Web site helps connect home-renovators with contractors' who have excess inventory

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — When Lawrence Martin watched his friend close his shop and sell off his store full of windows and cabinets for one-tenth their retail value, he got an idea: Why not start an online site for contractors to sell their excess inventory?

That's exactly what he did.

"I was amazed at the amount of stuff he'd held onto," says Martin, who began Contractors Thrift Store earlier this year. "He had windows and doors and cabinets and machinery and scaffolding and stacks of stuff he hasn't used in years."

The venture is similar to other online sales sites, except it is focused exclusively on items related to building, and listings are broken down into specific categories and regions.

"I'm helping homeowners receive better deals at the same time I'm helping contractors get rid of extra materials, tools and equipment," says the San Jose, Calif., resident. Martin hired a former Craigslist employee to set up the site and launched it April 1.

The site, www.contractorsthriftstore.com , now lists marketplaces in more than 85 cities in the United States and Canada, as well as Sydney, Australia.

Recently, the flooring category for the Bay Area region included one quart of linoleum adhesive for $5, a rusty linoleum trowel for $1 and laminated flooring starting at 79 cents.

Miscellaneous items included a fertilizer spreader for $10; a small hatchet for $4; a new, natural gas fireplace for $450; and two new ceiling fans still in their boxes for $20 each.

Web site visitors click on items of interest, and there is either a telephone number or an e-mail listed so they can deal directly with the seller.

"I monitor the Web site constantly for content," Martin says. "I don't want to find someone selling illegal merchandise or stolen items."

Martin works full time as a commercial appliance technician, but hopes Contractors Thrift Store will eventually become successful enough to support him and his family.

Placing items for sale is free, but Martin charges for advertising on the site. Martin says his site gets about 1,000 visitors a week.