Putting the "cycle" in recycle

Ever since I've started writing about antiques, garage sales and flea market finds, I've met several interesting people. The person I'd like to feature in my post today is a guy named Charlie who is a whiz at fixing bicycles. Seriously - he can take a beaten up, broken, abused bike and turn it into a beautiful ride. He fixes bikes on the side right now, but in my opinion I think he should start a business specializing in used and reconditioned bicycles.

I've had a few bikes of my own that were fixed by Charlie and I even found him a few that he could fix up and paint to give the bike a new life. The two photos in this post are before and after shots of a bike he has restored. I found it broken with a sad paint job and Charlie revamped it and painted it a beautiful purple adding white pedals.

Many people throw away perfectly good bikes because they think they are broken or have just gotten tired of them. Bicycles are generally made of easily recycled materials. Often bicycle parts, such as the tires, wheels and rims, chain, handlebar or seat, are still in good enough condition to be removed from the bike and used on a different bicycle in need of the same parts.

Charlie can take these different bicycle components and match them to a bike he knows needs them. His specialty is jazzing up BMX bikes, but he knows his way around mountain bikes to ten speeds.

Summit Free Market Has It All

Saturdays are about to get very interesting in my neighborhood. The Summit Free Market will be be back next Saturday after a weekend off thanks to that crazy storm (I hope everyone has their power back and are safe and sound).

The event will take place at the City of Summit Transfer Station, 40 New Providence Avenue, November 12th, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Summit residents are welcome to bring unwanted, reusable items to share, and take whatever they want. It’s all free!

The Summit Free Market is a student-run initiative planned and led by a group of Summit High School students with volunteer help on the day of the event from the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School students. This initiative is co-sponsored by the Department of Community Services and the Recycling Advisory Committee. Seasonal events are held every fall and spring at the Transfer Station on New Providence Ave., in addition to the online www.summitfreemarket.org that is available year-round. To date, the Summit Free Market has saved over 46 tons of unwanted, reusable items from landfills or the incinerator since its creation in 2009.

I've gotten great toys for my kids there as well as an acoustic guitar I plan to learn how to play. I've seen people drop off and pick up electronics, paintings as well as very nice furniture.

It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning-and a great cause!

Rummaging the day away

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I drove back and forth between different rummage sales and estate sales over the weekend and I'd like to comment on certain things.

Firstly, I know that rummage sales are for organizations to raise money, however, their prices should not be even close to retail-even if the item is new. I was at a rummage sale and they were selling Hess trucks, still in boxes, for more than they were actually worth. I know these trucks are collectable, but please make the price fair and if someone offers to buy them all, don't be stubborn-give them a bulk discount. I saw this organization actually turn someone away who was willing to purchase the whole lot, insisting that he pay $20 each (the full purchase price for each one) for 10. They told me the woman who donated them wanted them back unless they received the full price. I'm sure that woman has her trucks back and the organization has that much less money.

On a different note, I visited a really cool antique and vintage sale in Millburn. It was held in this big garage and the owner was selling everything from cookie jars to riding saddles. The prices were fair and the items for displayed so well it was actually a pleasure to look around.

I also visited the big red barn again. The woman who owns the barn (and her daughter as well) is very talented. Not only do they sell vintage items, but they make their own crafts out of them. They had vintage flatware wind chimes, vintage flatware hooks and key chains. They also attach old crystal doorknobs to small painted wooden boards re-purposing them as coat hangers.

Photos of these items will come soon, because if anyone is interested, you can get them in time for the holidays! Just let me know and I will forward your request on to them.

Lights, Camera, Action!

The first episode of Cultured Bohemian: Garage Sale Glee is on the Hometowne TV web site however, here is a link you can use to watch now :)

One of many

Well, the first episode of Cultured Bohemian:Garage Sale Glee premiered last Wednesday night on HomeTowne TV, and it was a blast to do. I just want to thank everyone who tuned in and remind my friends out of the area that the show will be on the web site soon and I will be putting it on youtube.com as well.

I'm gearing up for the second show (November) right now and I would appreciate any feedback you'd like to give. Also, if anyone in our viewing area has a antique or collectible they would like to have appraised, I am now holding spots to come on the December show!

Have a great week!

Garage Sale Glee.....will be on TV

I have something very exciting to announce. I have been offered airtime on Summit NJ's own local cable station, Hometowne Television, to bring what I write about in my blog to televison. I am in the studio this week editing the first program with the studio manager and I will announce on my blog when the show will be on. Look for the announcement sometime late next week.

