A student is upcycling unwanted furniture and selling it to save up to buy a car – and made more than £1,300 in her first month. Adriana Camacho, 22, started transforming second-hand pieces last year when she flipped three chairs she found for free and sold them on for £150 as a bundle.
She continued to look for old furniture for free – sourcing it from trash and thrift stores. Now Adriana sells on her refurbished items with the aim of saving up to buy a car – an £8,000 second hand car - after her last two broke down. She’s flipped five pieces of furniture – including a chest of drawers and a vintage TV - so far.
Adriana, a liberal studies student, from Fresno, California, US, said: “Everything is saved from trash. In May I decided to dedicate money I’m making to purchase a car. It’s not just business, it’s a passion.”
Adriana decided to paint the unwanted chairs she found - to see if she could make some extra cash alongside her studies. She was surprised when she sold them on for £50 each after putting them on Facebook marketplace.
She said: “I put each one on for $15 but got loads of interest – I managed to sell each for $65. I thought ‘that was easy’.”
Adriana continued to find what she could for free and sourced cheap furniture from charity shops. She started experimenting with different designs to spruce up her own home – before selling items on.
Adriana said: “I’m experimenting with my own look too. In six months, I found my style. I wanted to express myself through design.”
She added: “My car broke down. Then I got a Ford Focus, but three weeks in it would just stop in the middle of the road."
Adriana has now been using her mum's car when she can, but wants her own to give her more independence. She found a chest of drawers for £23 and sold it on for nearly £300 after sanding it down, adding wood panelling and giving it a new lick of paint. She also found a dresser for £47 - embellished the wood with gold handles and made £350 selling it on.
She said: “It’s fun. I’m trying to keep in the style of the piece. I like vintage mid-century modern.”
Adriana's flips (prices in US$)
Chairs for free outside a church - sold for $195
Chest of drawers bought for $20 - sold for $260
Vintage dresser bought for $60 - sold for $450
Dresser for $30 - sold for $375
Dresser for free - sold for $360
Old chairs for free on a trash day - $125
Total: $1,765
