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