Community Forklift

Category:	Architectural Salvage Store
Address:	4671 Tanglewood Dr, Hyattsville, MD 20781, USA
Phone:	+1 301-985-5180
Site:	communityforklift.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–7PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Seth Hajbi

I have been an advocate, customer, and supporter of Community Forklift. When I discovered them, I was really happy for that enabled me to stay in DC area and not go to Baltimore to Second Chance for things I occasionally needed for my Business. SADLY THAT CHANGED TODAY DUE TO A RECENT EXPERIENCE MADE WORSE BY THE MANAGER nicole. I purchased and paid for two refrigeration units (a wine cooler and a freezer.) I was able to pick up one (wine cooler) and told the attends that I will need a couple of additional days for the freezer as it was too big for my truck. Anyone who was in DC last week probably noticed the bad weather and constant rain. it made it difficult for me to arrange for the pick. I came by as soon as I was able to arrange for the pick up, but to my surprise I found that they have sold the freezer to someone else. I expressed my surprise given that I have not received a curtesy call to inform me they were selling it, which would have either spared me the trip or spurred me to act and remove my purchase. THE ATTENDANTS were also surprised that no call was placed and showed empathy given my real disappointment. Nicole, the manager, who was not working that day, was anything but courteous, empathetic or simpathetic. Given that she was the one who authorized the re-sale, I left her a message but she did not call me back, so I left her a second, which she ignored as well. When I finally had her on the phone, she was as thoroughly uninterested as anyone could be. When I went to the store today to get my refund, she told me that she could only give me a store credit at 25% of the purchased value (restocking fee). AGAIN she did not show any empathy, she just pointed to the store policy and shrugged me off. I rank this experience as bad as the one I had at an airport in Paris when the air france attendant told me that I had to find and pay for my own hotel room when the airline was not able to get us to our final destination. she told her colleague in french that we did not deserve any help. That experience was actually better because when I asked for a manager and told her in french what happened, she was apologetic and arranged for a hotel at the airport and the airline paid for it. AT FORKLIFT, THE MANAGER WAS THE ONE WHO WAS THE MOST OFFENSIVE AND NOT THE ATTENDANTS.

Chuq Yang

The Community Forklift is a great business. They essentially sell donated housewares, building materials, appliances, etc. all of which is donated to them. The warehouse itself is enormous, and they have everything, doors, windows, lumber, screws, paint, washers, dryers, toilets, and yes, even the kitchen sinks! The staff is super helpful and knowledgeable, and the prices cant be beat. For instance, $0.15 per foot of PVC pipe: you cant get those prices are your local hardware store! The turnover in inventory for some categories of stuff is massive. If youre looking for a shopvac, they sell out pretty quickly (I know). but if you go back a few days, then you are likely to find one that hasnt been sold yet. They are also super involved in the green community, and host parties the first Fridays of the month (hence the name, "First Fridays"). All around, this is a great local green business to support, and you can sometimes find some real treasures here that you wont find elsewhere.

Paul Masbeth

This is a salvage store combined with a antique shop. They have a huge warehouse with all kinds of salvaged material. I want to love this place so much, but they have a few problems. The first is that it is a pain to get to. The second is that their prices for some things are what you would expect from a high end consignment store. The last problem is that they have so much junk just thrown around with all the good things that it is hard to find useful materials. Stuff seems to be thrown into piles and possibly waiting for organization, so this may not be a constant problem, but I found it hard to search through so much obvious trash. (They had an empty can of Bug spray for $0.50). I think they need to focus on being a little more organized and selective with their inventory. That said, it is still an amazing place with some really interesting stuff available if you are willing to work for it.

Bill Elliott

I went there on a lark looking for a piece of granite for a small counter I was making in my bathroom. Id been there before for other things, but have never been really impressed by their selection of doors or windows. Second Chance in Baltimore has more of those. But this place excels in stone. They had probably three or four times the marble and granite of Second Chance, and were very reasonably priced. At other places I didnt see anything I liked, but here I was choosing between three favorites pieces. Even after machining(The expensive part that has to be done elsewhere) my vanity counter will be under 150 bucks! The person who helped me was very nice and charismatic. It seems like the employees enjoy their jobs, which makes them nice to deal with.

Dan Trachtman

Its a huge and interesting place to wander around. The thing that really put me off was the surprisingly high prices. There are plenty of items I dont know the value you of, but there are a lot I know for a fact are close to half that cost on ebay (most things antique, stained glass, brass items, collectible tools, lamps, etc.) and far less still at a Goodwill type place (30yr old furniture, light fixtures, etc.). Dont take my word for it. Next time you are there, pull out your smartphone and look up an item on ebay and see for yourself. I understand that this is a non-profit, but I also wonder what the owners are paying themselves. If they get a lot of this stuff donated for free and then charge these prices..

A Private User

We go there on a regular basis. We never know what well find. Once we saw a beautiful stained glass door and thought well shop some more and then buy that. When we went back someone else had bought it !! So if you find something good get it in a cart! We bought a old house and have found great matching pieces that we needed. Even a 7 foot (odd size) screen door. It was black wrought iron adn just gorgeous - for $45!! We also got a replacement radiator, a bathroom cabinet, lighting fixtures that are similar to a $600 pair we saw in a magazine!, and dozens of other great things. The staff is very helpful too! [There is no Air Conditioning there so it gets a little hot. Be prepared.]