A new episode will be on each month and have two to three segments beginning with an estate sale professional talking with me about certain antiques and collectibles. An antique will be brought into the studio (or wherever we will be taping), discussed and appraised as well. In addition, there will be a "Road Trip" segment, where I will travel to a different antiquing city each month and share with you the treasures I bring back.

HomeTowne Television broadcasts via Comcast channel 36 to Summit, Millburn/Short Hills, Berkeley Heights, Springfield, and New Providence; and via Verizon channel 33 to the same five towns plus parts of Chatham, Cranford, Florham Park, Kenilworth, Maplewood, West Orange & Union. The total population of the towns now served by HTTV is substantial: Over a quarter million people living in almost 100,000 households.

And to my friends who do not live in the area, all the shows will be posted to Facebook and YouTube so you can enjoy them as well:)

Silver Fox Salvage

About two weeks ago I had the pleasure of exploring Silver Fox Salvage, an incredible salvage warehouse in Albany, NY. I was greeted by owner Camille Gibeau, who explained to me that "everything has energy." Her energy showed she really enjoys what she does and I spent the next two hours with her, talking and learning a great deal.

When I began researching antiques, I read that when we touch objects we leave an energy imprint on them- be it the glass we drank from, the chair we sat in, or the clothes we wore. Psychometry is the ability to read the history of certain object which may tell us much of the person who wore or owned it, as it has absorbed the vibrations and the memories of that person or persons. Silver Fox Salvage has energy, history and great design all in one.

The Albany location is located in the warehouse district of Albany, just off Broadway and around the corner from the infamous Miss Albany Diner (used in the filming of Ironweed) and Wolff's Biergarten. As you enter the warehouse, they have outdoor salvage such as garden statuary and fountains. Once you walk through the door, be prepared to stay awhile.

Silver Fox obtains its salvage predominantly from old Victorian and Arts & Crafts homes, churches and schools in Upstate NY destined for demolition or rehab. They also create items from antique and vintage parts and pieces complete with new sockets and wiring. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and highly decorative.

Whether it's a 12 foot model airplane, a mounted full Lynx, the bronze cherub antique light fixture, or the signature tables made from silo wood and porch posts-it's all affordable and fairly priced.

Secret shopper report #2

No sooner than I published my last blog post, I received another email from my friend regarding an estate sale she visited near her home:

"Good stuff, good prices. The woman running the sale was very nice, but the other woman working with her was NOT! And guess what? I saw them selling open bottles of liquor!!! Isn't that a NO-NO?"

Yes, selling ANY liquor at an estate sale is prohibited. In fact, I think there is a FEDERAL law prohibiting the resale of alcohol.

What was this estate sale person thinking??

Secret shopping

There were several garage and estate sales this weekend and I just couldn't be everywhere. A friend of mine called me yesterday morning and said she just visited two estate sales and sent me an e-mail all about them. They were actually the same two I had visited earlier in the morning and what she said quite disturbed me.

I'll actually quote her: "I was there on friday. Some good stuff, lots of junk, cluttered. The lady at the door was very polite. The "cashier" was not pleasant: when I offered a little less than what she asked for, answered "NO!" very abruptly. She could have said "sorry, I cannot take less..." or anything more polite."

I was at the same sale and I don't care for the woman who runs it and I know why she is cordial to me. Because I write about her. Rudeness in the estate sale business is something I believe will make or break you-and word does get around. In fact, my friend was not the only one who commented on this woman's rudeness- two other buyers did as well.

I did send this estate sale woman an email about my friend's experience and have received no reply as of yet.

This is what my friend said about the other sale she attended organized by Atlantic Estate Sales: "Sale was very neat, good stuff, the 2 young women were very nice. Prices were reasonable."

That is when my idea of the Estate Sale Secret Shopper was born. My friend LOVES her new role. She will go out to the estate sales and report back to me her experiences-positive or negative. I will write about her positive experiences and name the companies who treated her well. I will not name the companies that she had negative experiences with because I will contact them directly to give them a chance to respond. As always, I personally have to experience the negative behavior before I will name the company in my blog.

Let's see how it goes...

That's Entertainment

I digress from the theme of Estate and Garage sales for this post because my priority today is to book my kids birthday party.

As a work-at-home mom, I enjoy a little extra time while I am not commuting to a place of employment to do extra things. One of the things I do with my extra time (around 5 a.m. usually) these days is research entertainment for events that I am planning to have in the future.

In the past I have done my kids' parties at my local community center and the Little Gym (which I highly recommend as well). This year, however, I am doing a joint birthday party for my son and daughter because: A) their birthdays are only nine days apart; b) they are getting older; C) I can’t handle planning two birthday parties, especially around holiday time.

