Everything Old is New Again

Whether it's jewelry, glass doorknobs, that perfect dining room set, or even a never used crock pot, estate sales can bring new life to old stuff.

"It's like a treasure hunt," says Tracy Jordan, owner of You're Invited!... Estate Sales and Consignment Inc. "When you come to the house and you leave with something you never knew you wanted."

Jordan, who runs estate and tag sales in Nassau, Suffolk and Manhattan, is in the process of re-locating her consignment shop from West Hempstead to Garden City within the next two months.

People looking to downsize or settle an estate after someone has passed away will look to rid a home of the many items accumulated over the years. That's where Jordan comes in. From the toothpaste in the bathroom to cars, clothing and valuable antiques, customers have bought it all.

In the estate sale business for seven years, and owner of You're Invited for three, Jordan does everything from advertising, staging the house, appraising the items, running the sale, to finding a home for pieces after the event. Whatever is left is donated to charity organizations, like Bethany House, given to local families in need, sent to the You're Invited consignment shop where the sale is split 50-50 with the owner, or recycled.

"We get rid of everything," says Jordan. "We separate everything. We bring it to the proper refuse center. We take everything that we can't donate [to the store]. We try to recycle and reuse to help decorate."

Jordan says the business sees a lot of loyal customers. The company has more than 800 people who are emailed about upcoming events and are willing to travel to attend a tag or estate sale.

To be sure, Jordan, who has run sales in the gamut of two-bedroom to 11-bedroom homes, has seen a lot of stuff. Literally. One home in Smithtown had 3,000 pairs of shoes and 5,000 pocketbooks and two truckloads of clothing. Another held the results of countless sales at Macy's, many items like nearly a dozen crockpots, still boxed. Even a two-story high telephone pole that an artist had displayed in her home was for sale. (And yes, it sold. For $300.)

While some family members like to be part of the action, their presence doesn't always work. Jordan recalls one time that a customer was eyeing up a vase. When the niece chimed in that the heirloom had once held her uncle's ashes, the sale was squashed.

For more information on You're Invited and the opening of the new consignment shop, visit www.youreinvitedsales.com.