West End Salvage

What West End Salvage does

West End Salvage (legal name: West End Architectural Salvage & Village Ventures Iowa) is a privately held, founder-owned antique, architectural salvage, and custom furniture retailer based in a historic four-floor building at 22 9th Street in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Founded by Don Short in 2004 around salvage sales that preserved architectural pieces from local demolitions, the business sells antiques, vintage items, salvaged building materials (corbels, doors, columns, stained glass, hardware, live-edge lumber), and related decor. The company also offers custom design and build services for residential and commercial clients, including custom tables, doors, shelves, and fireplace surrounds, and operates an on-site event venue with full bar and coffee shop for weddings, showers, and corporate events. The firm is an authorized stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and related products, sold exclusively in-store.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer retail model. Revenue is generated through one-time transactions across five streams: in-store antique and salvage sales, event venue rentals (with pricing ranging from $250 for in-business-hours events to $3,800 for Saturday/Sunday evenings), quote-based custom furniture commissions, in-store Annie Sloan retail, and an eBay storefront extending reach beyond the Des Moines metro. Customer segments include individual homeowners seeking one-of-a-kind items, business owners commissioning custom fixtures, custom furniture clients with specific dimensional or material requirements, and event hosts. Go-to-market relies on the physical destination experience, organic Instagram and Facebook presence, an eBay storefront, and residual brand equity from two seasons of the HGTV show 'West End Salvage' (2013).

The business carries no disclosed technology platform beyond a Wix-based website and the eBay storefront. It has no disclosed AI, API, or SDK capabilities, no patents or trademarks, and no institutional funding. The firm operates with 1–10 employees, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and is not party to disclosed mergers, acquisitions, or regulatory actions. The 1916 building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, reinforcing the brand's positioning around historic preservation and a museum-like browse experience.

Name

West End Salvage

Legal name

West End Architectural Salvage & Village Ventures Iowa

Website

https://westendsalvage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

West End Salvage is a Des Moines-based retailer of antiques, architectural salvage, and custom-built furniture, operating from a four-floor historic building and serving individual homeowners, commercial clients, and event hosts with custom pieces, an in-house venue, and an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Antique and Architectural Salvage Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Reupholstery and Furniture Repair (811420)

SIC

Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700), Retail-Furniture Stores (5712), Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Salvage & Reclaimed Building Elements Retail (Doors, Windows, Mantels) (CRAIANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vintage & Antique Furniture Retail (CRAIANAB), Reclaimed Materials & Fixtures Retail (Cabinetry, Sinks, Faucets) (CRAIANAI), Refurbished/Upcycled Home Furnishings Retail (CRAIANAN), Vintage & Antique Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAE)

Keywords

• Architectural salvage retail
• Antique furniture sales
• Custom furniture design
• Event venue rental
• Vintage home decor

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Antique and Salvage Sales: In-store sales of antiques, architectural salvage, vintage items, furniture, and decor across 4 floors of inventory. Also includes Annie Sloan paint products and crafting supplies.
2. Event Venue Rentals: Historic downtown venue available for weddings, showers, corporate parties, and other events. Provides full bar service, coffee, and catering coordination. Pricing varies by day of week.
3. Custom Furniture and Design Services: Custom design and build-out services for interior spaces and furniture for homes and businesses. Includes tables, doors, shelves, and other custom pieces. Quote-based pricing.
4. Annie Sloan Paint Products: Retail sales of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and related products including waxes, brushes, rollers, and accessories. In-store only, not available online.
5. eBay Online Sales: Online sales through eBay store for customers unable to visit the physical location. Extends geographic reach beyond Des Moines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

West End Salvage operates a four-floor antique and architectural salvage retail store in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, selling antiques, vintage items, salvaged building materials, lighting, decor, gifts, and custom-built furniture. The business also offers custom furniture design and build services for residential and commercial clients, operates an event venue with full bar and coffee service, and serves as an authorized stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint products.

