Now, if you're looking for that special architectural element for your own home, Theresa Litsky takes us to Architectural Salvage in Greensboro, a warehouse that's filled to the brim with all sorts of treasures.

[upbeat music] - Architectural Salvage's statement is Saving Worn Architectural Treasures.

We consider us a SWAT team because we come in and save treasure.

[upbeat music] - Oh, just anything you would find in an old house that can be used again, it's great.

It's much better than new.

- We take donations from the community and surrounding area and we bring it in here.

We sell it back to the community at a nominal price and all of the money, the proceeds for it go back into the preservation community.

- [Theresa] They also attempt to salvage entire properties before they're demolished.

- We try to save those buildings and when there's just no other options, we go in and save the small elements that we can so that they can be reused back in the community.

- [Theresa] And everything is brought to their more than 20,000 square foot warehouse on Huffman Street.

- And it is full and it is jam packed on a regular basis.

- The big sellers here, mantle pieces, doors, plumbing supplies.

- Windows are one of our largest donated items and they're also one of the most frequent items people come in looking for.

We have all different types of panes of windows and we also carry the window weights.

- We have lumber back there.

- [Haley] Flooring, heart pine, handsaw, and lumber.

- We even have some furniture.

- Anything from children's beds to storage and architectural drafting tables.

We have antique chairs and tables.

If we come over this way, you can see all of our hardware, anything you can imagine.

So those little pieces that, in a historic home, maybe break, we have replacements for those.

- I'm looking for a base for a weather bank.

I want something repurposed and old because it's a very old weather bank.

- We also have columns and shutters and other like cornices and things like that.

Anything we can take off of a house or a commercial building, not just homes, we'll take it.

- [Theresa] Even if it's in rough shape.

- Yes, we'll take anything damaged is just, for me, character.

And also we might take a tub that has absolutely no feet and then the next week get feet that fit it.

- [Theresa] That said, there are a few requirements for what they can accept.

- We kind of stick with the National Park Service and the Secretary Interior's 50 year rule for what is considered historic.

- But anything past the seventies is really just a case by case basis.

If it's a nice hardy wood door from the 70s and the 80s, okay, fine, let's go forth because it's a reusable material.

Whereas aluminum doors from the 80s, not so much.

The only real things that we don't accept is paint.

Paint has a shelf life.

- [Theresa] So the question isn't simply why should you look for the things you want or need from a salvage store, but also why not?

- Well, you're preserving history, number one.

Why would you buy something new when there's something already available that will probably look better than what you can find as a reproduction?

Not to mention it has character that the reproduction doesn't have.

- It's just more interesting.

It's more beautiful aesthetically and it's more beautiful for the earth.

- This is a form of recycling, number two.

You're keeping it out of the landfill.

- I think we averaged one year about 10 tons out of the landfill.

- It is made for everyday homeowners, college kids, anybody that likes a historical aesthetic, this is your store.

- And I also just like the idea of continuing an object's history.

We are all stewards of these objects.

We might technically own them by the law, but we are just stewarding this object to last another 100 years.

[uplifting music] - [Deborah] Architectural Salvage of Greensboro is at 1028-B Huffman Street in Greensboro, and they're open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

For more information, give them a call at 336-389-9118 or go to preservationgreensboro.org.