Rockford woman finds nostalgic treasure in trash

On garbage collection day in Rockford, people throw out the craziest things, and I should know, because I have no shame in admitting that I am a secret “dumpster driver.”

I got free bookshelves, desks, TV stands, ottomans and my favorite piece so far: a Spindle-shaped magazine rack table from the mid-1950s. Someone in my parent’s neighborhood left it on the side of the road and I thought it was worthless until a friend showed me it was being offered online for over $300! An incredible find, by far.

Of course, you could say that containerizing is a waste of time, but imagine being able to furnish your entire home without paying a dime… that’s a great feeling!

Garbage turns into treasure: Amazing discovery by a woman from Rockford

Someone posted a photo on Facebook Marketplace of bookshelves sitting for free on their curbside in Rockford. I thought, “If the post is still up in a few hours, I’ll stop by and pick up what’s left.” Well, little did I know, I would find not just a bookshelf… but something even better!

There were two boxes of blue glass, individually wrapped in newspaper, from 1993, all in perfect condition. I figured I wouldn’t let them spoil, so I threw them in my trunk.

I showed the jar to my colleague and the sticker on the bottom said “Union Hall”. I was like, “What is Union Hall?” He said it was loooong before my time!

Well, I did a little research and he wasn’t lying. My mom worked at Union Hall as a teenager in 1984…that’s crazy.

Union Hall was a discount retail store owned by Elbert “Al” Bagus since 1955.

There were two locations:

• Rockford at 423 East State Street then moved to 303 Kishwaukee Street
• Loves Park at 6355 North Second Street, opened in 1978

Union Hall was once listed on the “Top 100 Billion Dollar Discount Stores” list! The company later filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1994.

Kudos to the woman who put all this out on the side of the road for free. Pretty cool story behind this garbage find!

You never know what you’ll find in someone’s trash, what stories you can tell, and what trash you can turn into treasure. I’m not ashamed of my trash game!