Giving a great holiday gift doesn't have to mean purchasing something new. At these Bay Area salvage operations, reclaimed, donated, and overstock materials make for memorable one-of-a-kind presents.

For the Vintage Connoisseur: Ohmega Salvage

Beloved by Bay Area interior designers, this East Bay salvage stocks beautiful rescued pieces—think carved chests of drawers (pictured above), wrought-iron furnaces and fireplaces, and delicate light fixtures—sourced mostly from local homes and businesses. With salvaged materials large and small sprinkled throughout Ohmega's two neighboring indoor/outdoor properties, it's a great place to find something special for someone who doesn't mind a little wear and tear. Vintage suitcases and trunks (a stack of them makes a nice side table!) and one-of-a-kind objects such as typewriters, mirrors or other tchotchkes make great gifts. // 2400 & 2403 San Pablo Ave. (West Berkeley), ohmegasalvage.com

For Just About Anyone: Urban Ore

if Home Depot and Goodwill had a baby, they'd name it Urban Ore—a three-acre circus of salvaged doors, windows, home fixtures, kitchen appliances, dinnerware, and more oddities than we can count. Use Urban Ore's store map, available online and in store, to help you find used high-end camera equipment and sporting goods, shelves of roller- and ice skates, and rows of unhinged doors. If you find the hand-carved Balinese portal of your S.O.'s dreams, we're sure Santa's elves would be happy to install it for you on the night before Christmas. // 900 Murray St. (Berkeley), urbanore.com/ecopark

For the Artist: SCRAP

At its 5,000-square-foot Bayview warehouse, SCRAP processes an annual 200 tons of unused art supplies. Their overstuffed shelves and drawers are full of surprising materials. Even for those with limited artistic vision, SCRAP's workshops on collage and sculpture expose students to the value of non-traditional materials and introduce to them tp totally new forms of expression (yarn bombing, anyone?). For those with a creative streak, SCRAP's salvaged materials—think vintage National Geographic magazines, bolts of fabric, and painting supplies—will inspire stocking stuffers the likes of which have never been received.// 801 Toland St. (Bayview), scrap-sf.org

For the Home-Improver: The Away Station

The Away Station combines an independent hardware and garden center with a massive yard of reclaimed lumber and an extra surprise for the salvage savvy: Through the lumber yard and up a hidden set of stairs, you'll find materials that will send any home DIYer into a tizzy. Rows of nuts and bolts, buckets of saws, and a variety of other rescued objects are ready for a second chance. Home improvement projects make great gifts, especially when the parts are cheap. // 109 Broadway (Fairfax), theawaystation.org