In the estate sale industry, everyone from buyers to sellers are eager to find priceless treasures, that one find that will make them smile from one ear to the other, so we decided to talk to a few of our frequent estate sale shoppers and you won’t believe what they had to share.
There’s no denying that estate sales bring people together, whether it’s our avid shoppers that come to every sale or the neighbors that stop in because they’ve never been to one before, or are curious to know what’s going on in their neighborhood when they see cars lined up and down the street standing in front of a home in the early morning.
We asked Brenda, one of our frequent shoppers what attracts her to estate sales?
“I enjoy shopping, and finding unique items, you never know what you can get at an estate sale, but I’ll be honest with you, it’s the people I meet, and the relationships I’ve built over the years that keep me coming”.
That was an interesting response, so we wanted to know more.
“At one of your estate sales, I was waiting outside and one of the neighbors came out, she was an elderly lady in her 70’s. She chatted with me for a second, and as we were entering the house, I helped her walk in with her cane, and proceeded to tell her what the item prices were. She couldn’t see very well, but she was so interested to walk around and talk to me.”
She continues….
“I was obviously on the hunt for my estate sale find, but for some reason, I couldn’t leave her alone, and when I did, she would call me again to tell her what the price is on something”.
“After the sale, I can see she bought two large glass bowls, but had no way of carrying them with one cane in her right hand, so I politely asked, would you like me to walk you home and carry those for you? She smiled and said, yes Brenda, thank you.”
“As we walked at her pace “slowly” down the street, she began to chat and I can see she started to tear up. She asked me if I have any children, and I replied letting her know that I was blessed to have three young children. She stopped, looked at me with tears and her eyes and said, I don’t need any glass bowls, I was just home alone and saw people outside, you know, I have one son who’s never around and a daughter that suffers from mental illness that I never see. You are a god send Brenda and I’m so glad I found you today, thank you for spending this time with me and helping me.”
Brenda says she suddenly found herself tearing up, here she was at an estate sale on the hunt for a priceless find, and someone found her instead.
“I walked her to her door, set the stuff down and handed her my phone number in case she ever needs anything, I didn’t buy much stuff from your sale that day, but I felt very satisfied, and thankful. She has called me twice since, we talk on the phone, and I am so glad I met this lady.”
Brenda’s story is just one of the few we’ve heard, all the stories had a common tone, “relationships, and touching moments”. Estate sales do bring people together, and it’s possibly what we enjoy the most at Grasons Co.
This and many of the stories we’ve heard only confirms what we know to be true, and the reason we have a passion for the industry we serve.
There are many priceless treasures to be found at estate sales, we’re not talking about furniture, jewelry, or decorative items. The next priceless treasure could be you or someone you meet.
If you’ve had a touching moment at an estate sale, or an experience you’d like to share, send us a message or leave us a comment, we’d love to share it with everyone else. You’re welcome to remain anonymous if you choose.