Why I love what I do

It may be obvious. Sure I am in LOVE with old stuff.  In fact, I often feel like I am from a different era, but I can relate to so may eras so it is hard to know which one.  One thing is for sure, when I find something old, it speaks to me. It makes my heart skip, actually.

Yes, I LOVE the thrill of the hunt, I love bringing the finds to my two stores, and I LOVE creating vignettes

with these treasures found at so many different locations, and bringing them together happily.

 I LOVE my customers--each and every one--who can"appreciate" my efforts and see the beauty of what I create with these old finds.

I LOVE talking to the people who come in, hearing their stories and getting to know them. Some come in only once on their big trip to the U.S., others come in nearly every day to see what's new.

But, my passions in this field go much deeper than meets the eye.

I cherish the people that I meet at yard sales and estate sales. The families I have the pleasure of chatting with. Some are distraught selling their loved ones estates, others are ecstatic to finally clean out their garages and attics.

I hear such interesting stories about the treasures I find. I see places that are beyond words.

From mansions that you can get lost in, to serious hoarder houses that would repulse anyone.

I have been coast to coast  treasure hunting, and some places and people that I see and meet have become part of who I am. 

The little boy I met yesterday is one of those I will never forget. And his parents, as well.

The little boy, maybe 8, was a little man. He helped his parents with this absolutely daunting task of cleaning out his grandfather's repulsive hoarder house.  He told me it smelled so bad, and I won't go into detail why, that he wished he could have had a mask on. The little boy told me that the items in that part of the garage were off limits--because they were "personal" to the family. 

He told me he wanted to be a Marine.

He told me his uncle was in Afganistan fighting in the war. His uncle almost died the other day and his uncle has a wife and baby.  A neighbor brought over a pitcher of ice cold lemonade for the family so the little

boy took a break and then talked some more. 

At this moment, I realized once more that my love for this work I do, is so important and the people that I meet are so important. In my own way, I can let their discarded items continue to stay on this planet, stay out of landfills, and hopefully enjoyed by my customers for many years to come. And in my imaginary world, those items will carry the loving spirits of the people who sold them to me.

I LOVE the people I meet.