I admit, I have an addiction to thrift store shopping... my friend and I joke that the only men we need in our lives are Craig (from Craigslist), Paul (St. Vincent de Paul Thriftstores), and Will (Goodwill Industries).  The thrill of finding overlooked pieces that have so much value and potential is really exciting to me, I seriously get an adrenaline rush and I have to suppress the squeals of excitement for fear of getting the prices raised on me (yes, this has happened to me before)!  One of the main reasons I think these quality pieces get overlooked is because people don't have enough imagination.  Don't let missing or broken hardware stop you from buying a piece of furniture.  There are several resources for replacement hardware online, for replacing missing legs, knobs, pulls, latches, locks, etc. that I've listed below.  Check them out below, and see pictures of what they have to offer.  If a piece is beyond repair but inexpensive, it might be worth it to buy it for the hardware alone.  1. Rejuvenation for a great selection of authentic vintage hardware, more of the deco look here.  Their newest site, satellitemodern.com has mid-century modern hardware and lighting.  2. Cool Knobs and Pulls for awesome selection of reproduction drawer pulls, even crystal and glass pulls.  This site has a more retro feel.  Their sister site, coolcasters.com has great casters and ideas for "retro-fitting" your furniture.  3. hairpinlegs.comhas re-pro hairpin table legs... also check out their cool boomerang table tops.  4. tablelegsonline.com has, well, table legs!  Check out the chrome tapered legs... very mod! 5. chinesebrasshardware.com has excellent oriental-inspired brass hardware, perfect for Hollywood Regency pieces.  A recent website find, Curbly, is a great DIY (do it yourself) site that is full of tips for repairing furniture, including reupholstering tips.  This post is great for a beginner, it tells you some standard pieces to look for when you are visiting those thrift stores.  I found it very helpful when I started my current obsession at the beginning of the summer.   A lot of work is involved when restoring a piece of furniture, but with the right tools and patience, its the most rewarding feeling to own something that you restored to its full glory.  We at Swank know this more than anyone- its how we got started, bringing the past back to life!  Enjoy! - Genevieve at Swank