40 Photos Of The Treasures That People Found On The Streets Of NYC
The saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is absolutely true—just ask people from the Stooping NYC Instagram group.
New York City has a special talent for turning sidewalks into treasure hunts. One person’s castoff sofa, lamp, or desk can become another person’s lucky find, and the city’s stooping culture has made that swap feel almost like a game.
That is exactly what Stooping NYC celebrates, a community built around spotting free items left on the street and giving them a second life. The page has grown fast, and so has the stream of photos, addresses, and happy updates from people who managed to haul home something amazing.
From statement furniture to unexpected oddities, these finds show why so many New Yorkers keep their eyes on the curb. Here are 40 of the best treasures people spotted around NYC.
1. "Tell Us This Doesn’t Look Like It Should Be In An Issue Of Dwell Magazine Or Something???"
stoopingnyc2. "Pretty Sure This Is The One You’ve Been Waiting For! Yes You! Minnetta And Macdougal"
stoopingnyc3. "Just Think Of All The Pretty Things You Could Display In This! Outside Carroll Street & 8th In Park Slope!"
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4. "Omg!!! Run Don’t Walk! 426 Lexington Ave In Brooklyn"
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The Stooping NYC group was created by a Brooklyn couple who wanted to unite people passionate about salvaging old things and saving money while doing so. Since its creation, the group has grown considerably and is still expanding. This means a lot of work. On a typical weekday, the group founders receive several hundred to a thousand submissions.
They try to keep up with the flood of finds while sharing as much as they can with the community.
5. "I Don’t Want To Be Dramatic, But Brb While I Die At How Amazing Proseccomami_ Did With This Stooping Success"
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6. "Incredible Secretary Desk In Front Of 261 Devoe On Olive And Devoe. Key Included"
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7. "Anddddd... Run. 28th St Btwn 7th & 6th Ave"
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8. "I’m Just Going To Say It... Colbysadeghi Is My Hero. He Got This Beauty Home To Make The Best Stooping Success Of The Morning!"
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9. "Java Street On Fire! Third Post From The Street Today! 98 Java!"
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When the pandemic hit, there was a lot of uncertainty about health and safety protocols, so the founders stopped taking submissions. Once the numbers started to drop and life slowly began to return to normal, the proposals began pouring in, much more than usual. This was because many people decided to leave New York for good.
But, no matter what the challenges are, this online community is determined to overcome them. "This project has been so successful in large part because it's exclusively on social media (Instagram specifically)!" they said.
"Hosting it on social media means that more people have access to everything it has to offer and not just New Yorkers; it also gives access to a piece of New York City culture to people who follow from far and wide. It has also enabled us to 'gamify' stooping, with stoopers sharing stories of things they spot, stoop, take home (#stoopjourney), and ultimately give new life to (#stoopingsuccess). It would really be challenging to tell stories around the pieces like we do on any other platform."
10. "Good News And Bad News. Good News - Urechi_ Just Sent Us This Amazing Couch She Found In Harlem. Bad News (But Also Good News) - Urechi_ Decided To Take It For Herself!"
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11. "I Think I Speak For All Of Us When I Say... You Win Stooping!"
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12. "Well This Has The Makings Of A Great Tuesday! Wow. Prospect Place Between Brooklyn And New York Ave"
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13. "Mooove Out The Way! (See What I Did There?). Go Fast! Frost Street Between Meeker And Lorimer"
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14. "Gorgeous Stained Glass On Eastern Parkway Between Rogers And Nostrand"
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15. "Want More Proof Of How Amazing The Stooping NYC Community Is? Check Out This Stooping Success From Davidjamz"
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Speaking of street treasures, this is similar to the incredible collections people curate, from odd to awesome.
16. "Okay Guys, Get Ready For Story Time!!! “After 1.5 Miles Of Walking, Several Breaks, And Many Words Of Support From The Central Park Joggers, We Finally Brought Our New Couch From The West To The East Side. Thank You Stooping!” No, Nick Lahger, thank you!"
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17. "Omg Omg Omg!!! Run!! On Vernon And Nostrand In Bed Stuy"
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18. "Perfection! 41 Spring St"
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19. "Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Out Without Seeing Another Ear Mirror..."
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20. "What Else Is There To Say About This Amazing Massage Chair Other Than... Holy S**t!!! Woodbine & Bushwick!"
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21. "Your Living Room Has Been Missing A Hippo Stool... Just A FYI. On W 93rd Between Columbus And Amsterdam"
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22. "Run Don’t Walk To This Gem!!! 68th St Corner And 3rd"
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23. "...Time To Get A Bigger Closet!"
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24. "This Is The Realest Looking Stoop Giraffe Ever! Not Sure About Its Competition Though. Jefferson Bt Malcolm X And Stuyvesant"
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25. "Globe Bar Plus A Great Desk And Chair! Madison And Marcy!"
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26. "Tgif Stoopers! On E 10th Between 1st And 2nd"
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27. "Last One For The Night... Congrats On Your Amazing New Wfh Situation Tropidarks Stooping Success"
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28. "What Percentage Of New Yorkers Own Velvet Couches?! Another Blue Velvet Beauty! 116th And Morningside"
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29. "Amazing! Also Probably Amazingly Heavy. 1870 Menahan"
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30. "I Mean... Are You F’ing Kidding Me? 147 W79th Street"
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31. "So So So Good!!!"
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32. "This. Is. Awesome. 441 E 12th"
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33. "Starting Off Our Friday Right! 94th Between Broadway And Amsterdam"
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34. "Start The Car!!! Plant Babies! In Front Of 726 Park Pl (Between Bedford And Rogers)"
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35. "Hundreds Of Free New Books!!!! 52nd St Between 6th And 5th Ave"
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36. "Beautiful Large Fiddle Leaf Fig That Needs Some TLC! 2nd Ave Between Third And Fourth Street Outside The Nail Salon"
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37. "Well This Is A Stoop Journey! The Most Famous Stoop Chair Has Made Its Way Onto The Subway!"
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38. "Holy Amazing. E15th St And 2nd Ave"
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39. "So Funky! We Love It! 89th & Madison"
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40. "Please Take A Moment To Acknowledge This Insanely Beautiful Stooping Success From A_modern_classic!! “Living In Some Deep Stoop Gratitude With This Mirror From The Other Day, And Having Finally Repainted My Stooped Dresser And Desk!”
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New York stooping never really slows down.
Thought that “Tell Us This Doesn’t Look Like It Should Be In An Issue Of Dwell Magazine” find was wild, check out marketplace finds that are useful and completely unexplainable.
