Saving grace: Madison Street Salvage helps preserve historic home materials

Winding through the narrow passageways, shoppers find themselves face-to-face with countless relics from bygone eras.

Well-worn furniture holds curios, baubles and collectibles. Recovered church lighting hang in bunches. Antique chairs dangle above visitors heads.

Bins full of vintage vinyl records and boxes of old magazines await the curious collectors.

For the past 10 years, Madison Street Salvage has been the keeper of the past.

“We always say, ‘Preserve it first, but if you can’t, just salvage it. Save what you can,’” said Christine Hamilton, director of architectural salvage at the shop. “These items are rare and unique, and someone else can use something that otherwise would have been discarded. Generations to come can enjoy items from the past.”

Madison Street Salvage has become the go-to stop to find quirky antique home furnishings, craftsmen-made furniture, vintage solid wood doors and wavy-glassed windows, old sets of china and much, much more.

The architectural salvage emporium has been open for 10 years, helping save some of the area’s most unique items to be reused in new projects. In celebration of the milestone, the business will host an anniversary open house on Sept. 5, featuring food, live music, drinks and more.

“For your preservationists, people who are restoring a historic building or home or property, it’s a nice place for them to rely on — that we might have something they’re looking for,” said Dave Windisch, marketing director for Franklin Heritage. “If we don’t have it, we get to know people who come in and know what they like.”

Madison Street Salvage’s radical approach to historic preservation started with one of Franklin’s worst disasters.

In the wake of the 2008 floods that ravaged the downtown area, dozens of damaged homes had to be torn down. Though the structures as a whole could not be saved, many of the doors, windows, banisters and other architectural features of the houses could be.

Franklin Heritage stepped in to see what they could do. The organization has been focused on maintaining the historic buildings in the city since it was founded in 1983.

The primary project of the group is the Historic Artcraft Theatre, the renovated 1920s movie house that has become a tourist draw to downtown Franklin. But they’ve also purchased and restored historic homes and buildings as well.

Architectural salvage fits right into their mission.

The recovered pieces were stored away by Franklin Heritage in an old warehouse on Hamilton Street owned by the city of Franklin. Officials would open up the small shop each Saturday, where homeowners could buy period-authentic items for renovation and remodeling projects.

The reception was positive, and the organization started looking for a more permanent location.

That opportunity came in a historic building along the railroad tracks in downtown Franklin. Originally founded as a bakery, it had once provided nearly all the bread for Johnson County.

“I always liked to hear from the people who used to buy doughnuts here — it was always the doughnuts, people would walk home from school and pick one up and eat it on the way home,” said Windisch, who used to work a few days a week in the shop.

Over time, it was converted into a deli, then purchased by Holbrook Manufacturing in the 1960s to use as a metal fabricating shop and later storage. Holbrook agreed to sell the space to Franklin Heritage.

After months of renovations, repairs and rescuing, Madison Street Salvage opened in late 2015. Shoppers could pick through hundreds of wood-paned glass windows, old house doors and thousands of feet of reclaimed lumber. Vintage stoves and other appliances from the 1940s and 1950s were grouped together for buyers.

A constant rotation of new items is always coming into the shop. As one of the only architectural salvage spots in the area, donations come from as far away as Bloomington and Greencastle.

People who are remodeling a home and are switching out older versions donated the older antiques to the store to be reused. A bank recently donated a whole collection of doors to be sold. Wavy-glass windows and solid-wood doors are always being donated.

Those items are some of Madison Street Salvage’s main sellers.

“For what the shop is offering now, focusing on what people are reacting to. Looking back 10 years ago, the shop’s focus was different. And it’s constantly evolved to what people are reacting to,” Windisch said.

Vintage home decor has become fashionable, driving bargain-eyed shoppers to pick out one-of-a-kind lamps, china, porcelain decorations and more.

“It’s very trendy now, and they are selling. And we’re very grateful,” Hamilton said.

One of the most popular developments for the shop has been the addition of vinyl records for sale over the past year. Bins of classic albums, from Fleetwood Mac, the Kinks, David Bowie, KISS and more are laid out near the check-out desk, where music lovers come to slip through the stacks in search of great finds.

The display has become a huge draw for Madison Street Salvage, Hamilton said.

“It’s attracting people of all ages — the young people and the older people alike,” she said. “Oftentimes, we’ll see generations standing here together, the grandchild standing next to the grandparent, reminiscing. It’s just fascinating that it’s a multi-generational thing.”

The cross-generation appeal will be on display when Madison Street Salvage celebrates its 10th anniversary on Sept. 5. From 5 to 8 p.m., people can come to the shop for refreshments, conversation and shopping. The open house will coincide with Discover Downtown Franklin’s First Friday events, and live music will be situated outside the shop’s doors.

Organizers also plan to offer a 10% discount on items starting Friday and extending to Sunday.

“It’ll be a casual open house, and honestly just a way to thank the people who have supported us for the past 10 years — who have come to this brick-and-mortar location over the last 10 years,” Hamilton said.

IF YOU GO

Madison Street Salvage 10th anniversary open house

What: A celebration of 10 years serving the Franklin community, with food, drinks, live music and 10% off merchandise.

When: 5-8 p.m. Sept. 5

Where: 350 E. Madison St., Franklin

Information: fhisalvage.org