Mellow Yellow

I've been getting a lot of questions recently from people asking my advice on where they can look to find auctions and estate sales in their own areas to find cool stuff like I do. Since estate sales and auctions are run in a variety of different ways across the United States, finding them and attending one is going to depend on where you live.

My best advice...

• Check on auction zip to see if your area uses this website to list their auctions.
• Check craigslist in your area for estate sales/auctions/yard sales
• Read the paper and look in the classifieds.
• Look in the phone book and call auction/auctioneers in your area and ask if they have sales.
• Become a patron of goodwill, salvation army, and thrift shops. They have cool stuff there too!
  
• Volunteer at a senior center and become friends with old people, get invited to their homes, and ask to buy their things! Example: I had a friend who volunteered at a local nursing home and a resident had given her a bunch of vintage hats one day because she knew she liked them. She then gave them to me!
  
• Start your own junk hauling business. You would be surprised the things you could find when relatives call you to clean up a deceased family member's house. Better yet, become friends with people who are junk haulers! Example: my kitchen light fixture above my table came from a guy who was friends with a junk hauler.

• Be a trash picking dumpster diver. I've found many things this way!
• Put an ad in the local paper saying that you'll buy such and such vintage item.
• Work for a vintage dealer/store owner. I did this for a few years.
  

Which one of these suggestions will work best for you? I don't know. Like I stated above, each area of the country is different and each person is different. I will say this though, if you don't enjoy the trill of the hunt for the item, you better just stick to buying on ebay and let someone else do the dirty work. Also remember, patience is key. Decorating your home from top to bottom with vintage items is much harder then decorating your home using things from Ikea! My suggestion is to mix vintage inspired modern pieces with actual vintage pieces. Hey, I'd rather come to visit and sit on a vintage inspired sofa from Lazy-Boy that's next to a 1950's lamp then on the actual floor! I'm just sayin, I'm not gonna think any less of you. I will however think way less of you if you make me sit on the floor.

I hope this has been a bit helpful. Keep the useful information and throw the rest away!

Best of luck and happy hunting!

~MaryDeluxe