This year, their party will be held at DoodleBugz, a gift store and children's party center in Madison, NJ. The store and its attached party studio are located at 55 Main St. DoodleBugz offers several party themes to choose from and this year we are going with superheroes. DoodleBugz recommends bagels served when the party begins in the morning (I booked 10:30 am) or pizza served at the end. You provide any food, drink and paper goods. During the party, parents can take comfort in a parent lounge located at the front of the store featuring a flat screen TV and couches and chairs.

According to the party center, the Super Super Hero Convention theme which I chose has the kids decorate their own original power cape and super hero eye mask. They are given super hero (or villain!) names upon arrival and they will watch a mini laser light show with superhero music. The capes are decorated by the kids with felt stickers of different shapes, letters and numbers. The kids also get their face painted by the resident artist and play a kryptonite game with glowsticks directed by DoddlBugz professional party staff.

They get to take home their personalized (with initials) decorated cape, eye mask, and glow stick and the 90 minutes ends with a super hero parade. Now that’s what I call a party!

Another great sale and a fantastic view!

This morning I was on my way to a garage sale in Stirling, NJ when I happened upon and Estate Sale sign. I didn't know about this one, so I was curious and I followed the crowd.

Well, what I found was one interesting sale that I am actually going back to again tomorrow and bringing my husband. Check out the ad here. They were selling many different items from antiques and furniture to handmade quilts and records.

The location of the estate sale was beautiful as well. It was on a horse farm near a tranquil lake. Can't get better than that!

A garage sale you can learn from!

I had the pleasure of stopping by at a garage sale in Maplewood, NJ today that was a great example of what people should do when having a garage sale.
This particular sale was listed in my e-mail blast which I send out on Thursday evenings. The sale is located at 3 Oakland Terrace and will be tomorrow and Sunday starting at 9 am. For those of you who are around in the area this weekend, be sure to stop by! There is definitely something for everyone.

The reason I thought it was a great garage sale was because it was well organized and the prices were fair. The items being sold were either in their original boxes or in ziploc bags. There were toys and halloween costumes in one area, tools in another and housewares in another. Furniture was displayed in all areas and that made shopping more interesting. The items actually being sold in the garage was nicley set up as well.

I picked up a great wood and fabric folding chair while I was looking for toys, which they had an abundance of!

When you go out exploring and shopping garage sales, always try to notice the way people set things up and the prices they charge for items. Try to notice what their customers are buying too-these tips can help you with your own sale one day!

My opinion only

I went to a few estate and garage sales this past weekend, but one that really stood out pretty much shocked me for what they were selling. Now, I have seen many companies sell the entire contents of a house, right down to the window treatments.

This particular sale featured "famous maker bags and boxes. Tiffany, Gucci, Hermes, L.V.", the ad said. I assumes that I was going to see many beautiful handbags from these luxury designers. What I saw was the PAPER shopping bags being sold. Truthfully, this particular estate company did show the famous-maker shopping bags in the photos advertising the sale, I just thought there were prodcuts in those bags. Silly me.

I just couldn't believe that this estate company actually advised the client to sell the shopping bags. In fact, I asked the estate sale person in charge about selling the bags and she said people buy them if they actally have one of the real bags or even for window dressing for stores. She said the bags go for a lot more on the Internet and if you go into a store, "they sure don't give them away".

I know it's the estate company's responsibility to make the client as much money as possible, but selling paper shopping bags just didn't sit well with me.

Neither did it go over well with the store managers of these companies which I interviewed. I spoke to representatives from Louis Vuitton and Tiffany and they were very disturbed that profit may have been made on items that really should not be sold. Clients are given those shopping bags when they purchase a store item. It's that simple. Estate companies should not be selling Louis Vuitton paper shopping bags for $12.00.

Just so I didn't think I was overreacting, I asked another estate sales company owner her opinion. I actually had to explain myself a few times because she couldn't fathom selling the paper shopping bags. She said all paper shopping bags, regardless of who they are made by, are given to shoppers when they make a purchase at the sale. She added that if there are luxury brand shopping bags, these are the ones people choose first. However, they are given them to take their purchase home in.

That is how it should be.

A nice staff equals a nice experience

Since I have been visiting and shopping estate sales for several months now, I am learning a great deal about the estate sale business and who I can freely ask questions to.

One such person is April, from April's Estate Sales. I visited two of her estate sales this weekend, and she and her staff could not have been nicer to me. And it wasn't just to me-I stayed around to observe and they were pleasant and professional to everyone.

They are also knowledgeable and patient. A lot of people ask questions about items and some people want the items at such a deep discount that it's insane. I'm all for bargaining, but don't ask for a big discount on the first day of the sale; it just won't happen-and shouldn't. The people who hire estate sale companies expect them to get the best price for their belongings and that is what they should do. Truth be told, prices do go down on the last day of the sale, but rarely the first, let alone the first hour!

