Estate Sale Shopping

Small chair as book stand

Small chair as book stand

Every once in awhile, I like to shop an estate sale; most often, a company holds such a sale in interesting or easy-to-reach locales. Many of the pieces I have found at estate sales have been placed in rooms that have beenselected for them; however, from time to time, the pieces move from room to room.

Shopping estate sales is fun as long as you have an open mind and are willing to shop out of order, so to speak. I may go looking for something specific for one client and find something that I need for another client; the item has been on my radar for sometime, but has not yet presented itself, and then, there it is. I often find myself looking at a piece, wondering why it has caught my eye. My brain goes through its catalog of clients and needs until it hits me that the piece would be perfect for a specific person. I like to shoot a picture and text it to my client to let him or her decide if I should pick it up. At times, the client may want to stop by in persona and take a look or pass on it entirely.

Sometimes, when shopping with my daughter, we come across something that we do not actually need, but the piece draws us into considering it for one of our homes. Such was the case with the little chair pictured here. Estate sales often run for several consecutive days, the first being the most expensive day, because everything is at full price; the second and subsequent days offer 25%-50% off, and the third day may offer items up to 75% off. We found this little chair on the third day of the sale, making it a super bargain and hard to pass up. Also, with the inventory at its lowest, we actually saw the chair, since I’m not sure I saw it on the previous visit.

The chair is a sturdy little oak piece with nicely turned legs, but otherwise fairly plain and modest—a perfect piece for a small corner of a room. The chair is of standard height, but has petite dimensions; I imagine it was at one time a child’s chair. It found a home in the corner of my daughter’s bedroom just outside the bathroom. It can be employed as extra seating inside or out, for parties, I suppose; but for now she’s happy to have it hold a few books. There is no guarantee that it will remain in its present location, but the corner previously seemed a bit empty.

Estate sales can have everything and anything a person has collected over a lifetime. Many things are ordinary items we all have, but many interesting books, pieces of art, furniture, garden and garage items may be found as well. If you need extra serving pieces for buffet dinners, estate sales might be a perfect place to add to your collection. You will find an interesting collection of shoppers as well. It can be a fun and expensive day out for some or just an interesting day.