Do you enjoy going to estate sales?

If you’ve never been to one…let me just tell you – they’re pretty cool.

You never know what you’ll see or what you’ll find.  Its like a going on a treasure hunt except that you don’t know what it is you’re hunting until you find it.  And sometimes you even have to ‘dig’ for the treasure…inside boxes, in garages or workshops, under sheds, etc. etc., etc.  If you’re not willing to do this you may be missing out on some great opportunities. And besides, where do you think most of the inventory from your favorite antique shop comes from?

Most estate sales hold ‘preview’ sales the day before they open to the public.  And that’s when the dealers do their shopping …if you wait until the day the sale ‘begins’ you may have already missed out!  Most of the furniture pieces go during the preview sale, fyi.

You may not be aware of this, but most ‘preview’ sales are open to the public – all you need to do is get on the mailing list of the promoters (the ones holding the sale).  And believe me, they’d love to add you to their list!

Another reason you might like to go to one of these sales is that most of the time (not always) the sales take place in older, really interesting homes.  So its also an opportunity to see different design styles and architecture.  Sometimes the homes themselves are for sale.  Its a great chance to see a home without having to wait until it goes on the market.

When I started going to these sales I felt a bit uncomfortable at first, because I felt like I was intruding.  But then I realized these sales go on at the request of the families.

Now I no longer feel this way.

It makes me feel good to find new uses for some of the old things I find…unusual things (sometimes) that may end up in the trash otherwise.

And being an artist…there is always the opportunity to find a use for an unusual thing!

Well,…maybe not always.