When I was in university, I didn’t have much money to spare on home decor, so I fell in love with stooping.
If you’re wondering what the heck stooping is, it’s the act of urban scavenging, where you find reusable items on the street, like a lamp, a well-loved book, a side table or a nice chair (with no mice inside) and instead of it becoming landfill, you give it a second chance at life.
I’ve found that Toronto is a good place to stoop. I’ve furnished my apartment by stooping in the Trinity Bellwoods area. My roommates found me a nice desk; I scored a plant table and bookshelf too.
Here’s how you too can successfully furnish an apartment without actually stepping into a store.
Step 1: Assess your goals versus your reality
Ask yourself these questions before stepping out to stoop:
- Are you picking up everything you see or only picking items that fit your vibe?
- Do you really need that item, or do you already have five desks and someone else can benefit?
- Is anyone helping you carry furniture or drive you home with a dresser, or are you only bringing back pieces you can carry alone?
The City of Toronto allows furniture and other oversized items to be picked up on garbage days, so if you see furniture on the curb, you’re likely able to scoop it up! But not every item you see is for taking. Sometimes people are moving, or the item is on private property, so always assess the situation before randomly taking an item. When in doubt, knock on the person’s door to ask!
Apartment buildings have trash rooms with goodies too, but usually with a no-trespassing sign attached, so be warned that you may be trespassing if you’re looking at a random building’s trash.
Step 2: Map out where you’ll stoop
One of my biggest tips is picking the right neighbourhood. I found more goods downtown near Trinity Bellwoods on side streets with lots of multi-unit houses than when I’ve strolled through streets filled with condos and apartment buildings.
Here are some neighbourhoods I recommend exploring:
- Trinity Bellwoods
- South Parkdale
- Roncesvalles
- Annex
- Palmerston-Little Italy
- North and South Riverdale
You want to find areas with lots of potential tenants moving in and out rather than streets filled with retail stops.
Step 3: Pick a good time of the month
Gold is usually struck around when leases end and when people move, so pick a time to stroll near the end of the beginning of a month to go stooping.
It’s the perfect time with back-to-school since so many students are either leaving or moving into new homes.
Another tip is to find out when oversized furniture collection happens in the area you’re stooping so you can plan for the best stooping day ever.
People usually give up moving everything or have to condense their belongings to fit into a U-Haul, so they’ll leave them on the street in the hopes it’ll find someone new. That’s what I did, and my items were gone before I left for the day.
📸: Julia Lawrence/The Green Line.
Step 4: Be prepared to touch dirty items and see bugs
You’ll want to have gloves and bags ready to carry objects, and if you want, sift through the unwanted trash bags or boxes to find treasure.
Always keep an eye on local Facebook groups and Instagram stooping accounts to see when stuff gets posted and if you’re nearby to run over and pick it up.
Take it from me that stuff moves fast, so don’t be too disappointed if when you get there, the item has already been picked up.
And don’t just grab anything and take it home. You’ll want to check it for mould, bugs and broken parts that aren’t easy to fix, so use your best judgement before bringing it inside.
To make things easier, The Green Line made a printable two-page checklist, which will help you take this action in an easy step-by-step process that escalates actions over time. Check it out below!
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