to toilet paper rolls this place has a lot of the stuff that you couldn’t find at any single store.
Just a con is that pricing is not consistent and items aren’t marked (which is understandable given how many items they have). So when you go up to the register to pay the cashier does a mental check-​list of all the items you have and which items you pay for. Could be good or bad depending on what cashier you have; and if there’s any price discrepancies I’m sure you can bargain with them!

Highlighters, tape, yarn, canvas, paint, paint brushes, patches, paper. .they every random item you could think of for your creative needs. Everything is super cheap.

A grab bag for art and collage projects! But also second hand thrift items like records. Very cool, but small. That’s what she said.

I. Love. This. Place. Amazing stuff. Great people just reused junk but stuff you can make into planters, etc and not pay $ 40 for down the street at hipster alley even though I do love hipster alley and they actually have records here too for my crate diggers. It’s sparse but you never know what you might find

Worst. Customer. Service. Ever.
Listen, I totally get this is a reuse store, and probably has lots of things coming in and out daily, but there’s really no need for the rudeness.
I called because I was hoping to find some brown butcher paper. Before I even finished asking if they might have a whole role, the woman who answered the phone told me to come in a look. I explained that was coming from quite aways, and that I would appreciate her letting me know if there was a roll physically in the store right then. She put me on ‘hold’ — which really was her just continuing to ring customers and talk to people — I could hear here clearly right next to the phone that she has simply put down. After some time of waiting, she said «I don’t know». When I asked if I should just try somewhere else, mind you politely despite her tone and obvious lack of desire to answer my question, she said «GREAT» and hung up.
I’m obviously not planning on patronizing this place.
Again, Worst. Customer. Service. Ever.

I love this place. Plenty of bits, pieces, scraps and staples of craft supplies, random tidbits and anything else you may need to let your inner creativity out. But it ain’t all just for the craft-​minded: you can find jewelry, furniture, homewares like candleholders, plates and glasses, and all sorts of random stuff that is donated by generous (and clearly stylish, a little off-​the-​wall and fun) people just like you and me.
Outside of the store they keep some larger items that would crowd the establishment. On my recent trip I saw stuff such as old fashioned gardening carts, tables, nightstands and a cart they put out with DVDs and books that were for sale.
Inside, you can marvel at everything from fabric and fabric scraps, yarn, buttons, egg cartons (and other miscellaneous supplies that are great for schoolteachers!), old issues of National Geographic, old film and photos (sounds creepy to examine other people’s lives so visually but a lot of them are actually quite poignant, especially the black and white stuff) and so much more. I imagine you could spend hours perusing the Depot and still only see a fraction of what’s inside, even though it’s a relatively modest-​sized building. There’s just so much variety.
I ended up walking away with this lovely ceramic tray, 15 tealight candleholders that were 20 cents a pop, and a black and cream bracelet that I really didn’t intend to get but when the cashier dropped the price from $ 5 to $ 3 after I shook my head no, I couldn’t resist. They’re too good to me.

Very cool. Lots of stuff well organized. I’m a teacher and couldn’t help but buy a ton, especially crayons in bulk. Prices not labeled well (the only reason I’m not giving this place a 5) but it seems like you can assume pretty cheap.
FANTASTIC for teachers! Bring your teacher pay stub or I.D. and sign up for 10% off your purchases! they also provide lesson planning session.

I’m a teacher, so places like East Bay Depot are like heaven to me. This place makes good use out of materials and products ordinary people probably throw away without a second thought. From toilet paper cardboard rolls to empty cookie tins, this place carries any supply or knick-​knack you might you need for an arts and crafts project.
The green teacher section is exceptional for educators. All educators can take home ONE paper bag filled with ball point pens, markers, highlighters, crayons, erasers, and binders. At the start of the academic year, come here for free plastic dividers and separators for your classroom! Anything in the teacher section is basically free for educators to take home…
I would have given them 5 stars but I have a few issues with this place as awesome as it is. For one, my husband and I have had mixed experiences shopping here as educators. The first few times, we were helped at the cashier by various workers and all seemed to have an appreciation for educators. Hence, they gave us — literally — a few boxes of books and classrooms supplies for free.
One other time we came here, we were helped by a woman with braided hair and she was actually hostile to us. No regard for customers and she didn’t care an ounce. We gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed that maybe she was having a terrible day but every other time we’ve been here, we actively AVOID her and intentionally try not to be at the counter when she’s working it.
Pricing is also unpredictable. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to the prices of the items at all. Most times employees will make up some random number and start clicking some numbers on the register and then TA DA! you have the grand total. Totally weird but the total comes out cheap most of the time.
I think now educators have a voluntary option of leaving a donation for anything you get from the store. Aside from the erratic pricing and hostile female employee, this place is a solid in Oakland!

