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NYC's 'stooping' phenomenon: How people moving in Manhattan (and beyond) give new life to old goods – and find their next treasures
From antiques to new items, you just might be able to decorate your new apartment for (almost) free if you embrace the urban phenomenon that is 'stooping.'
Imagine picking up a vintage, mint-condition Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, matching ottoman or a bunch of gently-used IKEA cubbies, all for free. While this may sound like something out of a movie or a dream, it’s a daily occurrence for many New Yorkers. These people "stoop" to furnish their homes for practically nothing.
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What is stooping? Stooping is a term that's come to mean finding and obtaining discarded furniture, fine art and home goods on the streets of Manhattan, New York's additional boroughs and other urban areas in the U.S. and Europe. Stoopers often find new things worth collecting via Instagram accounts that post photos and info related to discarded items and their locations so interested parties can grab them. Today, New York City alone has more than twenty Instagram stooping accounts covering the many neighborhoods in each of the five boroughs.
(Editor's disclosure: The writer of this article, PJ Gach, runs New York City’s third largest stooping account, @nycfreeatthecurb. Gach connected with people and administrators associated with popular stooping accounts, some of whom opted to remain anonymous or only be identified by first names. Others requested that Yahoo Local not link their Instagram accounts due to privacy concerns.)
How do stooping Instagram accounts work?
Stooping account administrators and their followers take pictures of items whenever they find them around their cities and immediately post the images to Instagram. Manhattan resident "Lori," who follows and regularly sends items to @stoopingnyc and @nycfreeatthecurb. “My friends know that if it’s there, Lori’s going to take a picture of it,' she said. "They know it’s unsettling for me to see it just left there.”
Lori, a fine artist and product designer, says she's been doing some version of stooping since her college days, over twenty years ago. “I hate to see waste," Lori said. "Stooping is balancing the universe in a fun, free way.”
Stoopers can also post "pre-curb alerts." These alerts occur when someone gives away items before they hit the streets. The follower sends photos, measurements, locations and information on the piece or pieces to the account. In turn, the admin creates a post similar to a regular stooping post, and adds the stoopers Instagram account, so that anyone interested can directly message them to make an appointment to pick up the items.
Stooping accounts originated on Instagram. Creating posts and sending them to their audience is an easier and faster process than using other social media applications. Between Instagram's popularity with multiple age groups and the app’s ease of use, it's doubtful that these accounts will migrate to applications that use multiple steps to create posts.
Who are these 'stoopers?'
Stoopers come from all walks of life and ages.
Magda S., for example, works for Services for the Underserved, a New York City-based nonprofit that provides housing and support services for individuals with disabilities and those facing homelessness. Magda, became involved in stooping after moving into their home in New Jersey a few years ago. The combined mortgage, home insurance and property taxes nearly eliminated their discretionary income. After taking a few items from their parents, they decided to stoop. “I needed more media storage and pieces to decorate my home, Magda said. "[Through stooping] I found bookshelves, an IKEA hat rack, some coffee tables and even a cedar chest.”
Magda was so thrilled with their stooping success they eventually created @stoop_nj, an Instagram stooping account covering Essex County, New Jersey, which includes Newark and Glen Ridge. They often repost images from other New Jersey stooping accounts, as well, such as posts from Jersey City, Hoboken and Little Ferry. "You never know who would want to take a drive for a free patio set,” they said.
June Torres is a supervisor at the New York Housing Authority (NYCHA). A resident of East Harlem, June's daughter introduced him to stooping during the winter of 2020, and he’s been doing it continuously for four and a half years. “I used to stoop for myself, and once I realized how much stuff I was picking up, I began stooping for people who couldn’t get to them," he said. "It started getting out of control, so I started upcycling [or repairing items] and sending pictures to stooping accounts as pre-curb alerts.”He uses his Instagram account to highlight graffiti art.
Tina M. is a research scientist based in Queens. This elder millennial started to see the trash on the street very differently around the same time that stooping accounts became popular after publications like The New York Times, Vogue, and The New York Post ran related stories in 2020 and 2021. “Once I finally started really paying attention to the trash, I saw useful, valuable items pretty much everywhere, every day," she said. Stooping quickly became a hobby, and today Tina regularly sends her finds to @nycfreeathecurb and @stoopinginqueens “to share things I am not going to be taking with as wide an audience as possible.”
