After years of owning a shop on Lark Street where he sold one-of-a-kind furnishings, Fred Shapiro wanted to expand. In a big way.
He didn’t want just another shop. He wanted something exciting, something dramatic. So Shapiro moved his business into a warehouse in North Albany, and Silver Fox Salvage was born.
In the beginning, Shapiro filled some of the extra space in the building with a weekend flea market. Vendors would sell spices, teas, children’s books and crafts.
These days, though, Silver Fox Salvage commands the whole building, creating and selling its calling card, architectural salvage. Shaprio and his staff use reclaimed stained glass, doors, windows, trim and more to create unique home furnishings for people in the Capital District and beyond. They’ll show off their wares at the Northeast Home Show, which will be held on Friday to Sunday, Feb. 11 to 13, at the Empire State Plaza and Times Union Center.
Camille Gibeau, who runs Silver Fox Salvage with Shapiro, came on board when he placed an ad on craigslist looking for someone to paint some of his reclaimed pieces. Gibeau, who has a background in nonprofits, had hoped to start some kind of business that reused items that were otherwise going to be thrown away. She joked that she and Shapiro share a partnership born out of salvage love.
Gibeau remembers the days when the Lark Street shop was `bursting at the seams.` Shapiro always had a keen eye for `various oddities,` she said. They used to take his truck around to area junkyards, looking for items that might make good furnishings.
These days, they’re more likely to show up at auctions than dumps. They also score a lot of finds at old buildings. Shapiro spent a recent afternoon working at a church in Gloversville, reclaiming bead boards and `beautiful trim.`
Another source for materials is the people who patronize Silver Fox. `Our customers have become our pickers and our friends,` Gibeau said.
Once the raw materials are in hand, Silver Fox delights in building items to order. Gibeau said her favorite aspect of the job is walking through the warehouse with someone, taking notes on what they like, and then turning that into a unique piece. One recent customer, for example, had an extra wide garage and wanted some kind of divider for it.
She liked mirrors, she liked bead boards. The finished divider featured both of those, along with a trunk, a space for shoes and some other stuff.
`We made it all come together for her,` Gibeau said. `It’s very gratifying.`
Also gratifying is knowing that Silver Fox is helping to keep things out of landfills, Gibeau said, especially given recent reports of just how much garbage has accumulated at the Albany landfill.
That aspect is one of the key reasons people come to Silver Fox, as is the fact they’re getting one-of-a-kind pieces, Gibeau said. Dinosaur Barbecue in Troy was a recent customer, buying two chandeliers from the business, which also helped decorate the eatery’s Manhattan location.
Gibeau said there’s an additional draw to Silver Fox: It’s fun. She and Shaprio share the warehouse not only with about a dozen co-workers, but with a cat and a dog who are customer favorites. People are free to touch items as well as admire them, and Gibeau said all ages are welcome.
`It’s a place a 16-year-old boy could bring his 60-year-old aunt,` she said.
At the home show booth, people can get an idea of what Silver Fox does and dream up designs for their own custom pieces. Other attractions include nearly 500 exhibits and more than three dozen seminars, encompassing everything from solar energy to kitchen and bath renovations. Frank Fontana, host of HGTV’s `Design on a Dime,` will host three seminars.
Show hours are Friday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults; children under 14 are free when accompanied by a paid adult. For more information, visit www.greatnortheasthomeshow.com.
For more information on Silver Fox Salvage, visit silverfoxsalvage.com.“