Fred and I have worked with The Out of the Attic Gang for about as long as we’ve been in business. When we first met Julie Maynard and Steve Farr, they were partnered with Mark McDonald. Definitely 3 Hard Working Amigos who had left the corporate world for the exciting life of estate sellers. Each sale they approached was not “merely a job”, but a treasure hunt for the family jewels.
There was the time Julie was cleaning under a kitchen sink and discovered an 18k gold and diamond bracelet wrapped up in an unassuming piece of paper, glued to the bottom of the cabinet after a Comet can spill. UGH! Most of us wouldn’t even touch such a find, but Julie checked it out and made an unbelievable discovery.
Then … there was a time The Gang headed to Long Branch, NJ to conduct an estate sale for a 4th generation American family. The home furnishings dated back to the Revolutionary War, the Civil War – all the way to the present and consisted of period antiques … gold coins … English sterling … ephemera from our earliest founding as a Nation … and more. The Gang was excited about the sale, but equally doubtful that an estate sale would do well. The Eastern Seaboard is dominated by auction houses and they knew they were bucking the established norm. Opening Day turned out a crowd of 100+ shoppers thrilled to get inside!
One Final Story … The Estate Sale in Galveston, TEXAS for a founding family. (Ancestors dated as far back as The Great Storm of 1900.) Two weeks into preparing and staging the estate sale, Julie noticed what appeared to be a “disappearing staircase.” After further inspection, Steve accessed the entry to the attic where the family had stored THE GOOD STUFF! A fabulous sale turned into one The Royals would appreciate.
What do these stories convey about our friends, Julie & Steve (Mark has retired but continues to shop estate sales)? Professionalism! When you hire Out of the Attic, you get the best of the best … Pioneers in the industry who continue to prepare, stage, price, and conduct estate sales the right way. They take time to research the going price for items. Julie washes the glass; polishes the silver; and arranges the fine and costume jewelry in cases. Rare collectibles are placed in hard-to-get-to places to assure they don’t sprout legs and walk out the door. Steve does the heavy lifting, prices the garage, verifies the authenticity of Native American artifacts (he’s the go-to man for Dallas residents), handles firearms, and polices the sale when the doors open.
One last important fact. Julie & Steve have garnered their personal education of antiques and collectibles over several decades. They attend shows across the nation … sometimes as dealers; other times as avid shoppers. The only obstacle to their travels – Covid 19. Let’s hope the virus is defeated soon and they can get back to showing/ shopping at The Red Barn (Round Top), Santa Fe Antique Fairs, and traveling into Canada for unique finds!