Kirk Albert Vintage Furnishings

Great store, ridiculous hours (Weds-​Sat, 11 – 6). Keep this in mind; if you’re planning a Sunday of shopping for vintage finds, you’ll be doing it elsewhere, unfortunately.

With a truly original eye, Kirk Albert Furnishings combines the best of vintage salvage, set decoration and found masterpieces.
While I’ve never purchased here, I have to say the walk through is one of the most unique and remarkable places to browse in all of Georgetown, which is saying a lot since Georgetown is already the epicenter for the unique and remarkable in Seattle.
I have always had a crush on the creatives of this world, for their ability to see things that, while I can appreciate and be inspired by, I could not put together myself. Its a intangible talent to make beauty tangible. To create and transform a space. You walk in here, and everything is unique, and its placed in such a way that makes you see an already one-​of-​a-​kind item, differently.
Its not just a furniture store for the reclaimed and upcycled, Kirk Albert has some really almost revolutionary transformations going on, like turning a vintage bowling alley into a long, gorgeous communal table by adding enormous, industrial-​type legs. Turning old reclaimed wood into a one of a kind console by by breathing new life into it with a balanced set of Frankenstein shop legs. He incorporates found items like a giant ten foot long hanging hammer (take that, boring home office!) to a humorously disturbing John Basquiat meets Frances Bacon framed 3-​D tormented man, to possibly hang over your VIctorian fireplace.
This shop is very expensive, no doubt about it. Its not for everyone. I mean when have you ever struck out to shop for a six foot tall, black, turn of the century Moose Lodge sign? But for those who like to think outside the box, one piece here could boost your home decorating prowess. Kirk Albert has a curator’s eye, a unique and inspiring way of looking at objects that could potentially transform your living space.

Truly impressive. Kirk’s work is absolutely fantastic, I loved nearly everything in his store — including him! Amazing creations from reclaimed metal and wood. Some of the highlights of our visit: a gorgeous industrial credenza with wood taken from an old church in Tacoma and some incredible vintage tuning forks (that he played for us!)
We look forward to visiting again soon to see what else he’ll come up with.

I have heard nothing but great things about the great stuff at Kirk Albert Vintage Furnishings… formerly Great Stuff… I know what a wonderful guy he is and the kind of talent he possesses; his sense of style is unmatched… soon I will be in to pick up an item I cannot live without… maybe hounds-​tooth sofas… to go with my white Barcelona chairs…

I just love Kirk. His sense of style and boldness. NOT for everyone. Pricey but one of a kind items that you will never see anywhere else. I have gotten many goodies from Kirk over the years. I believe most of his clients are decorators or designers looking for that special something that he repurposed or found at some fantastic flea market in Texas. I like to go in every few months and see what he has found. A great place to get ideas and explore… Have fun!

Maybe it’s not fair to Unilocal about my favorite store. I have nothing negative to say other than I don’t have enough space for everything I want and don’t have the money to buy it all. Kirk and his partner are wonderful people who take excellent care of their clients, going WAY out of the way to make your purchase special, and offer one of a kind finds I use in my staging business and in my home. Looking for a unique gift, you will find it here.

The staff is super super friendly and the other reviewers are pretty much spot on in their descriptions of the collection you can find here. My only complaint is that there wasn’t more to look at! The less is more approach makes the shop seem a little more like a gallery or someone’s actual home, which does help you visualize how the pieces might fit in with your décor. But, I haven’t fallen in love with anything I saw the couple times I’ve been, and every time I go I get the sneaking suspicion that there’s more hiding in the back room, if only I had access. Oh, Kirk Albert, you tease!

«Some of the things in his shop look vaguely familiar… maybe because they were in another shop for a whole lot less.» Listen up, people: this statement by another reviewer could not be further from the truth. The incredibly imaginative items that make up Kirk Albert’s collection have never, ever graced another store. This place is hands down my favorite shop in Seattle, and maybe even the entire west coast. It almost pisses me off to go in there because it makes me wish I had the the imagination, talent, and especially the business sense to put together this amazing experience for all who enter the door– to be the person who traveled the by-​roads, found things that stirred the imagination and transformed them into things of beauty and interest. (Perhaps not everything in the gallery is beautiful to all beholders, but it’s damn sure interesting.) He is the one who developed a relationship with artists and talented crafts and tradespersons and took the time and effort to bring it all together. The pieces represented here are not cheap, it’s true. And they don’t look cheap. And they didn’t come cheap. They are worth the money, and Kirk earned it.
Think of this as a gallery and not a vintage shop. (There are, in fact, two excellent vintage shops within a block that complement Kirk’s collection beautifully.) I love the fact that this shop is in Georgetown and not Bellevue– when I see the well-​heeled Bellevue gallery types in there, I’m tempted to sneak up behind them and yell «boo!» However, I don’t want to scare them off, because the world will be a better place for everyone when the stick comes out of the ass and chandeliers made from rosaries and crucifixes, and the antique doll mold sconces go up on the wall!

Kirk Albert is my happy place. I’m so inspired when I walk thru this carefully curated shop. Kirk and Steve are so welcoming and friendly, and have a story for every piece in the store. If you have an appreciation for all things old, weathered, re-​purposed, salvaged, objets d’art, unique furnishings… then this is your place!

Wow, for a minute I wasn’t sure if I was in a store or a modern art museum. Kirk had incredible art installations with a decidedly industrial twist. There was steel piling at least 4 ft in diameter painted blue, there was a model scale of a bridge in Philadelphia that was 30 feet long… I mean, wow. I feel like it’s the man’s version of a whimsical fun store that stirs the imagination. Also, art is very much subjective… and many stores I go into want hundreds, or thousands of dollars for mere junk (IMO). BUT, I was pleasantly surprised… if I really fell in love with one of those pieces, I could actually afford it.

