Useless Objects

Anything but useless! We just happened upon this place and couldn’t resist! Chock full from floor to ceiling! We must have circled the store 4 times and each time found something new. Antiques and interesting objects from crystal ashtrays to fun vintage signs. Shop clerk was friendly and helpful but didn’t hover. We shall return!

My first visit to Rochester from Texas to get our son set up at RIT. Our trip was made better only by finding Bruce and Blaire at Useless Objects. I Googled antique stores in Rochester and was underwhelmed with the supplied list and moved on to Unilocal!for advice. I found Useless Objects listed and headed right over. I was welcomed into the store by Blaire and within a matter of minutes Bruce joined us on our quest to seek out requested objects from top stock, from back stock and from «where the hell did you have that?» stock! They were amazingly fun to interact with and great conversationalists. They went out of their way to make me feel at home and welcome. It was unbelievable how hard they worked to satisfy my desire to add to my 1939 New York World’s Fair memorabilia and vintage thermoset resin (Catalin and Bakelite) collections.
Bruce was easy to work with on prices, some things I bought, some I left, but we were able to quickly talk our way to a value for each item in hand. If you are looking for your usual antique mall with little hang tags and elderly people greeting you as you walk in the door while all clumped up at the front counter conversing with one another and making you feel like an outsider… Then UO is not for you.
Conversely, my visit to Useless Objects has to be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable antique stops I’ve made in a long time. Heck, their service and smiles were so good that I was driven to login and leave this lengthy review!
Great people, great stuff and they know where it’s at… if you just know how to ask!

Great store! The owner was very helpful in locating an item we were looking for that he didn’t have. He went as far as calling around to others who might have it. The store is packed with really interesting stuff! The crowdedness of the store didn’t bother us in the least.

Recently changed ownership and name from previous store ‘metro retro’. New store is jammed packed full of a variety of furniture, frames, art work, lamps — plenty of variety. Store is still getting established so it’s a little chaotic and there’s more stock than room. Prices seem reasonable on some things, but a little expensive here and there for some pieces where the age and authenticity is only word of mouth. A store to watch as it gets established.

This place used to be an amazing antique store — very mid-​century themed. Man who owned the store was knowledgeable and we always enjoyed exploring. So today we drove by and realized it had changed names. It was beyond the word chaotic inside. There was so much junk — yes junk — that we couldn’t even find a path to walk. A voice from beyond asked us if we were looking for anything specific — I literally could not find the place where the man was sitting — that is how insane the store was to be in. We made it about 10 feet inside and couldn’t find a path to walk around so we turned around and left. I don’t know what is going on inside this place but if you want to sell things you have to give people an avenue to actually walk through your store. My husband spotted the worker in the back of the store and apparently he was too enthralled with staring at his computer screen to be visible to customers — hubby said he didn’t even look up when he asked us if we needed help. I miss the old antique store — this one is literally a lode of useless crap. Don’t bother
And to owner who commented below. I’ll come back and take pictures to prove you can’t physically walk in more than 10 feet. Clean it up and make it a real store like it was. Ridiculous.

The best thing that can happen when one of your favorite vintage shops closes, is a new one opening in its place. useless objects has filled that void.
On the hunt for some specific items, I was tickled when I found the two exact pieces I was looking for… in the same trip! I picked up a Lane coffee table on a past trip at Abode. It looked lonely so I thought about adding an end table if I found one. And what did I come across at UO? Yes, a lovely refurbished lane end table that matched my coffee table quite perfectly ($ 145). Dreams do come true. I also had been keeping my eyes peeled for a new tv stand, consider a nice credenza or repurposing a dresser. It was finally time to start updating the free furniture we received years ago and get everything to match. As luck would have it, I stumbled on a pic of one that was a worthy contender on the UO instagram. That was the reason for my visit, I knew I had to rush there to see if they still had it and sure enough they did ($ 150). Jackpot! I also resisted the 30 other things in the place I wanted to buy.
I have a teensy car and the tv stand didn’t fit. Thankfully, I have great friends who helped me transport these new pieces home and even carried them inside. For the future, I should find out if delivery is an option.
Overall, the place has a quirky, cool vibe. Bruce, the owner, works on refurbishing some fab items he finds mostly at estate sales. The couches were among my favorite items — the best fabrics still with a vintage vibe! There were also a lot of interesting dish sets, punch bowls, wall units, etc. He even made a holiday punch that he offered customers (delicious, by the way!) A good way to inspire someone to buy an awesome punch bowl set. Worth a visit!