Mother of Junk, Brooklyn NY

Super rude staff and overpriced—been here a couple of times but if the staff is going to be rude, there should at least be a warning sign!

I got barked at for touching a plastic Jello juggler mold. The cranky lady "explained" by saying it "was in a box, look it up! ". The jello mold was in top of a pile of junk in a 3" high, unlabeled box lid.

As soon as she turned her back, I used both hands to touch the junk in the box again just like a 10-yr-old. I got a "Ooooooh! " and a snort-laugh from other shoppers.

I went outside and sat on a cassock for sale. If I had been shooed off there, I was all ready to justify sitting there because there was no box.

Edited to add, the cashier was the one who laughed. Later, he asked the old lady if she saw me touch all the the stuff. She called me a 5-yr-old. The cashier said I was funny.

Zero negotation over frames you can get NEW FOR CHEAPER. DONT GO HERE total scam.leaks in the ceiling and super condescending bossy employees,

Everything is overpriced and broken. I also got a bunch of bug bites after spending time in the back too long. Be warned.

As its name suggests, really a mother of junk!
You can find any antiques and old pieces to grab, reasonable prices, and good options for gifting something unique.

Literally the rudest staff of any store I went into. They are condescending and belittling. Every time I go in they are screaming or speaking down to another customer and laughing about it to each other

Loads of treasures! Was looking for side tables that would suit the other Retro pieces in my apartment and was not disappointed! Loads of antique frames, lights, and other fun oddities like records, marbles, comics, postcards, magazines etc. Lots of fun if you like this kind of stuff! Staff were very helpful!

Literally the rudest staff/owner ever, don’t recommend going here unless you like when strangers try to degrade you. I brought a group of 5 people here and as we were looking around I picked up a dish and this lady started shouting at me that it wasn’t for sale and not to touch anything in a box because that means it isn’t for sale (half of the store is in boxes). I apologized and said I didn’t know and she still repeated herself really rudely 3 more times. Judging by other reviews, this woman likes yelling at strangers and trying to make you feel stupid. Never returning.

After looking through many paintings I found a painting i quite liked, though it was scratched and visibly damaged around the edges and the frame. I politely mentioned this to the woman at the register and asked her if she would possibly sell it to me for $5 less. She took it from my hands to “check” then put it below the register and told me to leave. I folded, and said “ok I’ll pay full price”, she said “no, it’s no longer for sale as you clearly hate it, now go get lost. ” Saying this to me made her seem strangely happy— she smiled for the first time as I left the store.

The female person is beyond rude and, after her uncalled for comments today, they have lost a long-time loyal customer who makes a significant effort to come here when visiting from Maryland.

The manager was rude and not helpful. He would not listening to any questions I asked and only repeated the same 1/2 sentence response as he walked away. An employee did come over and politely answered all my questions.
You’ll find nicer stuff on the sidewalk at the end of the month, that isn’t overly priced.

We used to shop here all of the time, and we brought my mom here every time she’s in town because she loves antiquing. We’ve found some amazing things here, and there’s one man that’s always super kind and helpful and remembered my mom. BUT, we’ll never be shopping here again. The woman who owns the store screamed at my husband for touching a lamp in a box he didn’t know someone was unpacking - he didn’t pick it up or anything but she ran over and started screaming. Even after we apologized and let her know we didn’t mean any harm, she kept going. Then, she proceeded to follow him around the store staring at him meanly as if he was going to steal something? Then, she proceeded to scream at my dad who walked in after us. We will never be coming back. Her attitude made them lose loyal customers who found joy in their business. Not anymore. Bye Mother of Junk!

They have some decent picture frames and glassware, it’s picked over and overpriced but that’s to be expected in New York. However the rudeness of the owner/staff is really absurd, she accuses everyone of stealing and swapping tags. God forbid you try to haggle. I love junk shops and used to work at a junk fair, so I know it can be kind of a weird scene but this is another level. Also beware, there is broken glass everywhere!

The owner is so rude and does not appreciate customers. I spent over an hour looking through thousands of vintage postcards. I went to checkout and it was $25 ALL I ASKED HER WAS can i have this for $20 even, (throw her a 20 dollar bill) she kicked me out and told me to stop wasting her time. I tried to politely apologize and give her $30 but she took the cards and kept telling me to get out.

I'm not blind, I see everyone's bad reviews and I get it, no one wants to be pestered by a grumpy store owner, but I did not have this experience. I've never had that experience here.

I love this shop. I love it enough that if the proprietor did have a bone to pick with me one day, I'd still come back.

My best advice for anyone who decides to visit is to read all the little signs and follow the "rules". For example, the postcard section (my personal favorite that I spend a LOT of time in front of) says to leave your cards at the cashier if you plan to shop around after picking some out. So just do that. Or look through them last. No biggie.

I did hear the woman behind the counter say "no photos" when someone walked in with their phone out. I don't know if this is a store policy, just something to keep in mind. Maybe just ask before you take any shots.

This place is a maze one could easily get lost in.or hide in. I imagine they've seen their fair share of theft over the years which likely explains a few things. I'm not saying a bad attitude is excusable, but I am saying there must be a reason for it.

There's a very friendly and knowledgeable fella who works there as well, I think his name was Tom? He didn't speak with me much, but he spoke with loads of people who came in. He always knew exactly what they were looking for and whether or not they had it in stock, despite the PILES of stuff.

I'm giving the STORE 5 stars because it is a 5 star shop for anyone who loves to hunt through treasure. This is not a modern day thrift shop, it's an old garage filled to the brim with vintage/antique furniture, toys, paintings (second floor), glassware, trinkets, ephemera, etc.

I felt the prices were fair, especially for a shop in New York. Most thrift stores here are way overpriced but I always find a deal in Junk.

Maybe I'm old school, but my attitude is that this is their space and I'm just a visitor. I'd recommend you head there with more of an "I'm going to Grandma's house" mind-set.

It is what it is, a wonderfully eccentric place to find treasure and, apparently, sometimes "grandma" is having a bad day.

I’ve been in hundreds of antique/junk shops and this one was on par with most of them. The staff certainly were not rude to me. I found a set of nice cheese plates from France and a vintage cone shaped ice cream scoop. Prices were reasonable on the items I purchased. I don’t expect much “service” from shops like this, it’s all about the hunt. Sometimes you find something, sometime you don’t.

Like others I had a really unpleasant experience at this store. The gentleman who appears to be a sales associate yelled at people to get out of the “aisles” which really isn’t possible given how much stuff is piled around haphazardly. I picked up a picture in a broken frame and took it the cash register to inquire about the price. I expected the price to reflect the fact that the frame was completely destroyed, but I when I commented on the condition the cashier took the picture from me and told me not to buy anything I don’t want. She obviously doesn’t care about charging a fair price for the stacks of self-described “junk” they’re selling. They’re really unpleasant to the customers and the prices are insane anyway so I wouldn’t advise shopping here.

This place has some great stuff. It’s staffed by Olga from the Dark Crystal, who waddles around belligerently picking intellectually defective arguments with customers and generally displaying her damaged personality and deep unhappiness. Highly entertaining. Would recommend.