Refab, Bridgeport

It's true that furniture usually tends to just sit around, but at Refab, it transforms—travels back in time, even. That's thanks to the design studio's skilled artisans, who treat age-mottled wood, stitch torn upholstery, and sand down scars (although they might well leave a couple "memory marks" to preserve a lived-in feel). They select only solid, American-made pieces to start with, so that their handiwork will endure through the decades in customers' homes. Some visitors to the studio aren't shoppers, however—they're there to learn the shop's secrets during furniture-restoration classes.