SALISBURY — An old building that once served Salisbury’s ice needs is now serving up a refreshing blast from the past every second Saturday of the month.

The Historic Salisbury Foundation repurposed the icehouse on East Horah Street near downtown as a salvage store for all sorts of knick-knacks and old materials from various properties around the city.

For those looking to restore their home in a period-appropriate way, the salvage yard could be just the answer.

Chris and Maria Goodman were browsing the wares at Second Saturday Salvage this past weekend. The couple bought a house on Thomas Street in Salisbury and were looking for some chandeliers.

“We thought we would come here because we knew there would be some older stuff,” Chris Goodman said. “The house was built in 1916. So we are looking for some things that would be the same period as the house.”

While finding the right piece might present the difficulty of finding a needle in the haystack, Goodman indicated he doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s kind of fun,” Goodman said. “It’s like a scavenger hunt. We see some things we think might work, but we don’t know if we have all the pieces. Still, we see some inspiration.”

Goodman admits he’s no electrician, so he plans to outsource that part of the job.

Not everything is a restoration project at the salvage sale.

Margaret and James Faust found a painting that, combined with the frame, stands about eight feet tall. The painting stood out to them because of the artist’s background.

“The size, uniqueness and the backstory that this was done by the artist in his college years (interested us),” Margaret Faust said.

Faust noted that they currently have nothing of the painting’s scale in their house.

“It will go nicely in the dining room,” Faust said.

Like salvage shoppers, the Fausts never know what they will find, which is part of the fun.

“We like to see what is here,” Faust said. “James got a front door for his office. Random things are exciting, practical and fun decor with a story. It’s not something that you can buy that is mass-produced. It’s fun when there is a story behind it.”

Shopper Jim Bradley of Mebane appreciates that he can find items reasonably priced.

“They don’t try to gouge you on prices,” Bradley said. “They just say make me an offer.”

Between the older building materials and various trinkets, Bradley is like a kid in a candy shop.

“I come here to look for wood and unique antiques,” Bradley said. “I am a hobbyist and restore a lot of old machines. I just took a 1927 sewing machine and restored it that I bought down here.

“I like to get my wood here. My wife will want something built like a new coffee table, so I can get the wood here at a good price. I like the farmhouse feel. It adds character to the house. We see doors, and sometimes we will take a door and redo it. We took a door with three panels on it and put our kids’ photos on it, and now that hangs on the wall.”

Similarly, Sarah Paris, who owns several historic properties in Spencer, has found multiple items to help her restoration projects.

“I am working on restoring the theater,” Paris said. “It’s a big project, but it’s going to be wonderful.”

Paris described finding contemporaneous objects as a crucial part of her restoration.

“I have bought a lot of things here, from columns to doors,” Paris said.

Local vendors have offerings for the shoppers as well. Samantha Casper of Daughter Like Mother Handmade Crafts had her items out for sale on Saturday.

“It is a good way to get your name out that and what you do,” Casper said.