April and her staff are very organized and know their stuff. She has quite a few estate sales every weekend and makes sure every one is run professionally. If you or someone you know needs April's services, they provide on site free appraisals for every sale they book. They also will set up a free in home consultation to discuss your options and recommend what is best for your situation. They have porters or staff available to help you with you larger purchases. A month or so ago, I bought a table fro one of April's sales and Ritchie was kind enough to help me get it into my car-and it wasn't an easy job. Ritchie was courteous and very helpful on that day and all the other days I've seen him at the sales. I missed you today, Ritchie!

You can view April's upcoming sales here.

Beach town antiques

My family and I visited Ocean City, MD for the first time last week. I love the beach and it was so nice to be staying there.

On our way back after a day of sightseeing, we stopped off in the small town of Berlin, MD. It is really a charming town, full of antique shops, art galleries, and boutiques. There are even horse drawn carriage rides and live outdoor music on Friday nights. In fact, Berlin is so charming that two feature length movies were filmed here - Tuck Everlasting and Runaway Bride.

I visited Town Center Antiques, which is a large shop with many different vendors selling eveything you can think of. A few blocks away, was Toy Town Antiques. Toy Town sells vintage toys and it is great! They have a lot of trains and trucks, but they do have a room full of Barbie Dolls too. They also have vintage gumball machines and advertising signs.

I'm just sorry I wasn't in Berlin for their Annual sidewalk sale and the The Famous Berlin Bathtub Races that takes place during Berlin 2nd Friday Art Stroll in July. Maybe next year!

Back from the beach

I am sorry that I have not blogged in what seems like quite a long time, but I am now back from a family vacation in Ocean City, MD.

I will blog about this great little town I visited called Berlin, MD which was full of antique shops, but I wanted to start my first day back blogging about an estate sale I visited today.

I had the pleasure of going to a Red Star estate sale run by Mary Ann and Lily. They were both very friendly and knowledgable-and were very fair in thier pricing. Not only were they very professional, but they also were patient and answered the many questions I had. They were both attentive to all the buyers that were there and you could see they enjoy what they are doing.

I never really know what I will find when I visit estate sales, but I was very lucky today. I found a vintage New Yorker poster. A View of the World from Ninth Avenue, was The New Yorker cover of March 29, 1976. We had it in our home growing up and it brought back a lot of memories. It's now hanging in my kitchen.

It was my first visit to a Red Star estate sale and I will be back for others. In fact, they are holding another estate sale next week, in Morristown NJ. You can contact Red Star at redstarsales@optonline.net

Girl Power

I started my weekend early by attending two great estate sales orchestrated by very knowledgeable women. I have found that most of these estate companies are run by ( and mostly staffed by) women and I think that's fantatstic.

I went to a Cranberry Row Estate Sale and a Lori Palmer Estate Sale today, and they were both staffed by friendly people who offered to help you with any questions that you had. I was greeted with a smile and even though it was hectic for the sales people, they remained professional at all times.

Gotta give you shoppers a tip, though. Don't challenge an estate professional as to whether a Louis Vuitton handbag (or any other luxury brand item) is authentic or not. It is her job to know her merchandise, and if it is a knock-off, she will tell you! If you don't believe her, don't buy it!

If you want to check if you are getting a good deal on luxury brand, look on Ebay or Portero.com.

I'm not the only one!

It was a beautiful weekend to go out to garage and estate sales. I started compiling my e-mail blast of sales on Thursday and sent it out Thursday night for all those who opted-in. I hope you all found great bargains!

My husband had a great Father's Day partly because I found him some wonderful Jazz CD's at a neighborhood-wide garage sale. I love those sales-you just park your car and walk, or slowly drive around scanning the goods.

I picked up a great, small, air hockey table for my kids-just needs a puck-for a cool $20. Thank goodness for minivans!

My husband gave me a great book on garage sales- Garage Sale America, by Bruce Littlefield. He gives you tips on selling and shopping as well as telling you where some yearly garage sales are! It has some great photos, too. So, my fellow bargain hunters, we are not the only ones. Littlefield actually flew to a famous state-wide garage sale with $1,000 in his pocket and rented a truck to bring home his wares!

I'd also like to announce that some of my blog followers have asked me to keep on the lookout for certain things-so my personal shopping business has begun. All those on the lookout for books, furniture, sports equipment, vinyl records, old tools, Legos (yes! Legos!), let me know, and I will find them!

Have a great week :)

And an estate sale to remember!

