Estate Sales for the Win!

Estate Sale-ing is one of my favorite pastimes. Similar to thrift-storing, treasures you find at an estate sale are often in better condition and are usually in complete sets. If you play your game right, you can snag some obscene deals on half-price “final days” of the sale (Sundays for the most part)! I gravitate towards “higher-income” neighborhoods as the homes are generally larger, kept in better condition (non-smoking/no mold/etc.), and will have fantastic forgotten finds!

Came across these beautiful lap trays in a 70’s style rumble room. It was a strange half basement of sorts; the walls were covered in bright wood paneling and the carpet was short piled, olive in color. Rattan and Bamboo Furniture lined the bar, and on the walls hung 50-year-old advertisements for cigaretts and whiskey. (none of which that I could afford) Fancy barware had already been picked through, but I thought maybe to look inside the bar itself. Sure enough, the trays were all neatly stacked and forgotten on the right-hand side of the interior cabinet. The bar itself already had a large “SOLD” sticker on it, but I figured to just ask about the trays. No one knew they were inside, and the man buying the bar could care less about them … THEY WERE MINE!

The only problem? They weren’t priced and I broke my one, big rule; never let them know how badly you want something, especially if you’ve never worked with the seller(s) before. Instant price inflation in these situations are common. Luckily for me, the seller was really cool and we negotiated a price close to what I was willing to pay - the only catch was that I had to buy all of them.

I’ve been able to put the two I originally wanted to good use, but the others? Pattern them on a wall? Use them as furniture? Plant caddies? Anyone looking for some gorgeous tiki breakfast trays?!