Anyone who takes a quick gander at Gerson’s, on the corner of South Park Avenue and East 29th Street, may think it’s just a sprawling yard full of junk.

Gerson's at a glance

Gerson's at a glance

But take a closer look and you’ll find the place is stocked with infinite treasures.

And please don’t let it hear you call it a junkyard. That’s politically incorrect and may offend the pieces that went to great lengths to be known as “used building materials.”

Kate and her new shed door

Kate and her new shed door

I was first turned on to Gerson’s from my friend Kate Fox, an interior designer and the same woman who insisted I needed a leopard print ceiling.

She recently bought the cutest door to cordon off her shed so the dust stops blowing into her washing machine area (that really puts a damper on clean white sheets).

Gerson’s has much more than doors.

My main fascination with the place has been as bastion of creative pieces I use in my art. More than once — and from complete strangers — I’ve been told I look like the proverbial kid in a candy store. (Full disclosure: they also sell my art in their office.)

The fun folks who own and run the place simply add to the fully amusing experience.

Co-owner Jim O'Grady (left) with Donald Turner and Kate scouring for my treasures in the background

Co-owner Jim O'Grady (left) with Donald Turner and Kate scouring for my treasures in the background

Anna O'Grady, Jim's daughter, works the office

Anna O'Grady, Jim's daughter, works the office

Employee David Rodriguez hauls some of my latest finds to the front

Employee David Rodriguez hauls some of my latest finds to the front


Have you ever shopped at Gerson’s?

Do you love it as much as I do?

What’s the best deal you got there?

Did you buy a toilet lid?

Where else do you shop for used materials and supplies?

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