After my less-than-fun excursion to a Pine Cone Antiques estate sale, I attended an estate sale organized and staffed by MPT Appraisals. Lorraine and her staff were pleasant and wonderful. This was my first estate sale with MPT and Susan greeted me with a smile at the door which was a welcome relief from where I just came from.

I introduced myself, told her who I was, and explained what I was doing and she seemed genuinely interested, as did Lorraine, when I offered her my card-which she accepted.

I explored the house, chose a few items and checked out. MPT prices were also very fair. Not only was shopping there a nice experience, but Tommy helped me carry the items to my car and put them in for me.

This readers, is how estate sales should be conducted. Thank you, MPT, for your professionalism and friendliness.

I will be referring you to those who need your services and recommending your estate sales in my weekly garage/estate sale e-mail blast.

An estate sale to forget..........

I am going to make an exception to my rule about not naming bad estate sale companies because I had an experience yesterday that I don't want any of my readers to have. And according to my research, this company has a history of being rude to customers based on the interviews I've conducted.

The company in the hotseat is Pine Cone Antiques. I found thier ad on nj.com and interestingly enough, they did not put thier company name down in the ad. You can't even find much about them on the internet and they are not even listed on estatesales.net. Now I know why.

When I walked in I felt like I just arrived to a funeral. Not one person working there greeted me or smiled. I tried introducing myself and giving my card to the woman in charge and she just looked at me and walked away. Without taking my card or even uttering a greeting! This was going to be interesting.

I looked around the house, found some items, and began to check out. I noticed the woman was impatient with customers, barked out orders to buyers, and seemed very stressed out- and showed it. Estate sales are important, albeit stressful jobs, but there is a proper way of conducting youself and I've seen many people do it with class and professionalism. My next post will show that.

Pine Cone's staff (which included her rather surly husband and another unfriendly woman)  WAS NOT helping people pack up thier purchases, help carry them, or being particularly helpful in general. The last straw came when I was chatting with another buyer in the (empty) kitchen and the woman in charge walks between us and says "move it, move it, move it, I'm very busy and you just can't stand around here!" At first  I thought she was joking, but she wasn't joking. Even the man I was chatting with told her she was rude!

Well, I don't tolerate this type of behavior and she and I had words and I told her that I would be blogging about this. She shot back, "well, I don't read your blog!"

Well, Barbara, many people do, and will hopefully NOT attend your sales.

A barn sale

This was a new one on me. I've never been to a barn sale until this past weekend. And if I owned a barn, this would be exactly what I'd do with it.

As part of my sale preparation for the weekends, I look on craiglist to see where the garage sales are being held and I map out where I'm going. I read about this sale and I had to go even if it was a bit farther than I usually venture.

Well, I was not dissapointed. This barn sale was being held by the owner and in each part of the barn there was indeed something for everyone as the ad said. There were loads of antiques, collectibles, furniture, tools, toys - even crafts made by the barn owner herself.

There was even this $1 wood item area where one could find different parts of something and create something new.

I actually came home with a few wooden items and will let you know how and what this "project" turns out to be!

Have a garage sale....at someone else's house!

I happened upon two interesting sales this weekend and I will blog about each one separately.

I always like to look at antiques and there was an ad for that at a house pretty close to mine. This nice couple were major collectors-they had eveything from crystal chandeliers and vintage doorbells to Italian ceramic ashtrays and 1950s barware. It was fun to look around but what was interesting was they had the garage sale not at thier home-but at thier realtor's!

The realtor was a very nice woman who offers her front yard out to her clients (and former clients) to hold garage sales. This particular couple found a house through this realotr off the beaten path and the realtor said there was now way they could hold a successful sale at thier location, so she offered up hers. She lives on a major street in my town and at the end of the day, they had a very successful sale.

The moral of this post is, if you don't think your sale location will attract potential buyers, borrow a friend's -- or realtor's.

Garage sale case study number one

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!There were some garage sales this weekend despite it being a holiday weekend. Since not many sales happened, I want to devote this post to one particular sale and use it as an example to help people if they should embark on thier own garage sale.

I went to a sale yesterday and the seller happened to be very into dolls. Not just the run-of-the-mill barbie doll, but "collectable" baby dolls with wardrobes bigger than most hollywood starlets. She was asking $40 on up (some were being offered at $80!!) for these dolls that I'm sure only another collector would buy.

However, across the garage was a very nice Noritake snack plate and cup set in the Violette pattern as shown in the photo.

The seller was offering the set-eight plates and eight cups for $15.00! According to the Replacements web site which buys and sells china, crystal and silver, ONE placesetting alone is being offered at $23.99! The web site notes that this Violette pattern #3054 was sold between 1948 - 1958. That makes sense considering the seller mentioned it was one of her wedding gifts!