Recommended reading from Yahoo: 3 things to love (and 3 to hate) about living in Queens, N.Y., according to residents
@curbalertnyc is New York’s second-largest stooping account, and it came to be via its anonymous founder’s passion for sustainability. “I used to see 'curb alert listings on Craigslist, but since Instagram was more accessible, I created Curb Alert NYC in June 2018,” the founder told Yahoo Local. Since starting the account, it's likely hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of waste have been diverted from landfills, they said.
Why is so much free furniture available in U.S.?
According to a 2018 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report (the agency's most recent related report), Americans toss out more than 9.7 million tons of furniture annually.
People discard furniture for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they're downsizing or decluttering before a move and decide it’s cheaper to buy furniture at their new location instead of transporting it. When people pass away without heirs, buildings sometimes simply discard their belongings after listing them on sites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or a local Buy Nothing Group page and not getting responses. Throwing things out becomes a last resort.
How can you start stooping?
If you're located in or around New York City, visit the Department of Sanitation’s collection schedule website. Enter your address and look for the days that large items and recycling are picked up. If the schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that means the items are put out on the street the night before, so Sunday night, Tuesday night or Thursday night, for example. Furniture, artwork, and home décor are typically placed at the curb after 8 PM. An exception may be when someone moves out and doesn’t follow protocol. Or sometimes people just put stuff out early.
Stooping doesn’t occur only in New York City. There are accounts nationwide, including @stoopingphl (Philadelphia), @stooping MSP (Minneapolis), and @stoopingboston_(Boston). If you’re interested in stooping, check Instagram to see if there’s a stooping account in your neighborhood, and follow it. Visit your local department of sanitation website to find out when large items are scheduled for pickup, and then start a routine where you walk the streets looking for items. If you’re in a college town or a city that has multiple universities, find out when the semesters end, as college students often toss out furniture, electronics and home goods when they graduate.
When are the best days of the month to find free furniture while stooping?
The best time to find an entire apartment’s worth of goods in one spot is at the end of the month when most people move. However, you can always find something when large items are scheduled to be picked up.
What should you carry when stooping?
It's wise to bring tote bags or a backpack to hold small items like lamps and books. The stooping bag should also contain the following items:
A flashlight to inspect furniture for bedbugs, stains or breakage.
Measuring tape to ensure furniture will fit your space.
Anti-bacterial spray for hands or dirty items.
How to transport items home after stooping
For furniture, or anything bulky, it’s best to use a car service like Lyft or Uber and request an SUV or large vehicle. Also, tip your driver, who may end up helping you load or unload items. Some stoopers use rectangular folding wagons to carry their loads, as the stronger ones hold up to 330 pounds.
How to inspect, discard and eventually disinfect stooping finds
Make sure cords are intact for lamps, fixtures and other electrical items. Lamps can be rewired, but repairs may be more costly than they're worth.
For furniture, check for overall sturdiness and damage. Some items may need a steam cleaning. If the item is filthy, consider leaving it behind. Things to watch out for and avoid when inspecting furniture and soft furnishing? Dark smudgy spots, tiny bloodstains or tiny pearly eggs in the crevices, which suggest the item may be infested with bedbugs.
Oh, and while cat towers look adorable, they could be hiding fleas or worse. Don’t take them home. Also, stay away from mattresses and box springs, which may …. yeah. Don't.
Before you bring anything inside your apartment:
Disinfect everything thoroughly
Use a disinfectant spray on all furniture
Clean the inside of drawers with disinfectant wipes
Use disinfectant wipes on books (and the pages) and small items
If you have a steamer, use it on soft furnishings. If you don’t have one, take those furnishings and place them in a garbage bag overnight. In the morning, take it to a laundromat and wash it before placing it anywhere in your home.
Finally, use common sense. If something is a little bit too worn for your purposes, move and wish for the best at the next stoop site.
To stoop or not to stoop …
Stooping for furniture and decor can be a great way to affordably furnish your home. The streets can hold everything from vintage furniture to useful items, and even valuable art, like the Enrico Embroli painting that Tina M. found on one of her stoop walks. Or the sterling silver Versace tea set June discovered while visiting friends in Brooklyn and eventually gifted to friends. Stooping can become an addicting hobby. Once you discover one street treasure, the hunt is always on for the next great find.