Not what I expected. Great deals on what they have. We lucked out and found a lg bag of beads for $ 2. Didn’t see a lot of craft items like I expected. I had hoped for some flat glass jars and other things for little kids crafts. I was shopping with a 6yr old girl. I know most come from donations so I probably shouldn’t have such high expectations. Lots of rubber stamps, used markers, open/​used games, books, sanitary pads in individual boxes, yarn, and other odd things. Not worth driving in traffic to get to. Was able to find street parking. If you are in the area drop by. I’m a 2hr drive so I’ll stick to goodwill.

I wish I lived in Oakland so I could come by every week for their weekend sales. If you like digging through piles of junk, then this is the perfect treasure trove for you.
It’s like Ariel’s grotto, except instead of a marble statue of Prince Eric, you get: 10cent vintage sewing supplies, drawers of free pencils, paint bottles oozing toxic oils, lab glasses, VHS tapes upon tapes and all the crappy pharmacy store Christmas cards your little hoarder heart desires.
If you’re a teacher, you can get a discount card for free goodies. I think they’re for your students but I like to convince myself that keeping them* is essential for my wellbeing. Unethical? Maybe. Enough to make me stop scrounging for art/​craft supplies at East Bay (until I get caught)? Never.
*OK, no one freak out, it’s usually like 2 pencils and 3 envelopes.

So awesome! This place just has a lot of STUFF. I suppose you can consider a lot of it junk, but some can be complete treasures for the right person! Fabrics, photos, stamps, and craft supplies galore! I totally recommend checking out this place first for your DIY projects because there’s you can find tons of unique and useful items at affordable prices.
Unfortunately for me, I am not someone who thrives in thrift shops, flea markets, places like this with lots of randomly scattered random things. Even if I see things I like, I get so overwhelmed if I don’t have a clear goal or list of things to buy. However, I would totally be willing to spend a lot of time here digging for the real treasures if I ever needed to!

This is a wonderful spot to get your creative juices on, or find your one-​of-​a-​kind trinket. Everything seems to be priced under $ 10 and there is anything you can think of to create whatever kind of art you’re into. Old photographs, used candles, pins, magnets, vases, old calenders, fabric, used canvases, and much much more.
We came here on a whim after strolling around Temescal with our ice cream from down the street. I ended up with 5 children’s books and a toy car for $ 4.50. The books are in good condition (board books) and the car had a missing door but my peanut loves it and it was only $.50. He’s even given it a car wash in his bath tub.
Recommended for anyone who scrapbooks, or likes using mixed media for artwork. Nice selection of used books — possibly a great place to spend at least an hour (maybe more) on a rainy day.

This place is pretty darn awesome… Filled with a heck of a lot of random stuff — stuff that will inspire your creative mind for those DIY projects you keep putting on hold. There’s a section for knitting filled with knitting needles and all kinds of yarn. There’s also huge piles of fabric throughout the store.
But what really excited me was the section marked off as «teachers.» Along one wall, there is a large white cabinet with drawers FULL of yellow high-​lighters, ball point pens, CRAYONS (a lot of these crayons were brand new/​never used), and pencils. I didn’t ask how much they were selling the crayons for, but I doubt they’d be sold for an unreasonable price. A lot of the things that I saw in the store were marked from as low as 10 cents to $ 3.50 There weren’t many things marked higher than that (unless you’re looking at the furniture or camera equipment).
This place really is a DIY/​craft person’s heaven. There are bins of paint, bottle caps (random? but cool!), old film picture cards, stamps, etc. etc.
ALSO… If you still have a VHS player, they’ve got a bookshelf full of them here! Mostly of Disney movies. And I believe most of them were selling for around $ 2 each. A pretty good deal if you ask me!