The moral of this post is, if you want to have a successful garage sale, research the value of any china, glassware, antiques or collectibles which you are selling-not just the items that you are really interested in! If the seller took the time to research the value of the Noritake set like she did her dolls, she would have made a bigger sale on the china than just $15.00. And I'm sure her dolls went back into her house with her after her sale.

The second day of a sale is always the best......

Happy Monday! I started this week by returning to that estate sale from yesterday which was still packed full of items. Alicia, Ken, and their team from Priceless Find worked very hard to organize the multitude of items and give buyers fair pricing. Truth be told, pricing is better on the second day of the sale, if there is anything left!

As I was walking through the house-and it was a beautiful house-I bumped into Judy, whom I met a few weeks ago at another sale. Judy runs a catering business called Beyond Delicious Catering and the menus on her web site are truly tantalizing. ChecK her site out here.

Well, have a good week. I have a few garage sale blog projects I'm working on so, stay tuned!

A sunday sale

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Even though I've been blogging about garage/estate sales for just a short time, I am learning a great deal based on my own research and speaking with the experts as well as the buyers who start waiting on line at the crack of dawn.

There was a sale today and usually there are very few Sunday sales. It was orchestrated by Priceless Find, an estate, house sale and contents liquidation service. I think having a sale on Sunday and Monday is a great idea because they have very little competition on those days. The buyers who go out often don't have to choose between sales because the Sunday sale will be one of the very few.

It was a very interesting sale because the items were very diverse - vintage clothing and jewelry to dolls and stuffed animals. Truly something for everyone.  They even were selling unopened model kits and star wars action figures. People were buying dolls, clothes, lamps and coming back for more.  

Like the Priceless Find web site states "It is amazing what people will buy; We have sold post cards, matches, manuals, unopened food, cleaning supplies, clothing, linens, towels, clothing, sheets, and glassware." I couldn't agree more, because I have actually witnessed people buying these things and more! A big seller as well, in what I've experienced,  is tools. Yes, many people will directly head down to the basement first in search of that very handy power tool.

All in all, it was a  unique sale based on what was offered and I might go back to visit again tomorrow because I was told they haven't unpacked everything yet.

Thanks again, Ken, for being patient and answering my questions!

Seller Beware!

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Well, I had a great sale weekend because I met a lot of nice people who asked me to e-mail them about my blog. Fawn and Debra, it was nice meeting you and I hope you found some great things at that estate sale. Also hello to Tommie who is from Cove Carpet in Summit. I did find one record at that sale! More on that estate sale in my next post.

This will be a short post because I wanted to separate it from the other happenings of this weekend because I am dedicating this post to something I bought for just $2.00 that I believe is worth a considerable amount more. I don't want to mention what it is just yet, until I can get it appraised. But what I will tell you, is that it is a piece of jewelry that is stamped 14k. It was among many items in a tray of mostly costume jewelry a person was selling at his garage sale.

The moral of this post is-keep your eyes open and even if it doesn't look real, spend a little more time examining it because it just might be something valuable-or at least more valuable than the asking price! Stay tuned....

Wishful thinking works!

The other night as I was going through my garage sale finds, I thought to myself that I need a screen to divide the room that they are stored in. I searched on Amazon.com, but I didn't find anything that I would buy because they all looked kind of flimsy. I should note that the reason I am now actually shopping garage/estate sales, is because I am going to announce some "challenges" during the next few months. One being, the challenge to furnish a guestroom  for $500 or less. After the challenge is over, I will be raffling off some of the pieces in the room. Another "challenge" is for me to find something at a garage sale item that is worth much more than I paid for it. Stay tuned for that one!

Getting back to my screen dilemma, I put that in the back of my mind as I was preparing for the sales for the next few days. I unexpectedly found an estate sale run by Brenda Hogan Devereux and her great team from The Real McCoy.  I love that name, by the way!

Everyone on Brenda's team was friendly and very helpful. I'm pointing that out because you have a lot of people walking in and out of these sales, and overseeing all the activity, in my opinion, can be stressful! I am waiting on line with these buyers and I know whereof I speak! These shoppers can be brutal and a professional, alert, and composed estate sales team deserves a lot of credit. Not only do they have to constantly keep a watchful eye on people wandering around the house, but they also carefully pack up your purchases and help you to your car! Thank you, Real McCoy, and if you send me all of your names, I will post them :)

As I was exploring the house, I found my way down into the basement where lo and behold, in the back of the room, was a three panel screen! I couldn't believe my good fortune, because, 1. it was nice, 2. it was in great condition, and 3. at $45, I could afford it on my garage sale budget! It was also a unique design that I have never seen before shopping in the retail world.

