This blog originated from my absolute love of old, neglected buildings. I have always been obsessed- the more run down the more I loved them and wanted to save them. Brick especially- they just have such a grandiose appeal to them.
Fast forward to a few years ago when I finally found one that made financial and emotional sense to save (my great-grandparents MET in the building!) It was beautiful- two floors and a basement full of beauty and neglect. All the important things were intact- rubber roof, newish windows- but the inside was filthy. The perfect combo for saving and making mine.
Upon purchasing the building I also inherited its three floors of stuff and junk- everything from dirty (filthy, disgusting) clothing to restaurant and bar equipment to neon light signs.
My contractors thought I was crazy and told me I should hire some kids and a dumpster to just “throw it all away” which made me realize how truly bad our “throw- away” society has become. Of course there was pure trash in there, but I knew there were plenty of things with value too. With no set time frame I decided I needed to spend the time to “save” what I could from the landfills.
I started small- by donating the canned food supplies that were still sealed and not expired. Then I donated the take out food containers to a local bar. Then I called the Pepsi/Coke company and the pool table company to see if they still owned specific things and then had them remove said things (two large pool tables gone within a few days of ownership makes a HUGE difference!) I took car loads of paperwork and cardboard to the local recycling facility. I also filled a weekly dumpster with actual trash items.
I sorted and sorted and sorted. I had a garage sale and sold off the neon lights and random things. I tried Facebook Marketplace (not really a fan) and then I realized my items needed a larger reach- so I bit the bullet and started selling on eBay. As I slowly learned the ropes on eBay by selling things like a Cutco vegetable peeler I also learned that I did not want to deal with selling the larger items, so I hired an online auction firm to help me clear out.
Online Auction Company
After all my fees I made $4000 through the auction, but more importantly I got rid of stuff that I did not want and other people did! The best stories were a stainless steel 3-basin sink that someone bought for maybe $12 to put in his fishing cabin for cleaning fish or the guy who bought the stainless steel trough urinal for $0.10 to use at his hunting lodge! Sure I probably could have gotten more for both items by just taking them in for scrap- but I prefer seeing things reimagined- getting new life.