Some Junk From My Trunk

I’ll admit it–I’m a junkblog addict. I love reading blogs; blogs about books, about the writing biz, about interior design, about home restoration, entertaining, food, and above all, blogs about junking. The junk blogs are like meth for me–I just can’t get enough. When Sue of Vintage Rescue Squad posts about her estate sale triumphs, or Colleen of Fresh Vintage writes one of her hilarious stories about bizarro estate sale behavior, it’s almost as good as being there. Notice I said “almost”. Nothing beats the buzz of the real-life junk score. So, assuming some of you love hearing about primo junk as much as I do, here are a few of my recent scores.

Memorial Day weekend, junk posse member-in-exile Ellen was in town, and we just had to hit a sale. It was late in the afternoon, so we motored over to the only sale that sounded promising. I found the pair of channel-back velvet armchairs and paid about $80 for the pair, and a large, bevelled mirror with a thick frame that had been enamelled white, for $60. Katie scooped up the mirror for her living room, and I tried out the armchairs in my bedroom, but fear the scale is too small. If you live in the Atlanta area–wanna buy a sweet pair of chairs? Last weekend I managed to find the Holy Grail of sales–a family, cleaning out octagenarian Aunt Eugenia’s house. Junkers like me love a sale run by rank amateurs. I found a three-seater wicker settee which will go down to my booth at Seaside Sisters on Tybee. Also a wooden World War II ammo box, which had been made into a chest, with legs. At $10, it may work for a coffee table for The Breeze Inn. If not, it goes in the booth with the settee. The linens at this sale were great, but I tried to restrain myself, as Katie tells me I am a “linen whore.” So be it. How could I pass up the adorable red and white checked luncheon set for $2.50? Or the cherry ’40s luncheon cloth with amazingly vivid colors for another $2.50? Or the Photoplay magazine with Jackie Kennedy as cover girl, for a buck? I found the chinoiserie trashcan with four old faucets inside. The lady running the sale told me I could have the trashcan if I bought the faucets, so I did! I plan to mount them on a board and use them as a towel holder for the outside shower at The Breeze Inn. This weekend’s sales were excellent also. Thursday, I hit a Vicki sale. Vicki is an estate sale pro who runs sales in the Atlanta area, most of them ITP–or Inside the Perimeter, usually in pricey neighborhoods like Buckhead or Morningside. The junk posse loves Vicki because she is a realist. If the family insists, she’ll mark stuff at “book value”–but on the second day of the sale, she starts slashing prices, and she’ll give you a volume discount if you’re buying several things. If you piss her off, she’ll refuse to deal with you, or jack up the prices, but if she knows you and likes you, she’ll give you a deal. I got the pair of Adirondack chairs for $30 apiece, and the little table, for $15. They’re on my porch for now, but will probably end up in the back yard at The Breeze Inn. Finally, I hit a sale at noon today, and the guy running the sale was ready to finish up. Anything you brought to the table, he’d mark by half or more. Thus, I bought the red flower painting, a huge turkey platter for my buddy Clay, who collects them, and a vintage herb gardening book for junk posse member Susie who loves old garden books, for a total of $6. Now, all I have to do is figure out what I keep and what goes to my booth at the beach. Sweet dilemma, huh?