While I was snowed in last week I was researching (wasting time on the net) estate sales in our area. I wanted to get on some email lists. I came across a BiG estate sale that was going to take place in Ballard. Due to the weather it was delayed until Friday. Hubby and I had thought we'd go on Friday but our weather was still snowy and ice was predicted. From what I had read on the ad it didn't seem as though they would run out of junk in one day so on Saturday we decided to go to Ballard.
It was cash only, bring your own bags, tissue paper and boxes.
I'm sorry I couldn't take more pictures but I was busy. The house had it's original wallpaper, a wood stove in the kitchen, a butler's pantry and so many nooks and passages. It was amazing! They only let so many shoppers in at a time. We got there about eleven and were able to walk right in. I could tell we would have to walk through several times. The amount of treasure was overwhelming. I have never seen a sale like this one. The company running the sale wasn't used to a sale of this magnitude either. They did fairly well with someone in every room, a good checkout system and they did take visa and mastercard, even though it was made clear on their web site that they would not. Uhm, hello, you can't be selling clocks for $8,000 and not take something besides cash.
It was a maze in the basement, tunnels and trails through furniture. There were many things I would have loved to take home but some things were overpriced and they were pretty firm. When I walked in the door and asked where the Christmas decorations were located. Upstairs, there is a room! I went directly there but the dealers came on Friday and it was pretty slim pickings. I did dig for some shiny brites and found a little choir boy too.
The couple that owned the house did not have children. He restored antique furniture and stained glass windows. The Mrs. was a woman after my own heart, she had so many sets of dishes and china I couldn't think straight. I'm mourning the Christmas glasses I didn't purchase. We love to try to figure out what the people were like that lived in the house when we are at estate sales. I think this was a couple that we would love to have had as friends. They were entertainers, cooks and not afraid of projects. Their taste was impeccable.
What you have to understand is that Hubby and I each have two hands, it was a bit crowded, and we had to prioritize. We went with a cash budget.
We did buy the stained glass that we had seen on the website earlier in the week. I love a good monogram and this was too good to be true. R. It has fire damage on the side, Hubby can plane it off, some water damage on the bottom, which I can repair and several cracks. We will leave the cracks alone. Our place is pretty rustic so it'll be fine. You'll be seeing more of the glass as we restore and find just the right spot in the Stone House.
In order to buy the stained glass I had to leave behind the fur coat. It fit me perfectly, was in great condition and everyone that saw me try it on told me that it was made for me. It was gorgeous. It made me feel so swanky! But we decided to stick with the cash we had brought and keep to our budget. Hubby let me choose. The aqua and cream parlor stove was a dream too. But choices had to be made and I could hardly carry the stove around while I was making decisions.
The best part was the fun we had on our day in Seattle. We had a great adventure! And we weren't the only crazy ones there, we met a couple from Portland that had driven up for another window. She told me that she just could not get it out of her mind, even dreamt about it. Yes, I did too.
