Furniture, Vintage Toy, and a REAL Steal

Well, I didn’t update you all on the little shopping excursion we took on Saturday. It was a blast, and you’ll see why soon. Sooner if you read fast.

The first stop was touted in the paper as a moving sale and everything must go. It was pretty lame, if that was all they were not taking with them. It was pure junk that the garbage men probably didn’t take on Thursday. My hopes weren’t very high at that point, so I was just rushing to get to the estate sale in the county to the north.

The second stop was lousy as well, until I pushed aside a big toy in one of the toy boxes. Having recently seen a show in Discovery about vitage toys, I decided to venture out to see what might be hiding. You can imagine the surprise I had as I saw a G.I. Joe box under a big plane. Not just any box: an original tape, sealed box from 1988! I asked how much the Maytag W/D set were, and then inquired about this stupid toy I was holding. “Two bucks.” [pause] “Okay… got change for a five?” [elated internal squealing like pig commenced]. (estimated resale price: $25-$50)

With my spirit rising, we went to other sales and I slowly became more interested in the fix’r’upper houses we saw than the sales themselves. Do you really want junk from people who live in junk? I’m sorry, but if your yard looks like crap and your neighbor’s car is up on cinderblocks, I probably don’t want your leftovers.

Making our way to the estate sale, we got hungry, so K got a pastry and I got a 1/4 pound of smoked turkey from the Publix deli and finished as we pulled into a dumpy street’s mess of cars. There were about 6 cars in front of this house, but they all belonged there. At least there was a lot of stuff out, so we began perusing the wares. The first box I saw held boxed software. Two boxes deep, I found Adobe Photoshop CS Upgrade still shrink-wrapped! The price: $5. [SHUT UP!] Yeah, believe it, buddy. (estimated resale price: $190-$330)

Up by the garage, the only piece of furniture that either of us cared to look at for more than 2 seconds was a huge antique-looking (whether it is or not remains to be determined) hutch. It looked dusty and lighter wood that we like, and the glass was all foggy. I wasn’t too sure about it and it didn’t have a price, so we got in the car and drove to the end of the cul de sac. Coming back, K suggested we at least find out the price. I agreed. Even if we had to strip it and replace the glass, if the price is right, why not?

I inquired about the price, but they had no idea what to charge. After the third person took a stab at a price, she blurted out, “40 bucks.” [pause… grin] “Sure. We’re interested. Will $5 hold it until we come back with a mini-van?” [LOL! Suckers!] They put some masking tape on the door indicating its sale, and we left to get a van.

Getting it inside with the help of our good buddy Ty, I decided to wipe it down before putting the top back on the base. I asked K for the Old English Mom gave us to take care of the piano. She handed me two bottles: Lemon Oil and a Scratch and Nick Cover. Ohhh-lala. Can you say, “Scratches gone, shiny new wood HELLO!?” I can. It looks Mahvelous!

We got it in place and K started loading it up with all the stuff from her showers that we had to put in the linen closet. Four crystal bowls, plates, and several family tea cups later, and the cabinets were full. We even drove over to the flea market to get one more cup to make an even 8 cups. It still needs some plants or other decorations to go on the top, but it’s in place and definitely catches your eye as soon as you walk in the door.