Stooped

Furniture in New York City often ends up on the curb, even when it’s still usable. We investigated the behaviors and emotions surrounding how people get rid of and acquire home goods during moves, uncovering barriers like transportation, safety, and time as well as the thrill of finding a good piece. By mapping the broader ecosystem of users, communities, services, and institutions, and by speaking directly with movers, givers, and takers, we identified key gaps in the current process. These insights informed the design of a digital platform that makes stooping easier, more intentional, and more community-driven, helping furniture find a new home instead of heading to the landfill.

Background

  • Our research showed that many usable items never reach resale platforms because photographing, listing, and coordinating pickups takes too much effort. As a result, people leave furniture on the curb with no reliable way for others to find it in time.

    Platforms like Facebook Marketplace and AptDeco solve parts of the resale process, but neither addresses the specific moment of stooping, when items are free, unlisted, and time-sensitive. This gap became the focus of our work.

    We also learned what drives behavior. People are motivated by sustainability, cost savings, and the “treasure hunt” appeal of secondhand shopping. At the same time, safety concerns, scheduling hassles, and low resale value often deter participation.

    New York City emerged as the clearest starting point. Frequent moves, small apartments, and walk-ups create constant turnover, while density and culture make secondhand reuse especially strong. These conditions made NYC the ideal pilot market.

  • How We Generated TAM and SAM

    TAM (Total Addressable Market):
    We defined our TAM as the US homewares market by combining several related segments:

    • Furniture market (Statista, $253.42B)

    • Second-hand furniture market (Ken Research, $8.4B)

    • Kitchenware market (Grand View Research, $8.96B)

    • Small appliances market (Statista, $31.37B)

    This adds up to $302.15B. We grouped these categories to capture “homewares” broadly, since our solution targets durable goods people are most likely to give away or replace when moving. Using both new and second-hand market sizes prevents overstating or underselling the opportunity.

    SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market):
    Because our platform is designed for New York City first, we estimated NYC’s share of the US homewares market by multiplying TAM by the proportion of the US population living in NYC (8.48M ÷ 342.43M).

    This gives a SAM of $7.482B.
    We note that this figure is likely conservative, since NYC has an outsized second-hand market compared to the national average.

  • Stooped focuses on two core audiences shaped by the realities of moving and furniture reuse in New York City.

    Frequent Movers (18–35, students and young professionals): These users change apartments often, usually without cars or storage, and need fast, low-cost ways to offload or acquire furniture. They are motivated by convenience and affordability, but constrained by time, transport, and small living spaces.

    Established Residents (families and long-term tenants): These users look to declutter or replace items without sending them straight to the landfill. They are motivated by sustainability and a desire to support their local community, but face barriers like building rules, scheduling logistics, and stigma around reuse.