North Philadelphia business Beaty American sells historic, reclaimed architectural items for your home."I've always been about sustainability," he says."We go into buildings that are being demolished or renovated, older buildings, and then salvage, pull out items," he says.
Beaty says it's beneficial for business and for the planet since these reclaimed items "could probably have a new home instead of going into a dump.""They were demolishing the old Snellenberg's department store at 12th and Market," he says. "I was just amazed that everything was going into dumpsters. Nothing was being saved."
That stuck with him, and after serving in Vietnam and graduating from St. Joseph's University, he headed to Berkeley, California."I wanted to see how I could save the planet," he says of his work there. He co-founded more salvage companies in California before heading back to Philadelphia. Beaty has collections of hardware that they've acquired on different projects, along with building joists and flooring.There are reclaimed items for both homeowners and contractors. About a block away from his business is a lot with more reclaimed materials he calls "the yard."Many items he saves are from historic mansions, factories and churches.