October 2015 Customer Creations Gallery Jacksonville, FL

2015 was the first full year of business for the Eco Relics architectural salvage company, and also the first year for the Eco Relics blog. It launched with a post from back in January about our historic 1927 warehouse in Jacksonville’s Mixon Town neighborhood. Since then, plenty of posts have come and gone down the blog roll. Here’s our top…

Thanks to our custom wood shop, Eco Relics gets to work with some of Jacksonville’s greatest small businesses. The sawdust is flying, but many details are still sorting themselves out. The Termite says, “It’s not down to a science yet.” The final layout of tools and work stations will be determined as he gets a better idea of work flow on…

When we first started out with the concept of Eco Relics, we expected to mainly carry salvage lumber. We do have aisles and aisles of salvage building materials. Much more unexpectedly, however, is our collection of antique lighting, antique light bulbs, and other relics that have come along. We have been so surprised at the turn of events of bringing…

Music fans rejoice! Did you know that there are vinyl records in the Eco Relics architectural salvage warehouse? Even if you don’t have a record player (for shame!), there are plenty of things you can do with our records. If it is unlikely that your old Johnny Mathis platter will ever spin again, consider repurposing it. A little heat will soften up…

Ciao, bella! The easy breezy Italian architectural style looks great all over the world! Tuscan landscapes, Sicilian sunsets, Roman holidays, and Florentine extravagance echo in the architectural design elements that define the Italian aesthetic. Incorporating a few of these elements into an indoor or outdoor space can generate a sunny southern European feel in any location. Picking a theme is…

There is just something incredible about walking through an antique furniture shop in Jacksonville. Here are Eco Relics, we have been excited to grow our selection of antiques. We have had the chance to find some incredible treasures in our search. How Old Does Something Have to Be to Be Considered an Antique? When it comes to most things, the…

On March 6th, Eco Relics hosted  a fundraising event to benefit Waste Not Want Not and their mission to fight hunger and poverty by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste. We raised enough money to collect and distribute over 9,000 lbs. of food! The nonprofit Berry Good Farms food truck was also in the house. Here’s a song from their set:…

An underground landfill fire in St. Louis has been burning for nearly four years, releasing toxic concentrations of benzene and hydrogen sulfide. It threatens to contaminate the water supply with radioactive compounds. In January 2014, sixty elementary school students and staff were hospitalized following exposure to carbon monoxide from a leaking landfill. City officials in Bozeman, Montana allowed the construction…

The most common question here at Eco Relics is “Where do you get all this stuff?” While we acquire our architectural salvage by purchasing from reputable sources, that is not the only way people have gotten a hold of building materials throughout history. Less ethical salvagers have resorted to trespass, theft, robbery, and even mob action in search of building…

Dr. Jonathan Schneider always finds a way to celebrate life. Making “antiqued” signs began as hobby for him, an introduction to woodworking and a way to to spend his free time feeling purposeful and relaxed. But the imagination, craftsmanship, and folksy charm expressed in his work soon found a larger audience. It started with the signs he made for his…

Cast iron is a building material with weight, distinguishing itself from more flimsy alloys and plastics that are common today. Behind that weight is the 8,000 year history of human experiments with smelting and metallurgy to develop crafted metal tools. To behold a cast iron object is to literally feel the weight of history resting in you hands. The earliest…

The world’s greatest crowdfunding festival is back in Jacksonville again this year! One Spark will be all over Downtown Jacksonville from April 7 to April 12. Eco Relics will be there, too. Here’s the skinny on what we’ll be doing. #RepurposeJax (Creator Number 21879) Making something with your own hands is empowering for all ages. The experience teaches confidence and self-reliance….

While all of our custom farm tables are built from authentic salvaged or reclaimed wood, you can rest assured that when shop Manager Billy Leeka takes on a new project that the Eco Relics Wood Shop will be creating another stunning table. Most of our tables are built with lumber that we have either salvaged from old barns, historical houses,…

DIY is for everyone! It’s a common feature of our American heritage across all cultural distinctions. DIY is a bonding experience for young and old, an opportunity to share skills across generations. It instills the confidence that only comes from a sense of self-reliance and knowledge of past accomplishments. Independence is a function of doing it yourself. Debbie’s DIY Kitchen…

Many historic buildings around the world are constructed with double hung sash windows. Unfortunately, many of these historic windows are lost to rot and replaced with inferior alternatives. Don’t let this happen to you! This simple maintenance procedure will return your windows to their rightful glory both aesthetically and functionally for decades to come. Before getting started, it is important…