Kirk has an incredible and tremendous talent for reclaiming lost and unloved industrial refuse and making heart pounding art/​sculpture/​and functional furniture and lighting. Sometimes he’ll re– purpose rusted and funky metal into, say, a table or wall hanging.
He also finds whimsical and wonderful graphic art in the form of old tin signs or marquees.
My favorite, though, is his penchant for great old industrial crane lamps that come from heavy industrial offices, maritime ventures or Texas barns.
Its rare to find a world class picker who is also a world class artist. When they meet, you have «GREAT STUFF».
TIP: If you are there mid day when he’s not busy, Kirk will gush with love and stories about each piece. I would literally pay for the experience. Also, don’t argue with prices. He puts travel time and heart into each piece. That comes with a price you ought to gladly pay.
Literally, my favorite place in Seattle.

a site (sight) to behold.
My first words to the owner were: ‘This is Humbling’. if you are moved by this aesthetic, ‘Great Stuff’ will bring you to your knees.
I was so star struck by the clarity of vision in Kirk’s collecting, the ambiance, the so evident passion for preservation of the arcane that I visited «Great Stuff» twice in one day!
Kirk colourfully moved from piece to piece discussing, defining, enchanting. spending a better part of an hour regaling me in all the nuances of acquiring said pieces. with a love as if they were a favored niece or nephew.
There is nothing of the quotidian here; A collected arcanum of scientific quackery meets Circus Sideshow meets backroad 50’s service-​station. This will be the first, and possibly last time you are in the presence of such an object.
ditto all above reviews. tres cher expensive. but you are buying into a curated item of which you now will be the keeper.
you won’t find anything like this out of ‘Aria’ in North Beach SF.
behold.

AMAZING deisgn, details and overall wonderful items.

LOVE. Love, love, love.
Have I mentioned love?
That floor lamp. You know the one. Someday it will be mine.

«Big Trouble in Little Georgetown»
by Katie «M’Lady» S.
«A pair houndstooth couches screamed (the following) at me I entered Great Stuff the other day.
Them: Hey idiot! Yeah, you. Win the lottery already so we can come back to your place!
Me: *Sigh* Okay. You’re gorgeous and all. but MAN, you’re pricey! I swear. I’ll work on it, guys. I would love to take you home today. but you know. you’re really REALLY expensive and–
Them: But we’re HOT, and you KNOW THIS! 1965 and not a spot on us! Where else can you get oversized houndstooth that looks like this? Yeah, that’s right. NOWHERE! Now, quit standin’ there, twiddlin’ your thumbs and get it together.
Me: Okay, OKAY. I’ll see what I–
Them: Oh, and just so you know, the Gazebo back there– yeah, the wrought iron one that resembles a giant birdcage– you’re buyin’ that too. We’re not leavin’ without him.
Me: Wha–
Birdcage: Yeah, that’s right lady. Me and my chairs come with.
Me: Uhh…
Birdcage: Non– negotiable. Capiche?»
And so it went. I’m working on the whole lottery thing and you should too. If you’ve ever been in, you know that almost everything within their four walls is ‘a must have’ if you’ve got the cash. Pricey as heck (fire) — yes. As cool as it gets– absolutely. If you haven’t been, get down to GTown.
Just leave the couch and the gazebo be. It’s a sticky situation, and well. I’m pretty sure they’ll leave you alone. That crush I’ve got on them. I’m pretty sure it’s mutual.

This place is a major find! Not only does Kirk have fantastic taste and a great eye for color and design, but he also has a hilarious, dry sense of humor that translates right down to the cheeky names he writes for his items on their price tags. This is one of those places that I’m almost tempted to keep to myself.

Kirk is a great guy and Great Stuff is a great store. The furnishings he finds speak for themselves — one of a kind pieces that posses a certain patina without feeling worn out. While some of it is whimsical and impractical (the lego couch looks so cool, but its a total butt buster) a majority of the items appear useful and would fit right in a functioning home. If nothing else you owe it to yourself to come here and window shop.

If you want to splurge on a one of a kind item like… let’s say… a gigantic silver mailbox, or a table made out of a real reel of film, or an amazing piece of art featuring caffeine as seen under a microscope… there is no better place than «Great Stuff.»
This is the type of place you have to stop by often to see what is on offer because everything is so unique that you just never know when you might need a desk from a Texas prison, or a missile shaped toolbox on wheels, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on investing in a one of a kind piece of history.

Kirk is an awesome guy and his shop is probably the best Decorative Arts/​Antique/​Vintage store in Seattle. He finds amazing stuff — stuff that if you see something there and you love it, you damn well better BUY it, ‘cos you’re never gonna see another one!
The person who suggested that you can find similar stuff in thrift stores and salvage places must actually be BLIND, because that is a completely myopic, know-​nothing assessment of the one-​of-​a-​kind pieces that Kirk has traveled across the country and back to acquire. Yes, you will pay (much) less at thrift stores and salvage places than at Great Stuff. You also pay less for a bottle of Charles Shaw at Trader Joe’s than you do for a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild. But hey, they’re both wine, right, so what’s the difference?
You’d have to go to LA or San Fran (and believe it or not, pay twice as much) to find anything even remotely comparable to this place.

Some of the things in his shop look vaguely familiar… maybe because they were in another shop for a whole lot less. I would consider checking out some of the thrift stores or salvage places around town first (if you like paying less).