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The estate sale was a huge success, on Friday we had a line up starting at 7:30 and ended up opening the doors early at 8:30am.  People were running around like crazy, claiming their items and creating piles by the cashier table.   By 10am the garage where the sale was taking place looked empty!  As the crowds thinned out I  finally had a chance to rearrange the merchandise, pull treasures out from under the tables, and create new displays which made it feel full again.  Some of the customers came back 2 and 3 times on Friday to keep shopping!

On Friday night a huge storm swept through the area, the wind was blowing and the rain was really coming down.  At 9pm on Friday night Chris and I headed up to the estate to check on the tents and they had blown away and were wrapped around some trees (I am returning them today and I really hope I don’t have to pay for any damage).  Saturday morning we arrived bright and early to haul things out of the barn and the garage, dry things off, and work on displaying the remaining items.  The crowds started showing up around 8:15am and we opened early at 8:30am.  The morning was slow which I think was due to the rain but the afternoon picked up, I told more items in the last hour of the sale than I did all day.  I was hoping to have a chance to take photos of the sale and document it for you but I never seemed to have a free minute.  Someone was always yelling “Amanda”, asking for a price or wanting to wheel and deal.  I met some really really neat people and had the chance to see some of my repeat customers for prior sales or Craigslist deals.

The one treasure that I brought home from the sale was this neat vintage print of the bathhouses in San Francisco.  Someone mounted it on foam board and I think I am going to frame it and put it above our sofa in the living room.

I had 2 of my assistants working at the sale and they loaded buyers cars and even delivered large pieces to buyers in the neighborhood.   When I looked around the sale yesterday I couldn’t believe how many large items are still left!  I still have a few dressers, the four poster bed, and lots of trunks and cabinets to sell.  I only have 1 sleigh left though which is exciting!  The biggest highlight for me was watching these pretty sleighs drive away with their buyers.  I have been trying to sell them since March of 2011 so I was excited and relieved to see them go.  I guess if I can sell sleighs in California I can sell anything!

My client watched the sale from the kitchen window and from time to time she would come outside and talk to the customers.  It was really neat to watch her tell stories about the house and the items to all of the people at the sale.  She and her late husband bought the house, known as The Castle, back in 1968, they raised their 6 kids in the home and she just sold it last month.  She is excited to downsize and move into her new home but sad at the same time to say goodbye to this house and all of her memories there.

With all of the items left for sale my client and I have decided to have one final sale on Saturday February 4th.  This weekend’s sale really motivated her to keep sorting through things in the house that she thought she wanted to keep so we are going to work over the next few weeks to keep thinning things out.  The sale brought in over $10,000 in profits for her and I think that I can sell $2,000-$5,000 more.

Related posts:

Estate Sale at The Castle in Los Altos Atherton Estate Sale Wrap Up Los Altos Estate Sale Preview with Office Before and Afters Palo Alto Estate Sale Wrap Up