Have you ever attended an estate sale? Recently, my assistant, Alicia, joined me for her first ever estate sale. Expect the unexpected is what I told her. And never let the outside of a house lead you to make presumptions about the inside of a house. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

This home sat right on Lake Michigan, and we heard that new owners were going to tear it down. So everything on the inside was for sale. Those sorts of estate sales can be especially competitive. Indeed, Alicia did find it shocking how quickly people grabbed things.

If you are a regular reader, you may be wondering why I’m attending an estate sale when I am closing my online shop very soon. I do still sell antiques at Past Basket here in Milwaukee. And of course we now have a farmhouse to consider. Plus, this estate sale was right before Christmas, and I always gift each child something vintage. Lucky kids!

So, yes, estate sales will always attract me. I love the surprise. I enjoy seeing what people valued, what they saved, what was well cared for. It is a kind of character study. A slice of history. A lesson in humility too, that in the end, we all face the same destiny — a bunch of strangers going through our things and we’re not around to care.

How about you? Are you a fan of estate sales or do they bother you. Did you see anything you liked? Leave me a comment — I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Photo by tamara garcevic on Unsplash.