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Have a Successful Aunt Teak and Uncle Junque Garage Sale

Avon antiques dealers share their expertise to help you sell smart

Avon's annual sale is coming up this weekend, and shoppers from all over Ohio -- and maybe beyond -- will be descending upon Avon looking for a bargain.

Are you planning on getting rid of some of your old stuff in a garage sale this weekend? Some of Avon's antique dealers shared some tips on how to succeed.

Robert Shinko, co-owner of with his wife Lois, has owned both stores for the past 40 years. He and Lois began antiquing for fun and ended up acquiring and selling so many items that they decided to open their own business, he said.

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Currently, they sell antiques dating from as early as the 1800s all the way up through the 1950s, depending on what they find at estate sales.

Mary Ann Furey opened her antique shop, , five years ago when she retired from teaching. She originally opened a crafts store, in which she also displayed and sold some of her mother's antique glassware.

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“I realized that crafts don't sell very well. My mother had some glass, and I thought, 'She's doing better than I am.' So I found some to sell, too, and that's how I got into it.”

After moving around to a few different spaces, five years ago she settled into her current location, which used to be Avon's library about 50 years ago, she said.

Both Shinko and Furey took a few minutes to share their expertise with Avon residents who will be selling their “antiques” this weekend.

Show Off Your Goods

When setting up a garage sale, the first thing to consider is how to display your items. Both Shinko and Furey said displaying products by theme is the best way to organize a space and draw attention to specific items.

Shinko said he displays the items in his store according to the style of the product. “We separate one area for tin, another section for Victorian, or what type of item it is,” he said.

Furey sets up an area of tables in the front of her store based on a specific theme, such as cats and dogs. She collects all of the items in the store that fit the theme – no matter how old or what type of item it is – and displays it up front. Since she has several antiques vendors represented throughout the store, her method is a way of showcasing all of them at once.

The Price is Right?

After creating your display, the next step is to price your items. Shinko and Furey recommend doing some research on how others price similar items, and then price them according to age and condition.

“We look at appraisals,” Shinko said. “We don't know everything, but we've studied different things. We look through books, like furniture books. We see things and talk to people about how they're carved and what shape they're in. It's something you just learn from experience. I'd say, look at the condition of it, how rare it is or how old it is, and then price according to that.”

Furey agreed and added that she tries to keep prices very reasonable. “I look through all kinds of books,” she said. “One of my dealers is an antique liquidator. We keep things at a reasonable price so people can afford to buy them. That way, we can buy more. We use books as a guide and (consider) what we paid for (an item).”

Be The Negotiator

Part of having a garage sale is expecting people to haggle prices. Shinko and Furey both accept price negotiations but set a limit.

Although Shinko is willing to negotiate, he takes into consideration how rare or old the item is and whether anything has been done to touch up the antique.

“Sometimes you have to touch it up a little bit,” he said. “That doesn't hurt the value. We used to strip furniture, because (for example) there's a good piece of oak underneath. (Some people) ruin it a lot because they paint it a lot. We don't do that.”

Depending on how much the Shinkos paid for it or how much work they put into a certain piece, Shinko said he'd be willing to lower a price by 10 percent. “If it's been here awhile, I may go down to 20 percent. We feel we can get more pieces. We'll never run out of anything.”

Furey also said she'd be willing to negotiate down 10 percent. “Almost everybody is allowed 10 percent if they ask,” she said. “Some of my dealers are having their own sales, so that's up to them. My prices are reasonable enough, so I think (10 percent) is enough to go down.”

Your Trash is Someone's Treasure

Furey said anything is fair game when it comes to making a sale. “Don't throw away anything. Get yourself a good dealer to come out and look at it. Even old magazines and newspapers have value. Things you think no one's going to want could (sell for) $50. Talk to somebody.”

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