Knock Off Bargains at Home Emporium/Southeastern Salvage

Do you have an open mind and a good imagination when it comes to decorating? If so, I've found the perfect store for you. Have you heard of Home Emporium (known as Southeastern Salvage in other areas of the country)? More of a warehouse than a store, Home Emporium offers a wide variety of of items to help turn your house into a home, including mirrors, rugs, furniture, lighting and storage containers. The reason you need a good imagination when you visit is that the merchandise is not artfully styled like the merchandise in Pottery Barn or the Ballard catalog. It's pretty much lined up in rows, with no accessorizing. Shopping in such an environment can be a turn-off for some people, but bloggy (yeah, as of now, that's a word) people like you and me thrive in such an environment - we know how to spot a diamond in the rough, and we like the challenge of creating our own vision. Here are a few things I saw during my last visit to my local Home Emporium in Cincinnati (warning: lots of horrible iPhone photos to follow).

Luscious Lighting

I'll bet none of your neighbors in the suburbs have lighting as unique as this.

 

$99 - A great price on these glass bell pendants.

 Ooo la la!

This rustic lamp is very Ballard-esque. 

 

Love this!

Gorgeous Globes

These come in so many colors, there's sure to be one that suits your decor.

Cheap Chargers

$3.99 each

 

Lovely Lanterns

 Choose black...

or white.  In the summer, they also had a great silver lantern.  Any of these would be right at home in the Pottery Barn catalog.

Charming Chairs

Metal, wood and burlap chairs as far as the eye can see.

 Awesome Accessories

A unique accent table.

 

 These distressed suitcase could serve as both a side table and storage.

Yet another example of merchandise that looks like it jumped off the pages of the Ballard catalog.

 

Colorful Containers

 These would be fun for a kid's room or playroom.

 Tons of Trestle Tables

This is the one I want.  At $899, it's far less expensive than anything you'd see at Pottery Barn.  I never considered leather chairs for the kitchen table, but once I saw these, I was smitten.  I love the tufting and nailhead trim. 

 

Another great table.  I like this one because, unlike some other trestle tables, someone can sit comfortably at the end without hitting their knees on the trestle.  Notice the barren table top.  You have to imagine it set with a burlap runner and white plates atop distressed gold chargers with an overflowing centerpiece in the middle.  That's how it would be set up in the Pottery Barn store, and because of that styling, people are willing to pay nearly double for a similar table.

A simple x-base table in a lighter finish.  The benches are a fun option. 

I've purchased a few things at Home Emporium myself.  Remember the rug I used in the laundry room?

This rug was $49.

How about the chandelier in my dining room?

I bought the chandelier at Home Emporium and added the "crystals" myself.

 

Almost all of the seagrass baskets throughout my house were purchased at Home Emporium for a fraction of the price of similar Pottery Barn baskets.

 

If you are lucky enough to live near Birmingham, Chattanooga, Chesapeake, Cincinnati, Columbia, Knoxville, Mobile, Nashville or Shreveport, then you have a Home Emporium or Southeastern Salvage near you.  Have you ever shopped there?  What's your favorite find? 

 

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