Diva Pam here...with
all the busyness of the holidays I almost
forgot to share this story that happened
before Christmas.
As any veteran
estate sale shopper knows, you have
to get to estate sales early in order
to maximize your chances of getting
the best deals, especially given the
early and frequent presence of antique
dealers. My sister Diva Missy and I
recently had the opportunity to take
part in a 2-day estate sale. Despite
arriving 30 minutes before the estate
sale opened on Day 1, we were #38 in
line behind what was surely to be 37
antique dealer or “pickers.”
Even so, we managed to zero in on some
fabulous bargains such as an antique
pine side table for $20 as well as some
great pink Fire King dishes and a partial
set of Ruby glass dishes just in time
for Christmas entertaining. Obviously
it became difficult to pursue additional
acquisitions while managing a large
stash. Placing the dishes on top of
the table, Missy stood guard while I
went in search of the estate managers
to pay for our loot.
En route, I spotted a great set of Blue
Willow dishes that Missy collects and
being the wonderful sister that I am,
I grabbed them and added them to our
tabletop. Before you could say “Merry
Christmas,” a woman flies out of
nowhere, eyes my Blue Willows and rushes
up to the nearest estate manager, where
she quickly lays “claim” to
the china by forking over some cash.
This happened so fast that I was at
an unusual loss for words. Perhaps I
was so shocked, amazed, and flabbergasted
that I couldn't even think straight
as she scooped up my “finds.”
Or perhaps I had too much spiked eggnog
the night before...whatever the reason
I vowed to never let such a travesty
happen again and spent the rest of my
shopping adventure thinking of evil,
non-Christmassy things to do to this
Miss Sticky Fingers.
But I can't complain. I got some great
stuff and learned a valuable lesson.
If you've got the gear in your possession,
DON'T GIVE IT UP without a fight. You
have only a split second to decide to
pay for it and clobber anyone who tries
to buy it out from under you. Niceness
only gets you going home empty-handed.
