I Found an Absolute Gem Sitting on a Rockford Curb

When summer rolls around in Rockford, most people are excited for patio season, vacations, and backyard bonfires.  Me?  I'm excited for garage sale season and curb shopping season.

I love going to garage sales, but honestly, some of my best finds have never come from somebody's driveway with price tags on them.  They come from the curb the night after the garage sale ends or right before trash day.

I'm completely unashamed to admit that I love curbing, which is basically the nicer way to say dumpster diving.  My friends and family think I'm absolutely insane for making random U-turns when I spot furniture sitting on the side of the road, but I've found some incredible pieces that were just waiting to be hauled off to the landfill.  Honestly, the majority of my apartment is furnished with curb finds.

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Well, on my way to work today, I drove past a house on Chelsea Avenue and immediately noticed a giant pile of trash bags sitting at the curb.  Mixed into the chaos was an upside-down end table sitting in the grass.  From the road, I could already tell it had potential.  It definitely needed a lot of TLC, but that's never stopped me from curbing!

It was a vintage mid-century modern end table with tapered legs and atomic-era bursting detailing. My best find yet.

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This is the exact style I've been dreaming about for over a year.  I couldn't believe I found it in someone's trash!  You can easily find this kind of end table on Facebook Marketplace or vintage shops for hundreds of dollars.

I genuinely love upcycling pieces and giving them a second chance at life instead of letting them end up in landfills.  I like to think I'm helping the planet one curb find at a time!  Usually, I'd try to sell stuff like this, but this time around I have to keep it.  It's going to complete a room I'm redoing in my apartment!  What's your best curb find?