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Tips for finding buried
treasures at estate sales
By:
Karen
Nazor Hill
(Contact)
Staff Photo by Allison Carter
A plethora of antique oil lamps will be available
to purchase at the
Jo
Welch has learned a thing or two about estate sales in the nearly three decades
she's been in business. As owner of Welch's Antiques & Estates, she's also
seen a few changes.
Interest
has increased recently in whole-house, end-of-life liquidations, she said as
people stung by the down economy look for bargains.
"Ten
years ago, for example, I couldn't give away canning jars at our estate sales.
In the last several years, everybody wants them because people are canning
again. They're making their own food to save money. The same goes with clothes.
People know they can get a good bargain by buying used clothing instead of
new."
Household
goods of all kinds can be found at estate sales, ranging from dishes, pots and
pans to toys, furniture and antiques.
"Men
tend to head right for the tools," Welch said. "It doesn't matter if
they have four shovels at home, they'll want another one if it's priced
right."
Other
popular items, according to Welch and her staff, are costume jewelry, bird
statues, guns, coins, crockery, glassware and anything made of cast iron.
Vintage items, which include holdovers from the 1970s, are also big sellers.
"I
know it's hard to think of 1970s as vintage, but it is," Welch said.
"We get a lot of the younger generation wanting 1970s-style furniture for
their home."
She
predicted that a
"Our
goal is to make as much money as we can for the owner, so if we limited it to
buying the complete set, it might not sell," she said.
The
trick to moving the merchandise is to set prices that sell on the first day,
Welch said, because her second-day prices are half off.
IF
YOU GO
* What:
Welch's estate sale.
* When:
* Where:
* Phone:
304-6032 (Jo Welch).
* Website:
www.welchsantiques.com
"I've
seen a lot of estate-sale companies price themselves right out of
business," she said. "If you don't make most of your money on the
first day, you've overpriced everything."
Welch
said shoppers try to bargain, but she doesn't compromise on her prices, which
she believes are reasonable. Her objective is to make as much money as she can
for her clients.
"I
always tell [shoppers] if they don't like the price to come back tomorrow when
prices are cut in half," she said. "They know they're taking a chance
on whether or not the item will be there the next day."
Technology
also has boosted the popularity of estate sales, Welch said. On her website,
www.welchsantiques.com, she can include photos of items that are available in
future sales.
While
television series such as "Antiques Roadshow" have helped generate
interest in collecting and selling antiques, they're also created an atmosphere
of disappointment for many people, said Welch, a licensed appraiser.
"What
it has done is to make people think their items are worth more than they are,
and I have to break the news — most are not," she said.
"A
lot of people think that their 100-year-old items, many of which are in horrible
condition, are valuable simply because they're old."
Welch
said she does not shop at her estate sales, even beforehand when she's pricing
the items.
"If
I went in and picked out stuff I like, I wouldn't have a successful
business," she said.
ONE-OF-A-KIND
FINDS
These
are some of the items available at the Welch's estate sale in Red Bank this
weekend.
*
Handmade lamp with wagon-wheel-hub base, $45
*
Made-in-Chattanooga antique cast-iron Black Hawk corn sheller, $45
*
1930s-era solid-brass light fixture, $65
*
Old copper fire extinguisher, $32
*
Old electric kiln, $100