Nick (from Mid Century Midwest) and I made plans Friday evening to attend a Saturday morning estate sale in Crestwood. We had both looked through all the pics on line and had called "dibs" on our respective desires and decided on what time we'd meet in the morning. It was to be the perfect morning hanging with a bud and buying up some great vintage loot. But all was not well in the land of potentially great vintage Crestwood estate sale loot.
Here's how Saturday morning went down. First, I dropped my post for the day here at Mr.
Modtomic at like 1am. I finished up messing about on the web and got to bed about 2:30am.
My alarm wakes me up at 5:35am. The Girlfriend and I are on the road just after 6am and we
arrived about 6:35am at the Steve & Sheri Estate Sale scheduled to open at 10am. Nick
is waiting alone at the address and is ostensibly first in line making us second and third. We're
gonna clean up! Awesome, right?! Nope. Apparently Steve & Sheri decided sometime
Friday night after supplying the address to change the terms of their sale to include putting the
line numbers out Friday night. Once you have the address to a sale do YOU ever check back
to see if anything has changed? I don't mind that estate sale companies do this but shouldn't
they give buyers MUCH MORE Lead Time? It would seem that some other buyers had
checked the ad after the new terms of sale had been published because we suddenly found
ourselves not 1, 2, 3 but 7, 8, 9. Not cool. Not cool at all. There is no reason I would ever
get out of bed after 3 hours sleep to be that far back in line and there wasn't any reason to
stick around and spend our money at this sale. An avid reader just asked me via e-mail a few
days ago if I ever avoid any particular estate sales based on the sale company for any reason
and I told her that there is One but I couldn't remember the reason as it was so long ago. Well
now there are Two and the reason for the second is crisp and clear. I don't think I'll be
attending any further Steve & Sheri estate sales in the near future. Maybe some day I'll
be able to get past this "burn"...we'll see. But i digress...
...After leaving the Estate Fail (see how I did that...Estate Sale - Estate Fail...ah Ha!) Nick, the
Girlfriend and I stopped by a local Denny's for a quick bite and to decide what to make of the
rest of our day. Luckily Nick had printed out directions to a "MCM Flea Market" on the south
side and we all decided that this would be our next destination. That is where I found the set
above! Nice right? Danish Sofa and a Long Coffee table? What's not to love?! Oh...also
"Farm Fresh" BTW. Hey, I was tired...from napping the rest of the day...and unloading this...and
taking pics of the Eric Buck dining set. Like I said...tired.
As Farm Fresh goes, this danish style sofa is pretty clean. Oh sure, it needs to be gone over but
it's gonna clean up really nice. I'm just happy that there are good usable cushions on it that, while
maybe they are a little "loud", are not turning to dust or smell funny! Paisley, Orange and Green.
That's some color right there my friends....yes indeedy. Very Scandinavian, don't ya think?
What sucks is that it's gonna be like Super Perfect weather ALL Week, yet it drizzled here ALL
Day today when I could have been outside giving this the "Rub Down". It won't be as easy a
job as the Slavic Modern lounge chair but I'm sure it wouldn't take more than a few hours with
the Minwax Antique Finish Restorer and some steel wool to get the wood frame back in order.
Plus I need to get these two chairs out of the garage and go over them as well. I'll be able to
furnish someones Entire living room with this setup when I'm done!
The table also needs some aesthetic attention. It's in the kinda shape that if I had kids and pets
and drunken friends over on a regular basis I would just clean it with some Murphy Oil Soap
and call it a day, but it will benefit greatly from the full treatment and look super spiffy when done.
There are a couple of loose joints that need a dose of glue as well. Easy fixes all. It's nice to
finally not be afraid to do a little light refinish work and so help put these in a nice home where
they can be used again as intended.
Check out the bottom of the table. There are metal rails under there that look like maybe some
trays slid into! Anybody ever run into a coffee table like this before with under trays? I'd love
to see a picture of one with the trays (or extensions if that is what they are) slid out. There's no
maker stamp on either of these pieces but the sofa is dated. As a matter of fact, it's date
stamped like four or five times! It's gonna be 50 years old in just a couple of days. I'm gonna
give a rub down and new straps for it's birthday. Why a date but no maker stamp? Beats me.
Hope everybody had a good weekend of great scores or project finishes too!
Yeah, I'm staying away from any future Steve and Sheri sales. That was terrible. We did make out pretty well in the end though. Always have a backup plan.
