Real wood furniture Needs a bit of care

Jeff Foote, owner of Bix Service Co., uses a brush to apply a glazing liquid to a nightstand in his shop. Foote offers tips for finishing, cleaning and caring for modern furniture.

Real wood furniture Needs a bit of care

Paul Moore sands the wood frame of a couch while working at Bix Service Co., a Fourth Avenue business that specializes in furniture refinishing.

Real wood furniture Needs a bit of care

Jeff Foote

Real wood furniture Needs a bit of care

Owning real wood furniture is like having a fine car: For the higher price you get a more exclusive look and maybe even improved function, when compared with furniture made of cheaper material. But to make it last and sustain its value, it should be maintained. For the most part, that comes …

The smart collector: American Flyer train set is on track to bring a nice price

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New retailer targets the credit-challenged

Conn's Home Plus is moving into a former Circuit City building at 5530 E. Broadway and expects to be open in time for holiday shopping. The company plans to hire some 40 sales associates.

New retailer focuses on credit-challenged

A furniture, appliance and electronics store that bills itself as catering to the "underserved and underbanked" is set to open by year's end in central Tucson.

Cruising Speedway for buys

Marcie Cumberland, left, says she was introduced to thrift-store shopping about 40 years ago by Charlotte Wiedel, who looks at an item at 1st-Rate, 2nd-Hand Thrift Store.

Cruising Speedway for buys

There are doggie treats at the counter and pictures of pets among the merchandise at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Thrift Store.

Cruising Speedway for buys

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona Thrift Store has images of pets on the walls and plays a DVD of adoptable animals.

Cruising Speedway for buys

Emilie McClellan, 9, reads as her sister and mom shop at the Tucson Lutheran Thrift Store. Books and music from thrift stores are bargains, say experienced thrift-store shoppers.

Cruising Speedway for buys

The Tucson Lutheran Thrift Store has a display case of unusual or pricey items offered in a silent-auction.

Cruising Speedway for buys

Manny Newell says he likes to look at books and golf clubs when he shops at the Goodwill Industries Thrift Store.

Cruising Speedway for buys

Sale of merchandise at Goodwill goes toward services such as training and employment.

Cruising Speedway for buys

Lucy Smith, a clothing supervisor at 1st-Rate, 2nd-Hand Thrift Store, organizes the shop’s shawl rack. The store is known for its variety of vintage finds and it has a large selection of furniture.

'Thrift-store row': Cruising Speedway for buys

Speedway is known for many things: Cruising. As a bustling east-west thoroughfare. Perhaps not as well known: A mile run of the road is "thrift-store row," says Cynthia Stella, who manages the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Thrift Store right smack in the middle of 'em.

Web can bring world's décor into your home

Vallerie Drorbaugh blended French influences with subtle Moroccan accents in her living room.

Web can bring world's décor into your home

This summer will bring another staycation for me. No Italy or Istanbul. No Tibet or Taiwan. No Egypt or England. If I want an escape, I'll have to rely on my fantasies - and the World Wide Web.