The Beauty of the Estate Sale
Something about digging through other people's things, I was born to be a nosy girl.
An estate sale is truly the perfect place for a girl with my big 3. My Gemini sun giddy at the thought of digging through a stranger’s things and imagining what their life must have been like, while simultaneously making incredibly witty and charming small talk with everyone around me. My Virgo moon smiling at the line of people out the door, waiting in position to be checked off of a list and let into the sale three at a time. My Libra rising living in <3peace<3 and allowing me to take my time while I look at pretty things and do something that I genuinely enjoy. If I could go to an estate sale every damn day I would. I am sure that every consistent person in my life would be able to back that statement up.
One thing that I am very proud of is my ability to curate the birth of a new baby estate sale addict by dragging people along with me. Recently my friend’s very British Dad visited Portland and wanted to go with us to a sale. Apparently, they don’t do estate sales over in the UK, or they call it something different and British like a rubbish auction or something like that. Either way, he loved it, and he had incredible estate sale etiquette right off the bat. You didn’t have to tell this man NOTHING. He walked in the front door of this old mid-century modern suburban home, looked to his left, looked to his right, and headed off on his own. YES. Wow. One single tear left my eye and I smiled as I wiped it away. I am sure it was akin to the feeling of seeing your child walk into school on their own for the first time. Beaming with pride!
You know, some people do not understand the “break up at the beginning and come back together at the end” method of maneuvering a sale. To me, this is so essential to successfully participating in estate sales. Sure, sometimes you stumble upon a silly card nestled in a pile of other old and unused holiday cards. As you pick it up, you pivot your body 180 degrees, arms tightly pressed to your sides to navigate the crowd that seems to disregard personal space, and in that brief moment, you share a quick laugh with your friend, showing them the card for just a couple of seconds before putting it back down and moving on. That is a precious little moment that you and your friend are allowed to have before moving off on your own again. There’s so much to see and take in and on top of the fact that there is usually a crowd of people that you are maneuvering through, it’s best to do most of your shopping on your own.
The nosiness aspect is fascinating to me. People’s homes are highly personal and sacred, and we rarely see the inside of 90% of the houses we pass by daily. This is what makes estate sales such an intriguing and exciting experience for me. First of all, most of these people who used to live in these homes are/were old as hell, which means they have curated some really incredible things over the years. Some of the homes that I have been in have had original appliances, which I will ~freak~ over and take a million photos of. One thing I love to do at a sale is snap some damn pics. I’m running around photographing like nobody’s business. If I catch anyone in my photos on accident I like to give ‘em a little “Oh sorry ma’am! You might see your face on the big screen someday,” *winks and runs off*. What can I say, I charm the customers. They should hire me! Anyway, the homes themselves are usually interesting and old, two things I love. Part of the reason that I go to these things is to get a glimpse of the way that other people live and decorate their lives. I am a big architecture and design girl, so I love to stick my nose in people’s homes and see what they have chosen to do with them. It not only acts as inspiration for me and my own space but teaches me a lot as well.
I would say that a big percentage of the things that I consistently wear, or have used to decorate my space in the past year or two are from estate sales. It’s a lot like thrifting or vintage shopping where you can find something super individual and unique, but somehow it feels even more special because it was from someone’s personal collection of things still in their home. I guess to some extent that also feels morbid, but they would’ve been donated anyway! Now they are in my house making me and my space look cool and awesome.
The only way that I can end this post is to encourage everyone to shop at estate sales more often, but don’t take the things I like… Thanks a million billion! Luv ya
XOXO Ayden <3