Product overview

West End Architectural Salvage operates as a multi-level antique store and architectural salvage retailer in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, offering four to five floors of antiques, vintage items, and salvaged building materials. The business complements its retail operations with custom furniture design and build services (including custom tables, doors, and shelves), an event venue with full bar and coffee service, and is an authorized stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and related products. The company sources unique antiques and salvaged architectural pieces from around the world and repurposes or builds custom items for residential and commercial customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Antiques and Vintage Four to five floors of antique and vintage finds sourced from around the world, including furniture, art, stained glass, lighting, and unique items for individual consumers, homeowners, and collectors.
• Architectural Salvage Antique salvaged building materials including corbels, windows, doors, columns, hardware, hinges, doorknobs, light fixtures, baseboard, ceiling tin, stained glass, balusters, newel posts, wrought iron, floor grates, and live edge lumber for restoration and architectural projects.
• Custom Furniture Design and Build Custom design and build-out services for interior spaces and custom furniture for homes or businesses, including tables, doors, shelves, fireplace surrounds, and wall-sized back bars. Quote-based pricing.
• Custom Tables Custom-designed and built tables for dining, conference, or commercial use, utilizing materials such as repurposed bowling lanes, semi-flooring, live edge slabs, or steel.
• Custom Doors Custom-built doors including live edge slab sliding doors, geometric barn doors, and restoration of antique doors for new purpose.
• Custom Shelves Custom shelving solutions from small portable units to custom-designed wall units, for both residential and commercial installations.
• Event Venue Historic downtown Des Moines event venue available for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, graduation parties, holiday parties, fundraisers, and corporate events, with full bar and coffee service. Pricing varies by day of week.
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Products Official stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, offering small and large paint cans, waxes (clear, dark, white, black), brushes, rollers, sanding pads, gilding waxes, books, mixmat, image medium, and stencils. Available for purchase only at the physical store.
• Event Bar and Coffee Service On-site coffee shop and full bar service available for customers browsing the store and for event attendees, serving non-alcoholic beverages, domestic and craft beers, wines, liquors, and coffee.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Annie SloancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWest End Architectural Salvage is a proud official stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and related products. The store carries a large selection of chalk paint colors, waxes (clear, dark, white, black), brushes, rollers, sanding pads, gilding waxes, books, stencils, and other accessories. Products available for purchase only at the physical store, not online.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Architectural Salvage (Winnipeg): Multi-floor architectural salvage retailer selling reclaimed doors, mantels, stained glass, and vintage lighting — directly comparable core inventory and customer use cases to West End's salvage and antiques business.
• ReHouse Architectural Salvage: Reclaimed building materials retailer in the Midwest offering doors, windows, lumber, and fixtures to restoration contractors and homeowners — highly comparable salvage inventory and customer base.
• Olde Good Things: Architectural salvage and antique retailer operating across multiple U.S. locations with a large online store, selling reclaimed building elements and vintage furniture comparable to West End's core mix.
• Second Use Building Materials: Seattle-based architectural salvage and reclaimed building materials retailer with a large showroom and online sales, structurally analogous to West End's salvage business model.
• Architectural Antiques (Minneapolis): Multi-story antique and architectural salvage emporium in Minneapolis selling reclaimed columns, mantels, doors, and decorative items — directly comparable destination-retail model in the Upper Midwest.
• City Salvage: Architectural salvage retailer specializing in reclaimed doors, mantels, stained glass, and vintage lighting, with both showroom and online channels comparable to West End's hybrid model.

Emerging players

• Craftsman Custom Furniture (regional custom builders): Independent custom furniture workshops serving residential and commercial clients; comparable on the quote-based custom tables, doors, and shelving segment of West End's business.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity ReStore: National nonprofit chain of reuse retail stores selling donated furniture, appliances, and building materials; competes for value-conscious shoppers in the used/secondhand home goods category.

Regional players

• Historic Event Venues (Iowa/regional): Adaptive-reuse historic event venues in the Midwest hosting weddings and corporate events; comparable on West End's event venue pricing structure and customer use case, though without the retail and salvage components.

Others

• Annie Sloan Stockists (network): Independent retailers carrying the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint line; comparable on the curated paint-and-accessory retail offering that is a meaningful revenue stream for West End.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WestEndArchSalv
• Instagraminstagram.com/westendarchsalv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-end-salvage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West End Salvage