ReplyDeleteI've got the rest of our saga up over at Mid-Century Midwest.
Deletehttp://midcenturymidwest.blogspot.com/2012/03/weekend-update.html
Hi Nick. Thanks for being prepared! The Rocket Century sale definitely helped sooth the sting. Did you know that we can leave Feedback on Estatesales dot Net? I left my (polite, professional)little missive yesterday.
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ReplyDeleteI almost went to this one because I really loved the stereo cabinet which I'm sure went super fast!
ReplyDeleteWas the MCM Flea Market a one time thing, or is it something that's ongoing? I must have missed that somewhere.
Also, I'm probably going to be shooting you an email later today about some danish modern chairs I picked up because I'm puzzled at how to restore them.
Hi Rachel. Me Too! All I was really after was the stereo and maybe the Broyhill china cabinet. I was thinking that the bottom of that small china cab would be a great TV stand and the top would have looked great with some legs attached.
DeleteWe are hoping to get Rocket Century to have the sale again a few more times this spring and summer like a "Pop Up Sale". I'm hoping to be part of it next time. It was announced on craigslist as a retro sale the day before.
I'd be happy to help any way I can with your chairs!
Hey Mr. Modtomic-- we went to the same sale yesterday, got there 1 hour early and were #22 & 23. Naturally all the good stuff had sold stickers on them by then. We were interested in the pointed mirror (still available) but on closer look it was wood toned plastic!!! However, down in the basement the Lane acclaim end table and coffee table set was sold, but I noticed in the far dark corner another Lane acclaim end table-- there had been three!! We snatched up the tag and it is now gleaming in our study. It is in like-new condition! We were thrilled to see something the professional pickers had overlooked. It made our day. When I was paying I did inquire about the numbers, and was somewhat torqued..... cc (cluelesscampers)
ReplyDeleteWow! How'd I miss that table? Where was it? Those dealers really cleared the place out fast and they were willing to break the rules to do so. What a disappointment.
DeleteNick-- It was in the large basement room where the other set was, but on the front wall of the house (the wall the bookcases were on),
Deletebut next to the couch in the northeast corner of the house. Between the couch and the end wall, very dark and hidden. cc (cluelesscampers)
Hi CCs. I too was intrigued by that pointed mirror. I would have grabbed it up regardless...if the price was right! Good snatch on the end table. Poor Nick was really looking forward to having a full set of matched and in good condition Acclaim tables. Steve & Sheri really dropped the ball on this sale and I think they'll feel it...if only a little bit.
DeleteWow, that is really lame of them. I've been to a couple Steve and Sherri sales. Both times a couple different people grabbed 3 or 4 numbers for their friends who weren't there yet and didn't get there untill a couple minutes before the sale opened. Also, last one I went to the guy running things, who I assume was 'Steve', seemed to be a very unhappy fellow and was less than courtious to me when I asked him a question. That makes 2 of us that wont be attending any more of their sales.
ReplyDeleteI also went to the rocket century sale. They had some good stuff. I didn't get there until 8 but things were selling fast and I bet we missed even more good stuff since it opened at 7. My girlfriend got a nice wood/fiberglass room divider and I got a partial set of Vernonware by Metlox 'Heavenly Days' dishware for like 20 bucks. I was excited to see the sputnik light fixture was still there when I parked, then I looked at it. It was all sorts of broken! Glad you guys were able to salvage your day!
Hi Nick. It takes a lot for me to remember a business in either a good or a bad way but I'll be remembering this sale / fail for a long time to come.
DeleteThe Rocket Century sale was great! All kinds of potential to be had. I saw your dishes sitting on the "pay" table and lamented our late arrival. I love that pattern but have none. That poor poor sputnik chandelier...how sad was THAT!
I went by the same sale Friday night at 5:30, just in case they put out numbers. They must have done it pretty late! Also not too pleased, but really don't think there was much to go around. Talked them down on a bookcase, but it wasn't anything too special. I also will be avoiding in the future, as I had another disappointing experience at a previous sale.
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy. Is this "Put the numbers out the night before" thing something new? I've seen it a couple of times this winter utilized in an effort to keep people (Me...Nick...Illuminate..other idiots like us I'm sure) from freezing our toes off the morning of, but I've never seen this used before then. I'm not a fan of. Like Nick said, apparently the first buyer to show up took more than one number. Who's to keep them from taking as many as they want, reserving spots for all their friends who don't bother to go out and get numbers for themselves. I gotta say, I'm not a fan and I will be boycotting almost all of the sales that give out numbers any time but the morning of a sale.
