A $5 Thrifted Credenza Has Lived with My Grandmother for 50+ Years 

In my 92-year-old grandmother’s St. Petersburg, Florida apartment is a beautiful carved wood credenza. This vintage credenza made its way through her multiple homes over the past 50-plus years. 

I’ve always wondered about the story behind this piece – which I knew my grandmother purchased cheaply from a thrift store. I recently had the opportunity to get the scoop and learn more about how it came to be such an important part of her collection. Keep reading for the full backstory!

The $5 Thrift Store Find That Started It All

My grandmother, Rhee, purchased this credenza for a mere $5 in the early 1970s at a downtown Chicago Salvation Army store where everything (including thrifted furniture) sold in as-is condition. At that point, she was in her early 40s and living in the nearby suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. 

Rhee says that she and a good friend from the neighborhood, Kathy, would make a habit of secondhand furniture shopping together and that this piece was something that they sourced together. 

Sadly, Kathy passed away unexpectedly just a few years later, and the credenza continues to remind her of their close friendship and thrifting adventures. 

Transforming a Secondhand Credenza into a Timeless Treasure

Given that the credenza was sold as-is, it needed quite a few improvements once Rhee took it home. 

Custom DIY: Cutting the Legs & Carving the Door

For starters, the piece was too tall for my grandmother’s liking. Its structure was more like a buffet table, so she used a hand saw to shorten the legs by about a foot.

Additionally, one of the wooden cabinet doors had caved in. But that didn’t stop my grandmother from giving it some thoughtful rehab. She purchased some wood and then constructed a new door. She used a jigsaw to replicate the detailed carvings that are such an important part of the piece. 

When you look at the credenza, you truly can’t tell which door is the one that Rhee built on her own. She paid such attention to detail that both now appear identical.

Choosing Unique Hardware That Lasts

My grandmother understands the importance of seemingly small details when it comes to design. She knew that the right hardware would take this credenza to the next level. Given that it was missing a few pulls already, she chose to replace them altogether and distressed them to achieve the gold and turquoise look they have now. 

Why This $5 Thrift Store Furniture Transformation Still Shines After Five Decades

Rhee estimates that she spent $20 in total fixing up the piece to her liking. Before she moved to Florida in the early 1990s, she used the credenza in her family room for 20 years to house the TV (the same function it serves today!). 

With a little time and effort, restoring secondhand furniture on a budget can create a family heirloom from a thrift store find. My grandmother’s DIY furniture makeover is proof that furniture certainly doesn’t have to be expensive or even in tiptop condition to stand the test of time — I’d definitely consider this piece to be $25 extremely well spent! 

Written by:

Sarah Lyon

May 16, 2025     Updated 08:10 AM

Sarah Lyon is a Washington, DC, native living in New York City. As a freelancer, she frequently covers pieces pertaining to interior design, travel, and other lifestyle topics. Her pieces have appeared in outlets including Apartment Therapy, Architectural Digest, MyDomaine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and more. When she isn't writing, Sarah works with designers to help them style spaces for photo shoots (and can't stop rearranging and redecorating her own apartment, either!). She has a penchant for shopping secondhand and loves giving preloved pieces new life. Sarah’s own spaces have appeared on Apartment Therapy, The Everygirl, Houzz, and Washingtonian.com. Her Dupont Circle apartment was featured in both the spring 2019 print edition of Small Space Decorating and the January 2019 print edition of Washingtonian Magazine.

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