Now the screen has a new home and an important job to do. I dusted it, shined it up, and it looks great.

As a reminder, please let me know of any questions that you have about antiques (antiques are defined as items no less than 100 years old, I found out today) or vintage pieces in general or even a specific one, because now I have met professionals who have agreed to be my experts on this subject for my blog.

Have a great weekend!

A few estate sale tips

Last Friday, I went to two estate sales. I visited the first one because it was the home contents of a former DJ and he was downsizing and selling his records-about 10,000 of them! I went there specifically for the records, and purchased several of them (nowhere near 10,000). I would have stayed longer to explore the other contents but I was very dissapointed by the woman running the estate sale. Her attitude toward people she did not know who were waiting on line was rude and she would only acknowledge the people she knew-who were dealers. In fact, as I was standing next to her, she told a dealer she held the first nine numbers to give out to those she knew. That, I was told, was not very ethical.  I acually asked her if I could have a low number since she had eight left and she gave me a flat-out "Noooo." 

After waiting 10 minutes after she let the first 40 people in (I was #47), I made my way to the basement where the records were. The DJ was there and he gave me a fair price and even helped me choose ones my husband would enjoy. I walked around the other rooms and didn't find much, but what I did find was that the prices were too high for what was being offered.  Needless to say, I don't think I would attend another estate sale she was running because I don't believe I would get a fair price based on her demeanor and attitude. Something just didn't sit well with me regarding the way she conducts business.

In the afternoon, I stopped by another one of Evelyn Gordon's estate sales and the atmosphere was completely different. Her prices were fair and she also tells you about what you are purchasing and even helps you wrap your items up securely. She is also open to answering questions as well. I asked her how to tell an item is sterling silver or just plated. She explained that silver plated items do not "give". Sterling silver "gives" and bends easier. The real way to tell 100 percent is with an acid test, but carrying around a kit could be a little dangerous!

I'm learning that there are many kinds of people who run estate sales, but very few who you would enjoy talking to-and learning something from.  Evelyn has offered to answer questions about antiques for my blog so if anyone has an item to inquire about, please let me know. Thanks Evelyn!

A very busy weekend

I have way too much to write for one blog post about my experiences this past weekend, so I will write a few posts on different topics over the next few days.

I'll start, though, to blog about where I visited today. Since it was pretty close to my house, I visited Second Dibs, an antique warehouse full of eclectic and reasonably-priced antiques. They also sell their items online at http://www.seconddibs.com./ The warehouse was full of really cool furniture, lamps, wall art, and more. This is a great place to go if you need to furnish any room in your house, because I'm quite sure you will find something that catches your eye.

While I was exploring the warehouse, I noticed a postcard advertising hosting a Ladies Night Out party there. I don't know about you, but I will take any excuse to get out of the house and away from two toddlers for a little while! I spoke to Stephanie from Second Dibs, and she explained that they will provide the space to host your party (and the antiques to browse and buy), while you supply the wine and cheese or whatever strikes your fancy. I thought that was a great idea-and so did some of my friends that I mentioned it to. Come tomorrow evening, I'll be sending my Ladies Night invite out!

Take a number

This weekend's garage sales were very interesting. It was all about fundraising. I went to one church sale, one town-wide garage sale, and one middle school sale.

The church sale. It was scary! People had arrived very early because they were giving out numbers to get in! And if you didn't have a number, woe to you if you even looked at the door! I even had a few choice words with a woman who accused me of trying to get in without a number.  The funny thing was, I was speaking with another woman who gave me an earful about certain types of people who go to these church sales. She gave me her card (she is a caterer who goes to sales all the time-when I find your card, Judy, I'll link to your web site!). I told her I was going to write a random number on the back of her card to see if I get in! I chickened out of that social experiment, because she warned me that I could get beat up if I wrote a number someone else had! Seriously, I was really blown away by how aggressive people can get while waiting on line to get into these sales. In any case, I was not impressed by the sale, although I did come away with a $10 Radio Flyer Trike for my son and a kid's white wooden rocking chair for $15.

The middle school sale was crazy. They had it in one big room, with one door in and one door out. Can you say fire hazard? The sale was set up by aisle and it was very difficult to navigate. I did find a really cool Radio Flyer Retro Rocket ride on with lights and sound for $5. It looks like it was barely used, so my son made out well. 