DeleteHey there! I actually really like the slat sofa and the coffee table placed together, and I'm excited to see that you will be giving them the TLC they deserve! The slat sofa was from an estate in Ladue that I attended a long while back, and I had great intentions of fixing it, but just got overwhelmed with other projects. It was time for someone like yourself to get the job done right. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was great seeing you and your cool crew on Saturday at our sale and chatting it up. I have to say, you're a great inspiration on the blogging, because I just looked at mine again and,OOOPS, I haven't blogged since December! Yikes!
We had a great time chatting up our obsession with you guys and meeting some of your other friends. It's so fun to be around other people like us who totally appreciate the hunt and the find of great modern vintage pieces!
I bet your pieces will look great when all finished! Enjoy!
Hi RC. Your sale was great and I hope it was a huge success for your two! I know it was a lot of work but it seemed like you were going to be packing back up a lot less than set up. The sofa and table will be getting the rub down soon. The weather is starting to cooperate with us (Sunday not withstanding) which helps with the effort. It can be hard to decide what to prioritize when there are estate sales, flea markets, family events, friends, other interests, yard work, house work, laundry...all vying for your time! Hopefully you'll have another sale soon (I know...ugh) and maybe you'll invite me and perhaps a few others to set up too and we'll get to gab and gossip all day long!
DeleteOh yeah, and get on that Blog!!!
DeleteI actually kind of like the fabric on the sofa. In the right setting it would look great.
ReplyDeleteHi Vintage H. Yeah, and it's in great shape too! I don't plan on doing anything to the cushions. I'll leave the upholstery decision to the next owners. But for realz...it's got some KaPOW to it!
DeleteHey there I just wanted to let you know I linked your Blog on my own post (Thank you for inspiring/guilting me into finally blogging again. LOL) I did a fun post on the Yard Sale referencing you and Nick. Our blog is at http://rocketcentury1.blogspot.com/ Thanks again for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHi (again) RC. Thanks for the link. I wish you blogcasted more regularly. I'd love to include your blog in my list. I try to keep the list populated with blogs that get updated regularly. Sometimes I drop a blog that is being ignored by its owner in favor of a new blog that looks like it has some potential. I like to promote those who promote themselves. But anyway, I do have a link on the right to your online shop!
DeleteMy first reaction was all "WHOA, Oh no they didn't!" then I saw your Estate Fail line, and started to chuckle. Further reading brought to your awesome scores - I love that coffee table! A well rounded post indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nells V H. Thanks, I try to keep in light and entertaining as well as a little informative. I grew up idolizing and admiring the writing staff and photographers of BMX Action and Freestylin' magazines. I always wanted to be a part of what they were doing. Now...25 years latter, I kinda am!
DeleteBALLS!!! Steve&Sheri take this (middle finger + bag of burning dog poop) Mega Score on the couch(canadian), er I mean sofa and coffee table. I always fend my best scores come after I've been burned at an auction. Send me to the Land Fill Reuse Store or Construction/Demolition salvage yard and I always come up with gold. I haven't spent more than $20(again Canadian) on most all of the furniture I've bought after being estate sale burned. Awesome find guy! I also recently purchased four diner chairs $5 each that need a complete strip and finish that I'll share with you later to see what you think.
ReplyDeleteHi David. I'm sure Steve & Sheri had no idea that they'd be pissing of a bunch of people when they decided to make their morning a little easier. Sounds like you have some interesting resources up there. BTW, I don't know if the couch / sofa thing is regional. I just prefer sofa. It sounds classy, me thinks. Plus I like "couch" as a verb more so than as a noun. I wonder if there is a technical difference between a couch and a sofa.
DeleteThere is an estate sale co that I avoid here in Omaha, Faded Rose. The woman who owns the co was so rude to me when I made an offer of $10 on an industrial office chair with upholstery issues. She snapped back that 'it was not what i would offer her for the chair, but what she'd be willing to take for it'. I politely and firmly told her that if she did not want people making offers on her items, she should have had them marked. Her employees were so nice and you could tell they were completely embarrassed by the way the owner spoke to me. Apparently, I am not the only one who's had this issue. I left them a negative google review and saw that others had done the same.
ReplyDeleteyour long coffee table is made by bassett
ReplyDelete