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Liz Goldberger can spot a vintage piece of furniture or an unusual tchotchke from 100 feet away. She’s constantly on the prowl at estate sales, thrift stores and garage sales to look for items she can resell at her pop-up business, Seventh Scorpio, which vends at local markets and fairs.
She’s had a love of the hunt since she was a kid, cruising around town with her mom on the weekends to seek out treasures. She still gets a thrill from a good find today. “I’m looking for unique, odd, vintage goods … anything that stands out,” Goldberger explains.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
1. Find Sales
Goldberger checks a variety of sources for listings – neighborhood and rummage groups on Facebook, Craigslist and GarageSaleFinder.com. But she’s also found a lot of sales the pre-digital way– keeping her eyes peeled for them (or for signs pointing to them).
2. Look for Multi-Household Sales
“You’re getting greater variety without having to travel all over the city,” Goldberger says about neighborhood rummages, where multiple households within walking distance participate on the same day. Church rummages are another good bet; they tap into their congregation to provide items for sales that will run throughout a weekend. “Often the last day there’s a discount. Some have bag sales where you buy a bag and fill it up,” Goldberger explains.
3. Negotiate
Trying to strike a deal is acceptable, as most people are having a sale to get rid of unwanted clutter, but don’t be too cheap, Goldberger advises. “You know in your gut when you’re trying to lowball somebody. If I decide I want to haggle with them, I’ll drop it a couple dollars and see if they’ll take,” Goldberger says. If you’re buying several items, ask for a discount or something thrown in for free. “People love to do bulk sales – you can take more off of their hands.”
4. Arrive Early (or Late)
“There’s never a bad time to rummage, but I always say the early bird gets the worm and the late bird gets the worm, too,” Goldberger says. Arriving at the start of a sale could mean finding a bargain before someone else does. But if you show up at the end of the day, you’ll find sellers are more eager to unload. “They just don’t want to deal with it anymore.”
1. 1930s Baby Buggy
“I found this amazing baby pram for $25. I’d guess it’s worth $200.” It’s made of wood and oilcloth with a secret compartment, and the owners told Goldberger it was “too big” and that they needed to get rid of it.
2. Midcentury Glassware Set
Goldberger found this glassware set, painted with 24-carat gold, that “looked like it was brand-new out of a box.” Each glass is probably worth $20-$25, she says, but she scored the entire 20-piece set for a crisp Andrew Jackson.
3. 1970s Peacock Chair
Goldberger’s favorite find was an elegant peacock chair the owners parted with for just $10 at the end of a sale. “It’s like the trophy of my life. I take it everywhere, it’s like one of my children,” Goldberger laughs.
