Much of Caravati’s expansive inventory comes from turn-of-the century houses, ranging from the 1870s to early 1900s. Some of their oldest excavations have delved into structures first assembled in the late 1700s.

“We’re all for preservation — absolutely 100 percent for that,” he said. “If a house is a derelict house and it’s becoming a liability and eyesore but there are good parts to it, then we’d rather see it come down instead of have it rot away.”

Depending on size and existing inventory, Caravati’s tackles between two and four of these demolition-based salvage projects each year.

During more prosperous times, the Caravati’s team ventured into North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland to scavenge for materials.

“It just depends on what was out there and what was available at the time,” Kastelberg said. “This was pre-Internet, so a lot of times people would send us Polaroid pictures of what they had and we would make a decision as whether or not we wanted to pursue the job at that point.”

Once the items have found their way into the double-decker retail space, they’re ready to be swooped up by eager customers.