Estate sales, garage sales and yard sales are great places to locate unique, often vintage home decor on a budget.I'm a firm believer in creating a look that is collected over time, rather than having a room appear like it was purchased all at once from the page of a catalog. Designers such as Nate Berkus agree. Hence, gathering off-beat pieces that already have served their purposes in other people's homes holds tremendous appeal.
This morning I located two estate sales going on within five miles of the castle using estatesales.net, and I tweeted about the experience using the hashtag #sales0906.
Estatesales.net, along with estatesales.org and estatesale.com, are great tools for finding sales in your area. A number of listing services also exist for finding garage sales and yard sales, such as yardsalesearch.com and gsalr.com.
What is an estate sale?
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| Professionals from Attics to Basements arrange goods. |
Attics to Basements Estate Sales managed one of the events I visited. Manager Vicki Parker explained that estate sales differ from standard garage sales because of the scale--a whole house full of belongings, as opposed to a small subset--as well as the quality of what's available.
"Estate sales also are better for the sellers because they make more money," Parker said. "They attract a different type of shopper, such as serious collectors."
Bargain-hunting for treasures
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| Prices at one estate sale ranged from 50-cent coffee mugs to a $400 dining table. |
The later in the sale a shopper visits, the less expensive items become. Parker said that most estate sales operate on a graduated discount schedule. For example, a four-day sale would offer items at 20 percent off on the second day, 40 percent off on the third day, and 60 percent off on the fourth day.
Parker indicated that shoppers also can negotiate discounts if they buy large quantities of items or if they frequent sales managed by a company such as Attics to Basements.
Whereas shopping later in a sale yields better prices, shopping earlier presents a better selection. The first sale I visited today had just started, and goods filled every room in the large home. The second sale was within two hours of closing on its fourth and final day, and earlier shoppers had purchased a majority of the offerings.
I personally have my eye on a bicycle-shaped planter from the first sale I visited today, but I'm hoping the price comes down a bit on it tomorrow. [UPDATE: The planter had been sold when I went back.]
What sort of things do you look for at estate sales and garage sales? Have you ever made a particularly exciting find at such an event?
My whole house is a collection of "found treasures." I, too, prefer pieces with stories and histories rather than a room that looks like it came straight from one of the Big Box stores. I used to indulge my estate and garage sale habit with an antique booth of my own. I would recycle my found treasures to my booth if things needed to be shifted around a bit at home or my husband was complaining that I was bordering on becoming a hoarder. I applaud your estate sale hunts and hope you find some unique pieces for The Castle. Happy Hunting!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see your collection! I didn't find much that really struck me this time, but maybe next time. Sometimes the joy is in the hunt.
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