Jonny Carmack was perusing the aisles of a store in his hometown, Danbury, Conn., when he first saw it: a giant strawberry sitting on a shelf. Mr. Carmack, 32, a content creator, was awe-struck. “I was just like, oh my gosh, it’s so cute,” he said. “It’s so whimsical.” …he purchased the table for $59.99 for his office and redecorated the room with the faux fruit in mind, adding panels of moss to a door and turf to the floor to resemble a garden. He is one of many passionate people across the United States who scour the aisles of discount retailers like HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in search of culinary-inspired stools. Food as furniture has gone viral on social media, with collectors sharing photos of their finds and trading buying tips. …“It’s a huge community,” …“I was feral for that,” he said of his ceramic ursine figure. …Birdie Wood, too, developed a love of food stools by accident… …She furnished her three-bedroom, one-bathroom home on the South Shore of Long Island, N.Y., with the burger as inspiration… …Ms. Wood, 33, a woodworker, recently began building her own food-inspired furniture, with the goal of making objects she can’t find in stores… …Ms. Wood said that for collectors like her, much of the appeal of quirky food stools is generational… …“I think a lot of millennials specifically or older Gen Zs grew up with the ‘beige’ décor… …“Once we hit the scene, we made it OK to decorate fun and silly.”… …Megan Hopp, 37, an interior designer and founder of Megan Hopp Design said these stools are millennials’ way of rejecting minimalist aesthetics… …“I think that design just became so neutral, so minimalist, so boring for so long…” …But not all food stools are created equal… …One reseller on eBay listed a strawberry stool for $169, more than twice its price at HomeGoods… …Finding coveted stools often requires careful strategizing, and some dedicated collectors have it down to a science… …Robbie Hornik, 28, who owns about 87 food stools, said HomeGoods stores debut new stools seasonally and usually on the West Coast first… …Of course, it also helps to know the right people… …To cut out the middleman, Mr. Hornik has even tried to source stools directly from vendors and manufacturers, though he has been unsuccessful so far… …the thrill of the hunt is also part of the fun for many collectors, including Mr. Carmack…
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