Last but certainly not least, was the town-wide garage sale. The coordinator was handing out maps at the  local Elks Club with addresses of the private homes having sales.  Tables were even set up at the Elks Club for people to sell their wares if they didn't want to have the sale at their home. The tables at the Elks Club cost about $25 to rent for the day and that money went to charity. I think having a garage sale for a charity is a great idea and I brought up the idea to the fundraising chair at my daughter's school who will look into it.

For all you readers searching for garage sales this coming weekend, here is a new web site I just found:
http://www.yardsalesearch.com/   It's a state-wide web site for yard sales! So if you happen to be going on a road trip, you can fit some yard sales in on the way :)

You Never Know What You Will Find......

Or what you will end up using it for. That was what I learned today.

This morning I stopped by at a garage sale specifically for my husband. He's learning how to play the banjo and enjoys Bluegrass music and funny enough, the ad for this sale advertised Bluegrass records. Yes, vinyl records. More on why records later. In any event, the couple having the sale were musicians and had not only Bluegrass records, but magazines as well. My husband was very happy. They even had a instrument stand which I bought for $5.00. I began talking to them and they are actually having a concert in the near future and we are planning on going to hear them play.

While on my way to another estate sale I saw a sign for a different one and I stopped in, only to run into an antique dealer I know from my neighborhood antique shop. John is a really nice guy and very knowledgeable. Check out his web site, Autumn Antiques.

My next stop was an estate sale organized by Evelyn Gordon of  Evelyn Gordon Antiques. If you recall, I attended one of her sales last week. She's great to talk to and answers any questions you have on a particular item. I found a blue painted Lane cedar chest with Queen Ann legs that I thought would look great in my daughter's room. Kind of Shabby Chic, don't you think? The problem was where to put it, because a changing table is taking up too much real estate.

Problem solved. I turned the chest into a changing table of sorts. The best thing is, one day I can also use it for what it was actually designed for! My daughter thinks its the greatest thing. Why she still needs a changing table at three and a half is another story.

I'd love to hear your stories about things you have found that you ended up using in non-traditional ways.

Let's Backtrack

As I am preparing for this coming weekend's sales, I want to share with you what happened last weekend and note some interesting web sites.

I attended my first estate sale run by Evelyn Gordon of http://evelyngordonestatesales.com/. I didn't expect to find anything but furniture and china, so I was surprised when I walked down to the basement to find a nice collection of Jazz cd's (yes, a few of them came home with me for my husband). Apparently, the former owners also had a love of reel to reel tapes, because there were dozens of those as well. I couldn't believe when one man actually bought the reel to reel machine and all the tapes! I asked him why he wanted them and he said he was going to resell them. There you have it-people will buy items at these sales to sell them for a bigger profit.

Other shoppers also bought books, tablecloths, old cameras, and tools. Every room had something for sale in it-even the garage.

I spoke to the coordinators of the sale and was told that more and more house or estate sales are cropping up because people are downsizing and want to live a simpler life. I just think they want to sell their things to buy other things :) As I was researching more sales to explore, I happened upon this web site: http://www.estatesales.net/. I think it's pretty cool-and it even has photos of items at the estate sales.

I hit a few other garage sales over the weekend and picked up a few things for my kids. Many of the things I found were brand new, unopened.  I asked one woman why she didn't get to open these great things and she said she forgot about them because she was hiding them from her husband! I definitely could relate -especially when she added that he doesn't mind when she brings home Yankee tickets :) Now her kids were too old for many of those toys. She also told me she actually rents a storage facility. I thought she was talking about her garage, but it is an actual storage unit!  I guess she just wanted to downsize over the weekend  before her husband came home from the Yankee game;)

On the way back I got a flat and I'm still driving around with the spare. Haven't fixed it for various reasons but I need to soon because I have to make sure my ride holds up for my weekend expeditions.

Stay tuned.

The Season Has Started

Spring has at last arrived and everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. They are also busy cleaning out thier homes and garages. Yes, this is the time of the year when garage sales pop up on almost every block in suburbia.

Truthfully, I never bought anything at a garage sale until I moved out of New York City and found myself in a leafy suburb in New Jersey. My husband and I used to frequent the downtown antique markets in NYC on many nice weekends, but these days, I find myself exploring garage sales solo-or with friends. Many men don't enjoy garage sales, that is until you find something they like! I am saying this not only from my experience, but from many women I have met venturing out on early weekend mornings.
My blog will be about my garage sale adventures. Who I meet, what I learn from them and of course, what I find. I'll explore estate sales as well as fundraising sales. I'll share buying (and selling!) tips with you. I'll discuss sales that I have just happened upon, only to find something really great-usually for my kids :)

It is truly amazing what people actually sell and even more so, what they buy. Stay tuned, you're truly in for a bumpy ride :)