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Parlett's Auction Draws Crowd, Cleans HouseFriday, May 27, 2011 A large, $350 metal table with an intricate floral design sold for $15. That low-ball winning bid early in Thursday’s auction of a store’s worth of inventory was the norm during the five hours of bidding that cleaned out Parlett’s, a store that has called the Historic Triangle home since 1963. Union Bank hired Mid Atlantic Auction Company to auction off all the items in the nearly 5,000-square-foot space after the Hill family, owners of Parlett’s, defaulted on a loan. The store’s New Town location is also for sale through Mid Atlantic for $799,000, though the bank took possession of the property for $566,700 earlier this year. The Hill family opened Parlett’s Paper Expressions next door in New Town in fall of 2010, a location that is still open.More than 50 people crowded into the former Parlett’s shop space Thursday morning, clutching the pages-long item list and frantically scribbling notes and possible bid amounts in the margins, hoping to go home with a bargain. Nearly everyone did. Aside from the table that sold for a song, one woman won a bid of less than $50 for two lamps originally priced at $195 each. A $165 cockatoo lamp went for $40. A $335 large bronze sculpture was sold for $25. Some items went in bundles for $10, $15 or $20. This is the very reason Ben Redfern, owner of local used car dealership Affordable Luxury, can’t resist going to auctions. “You can get great deals,” he said. “Last week, I got a waffle iron and some other stuff from an auction. I told my wife about this [auction], and she said, ‘oh, Lord.’ I never come home empty handed.” Thursday, Redfern planned to pick up some items for his wife and mother, both of whom like stationery and note cards. “I’m a spontaneous bidder,” he says of his shopping strategy, so he wasn’t totally sure about all the items he would bid on. James City County Board of Supervisors member and owner of Dudley’s Farmhouse Grille Jim Kennedy came to pick up restaurant equipment and supplies being sold from the defunct café portion of the business. “There’s lots of good restaurant equipment here,” he said before bidding started. Kennedy said a friend of his offered $501,000 to the bank to buy the location, but the bank declined the offer. Kennedy said he would have liked to move his restaurant to the spot since it was a good location and already had a kitchen. Kennedy ended up taking home a freezer and various other fixtures for his restaurant, pleased by the deal he got. As bidding progressed Thursday, many people shook their heads and commented about low bids winning items worth much more. After one item originally priced at $130 was sold for $10, one woman exclaimed loudly, “I can’t believe this, they’re just giving it away.” One auctioneer, Mid Atlantic’s President John Worley, kept the atmosphere light by joking with the crowd. At one point he held up a wooden bucket for auction and when no one opened the bidding he said, “C’mon, don’t be bashful. You can’t buy this at Walmart for $50.” The comment drew some laughs, and a bid. Later in the auction, Worley held up a square wooden drum that didn’t seem to interest anyone initially. “It’s a drum, I promise,” he told the crowd. “It’s also a good place to hide your cats.” The comment drew more laughs, and another bid. In all, the auction was successful, according to auctioneer Tony Goodwin. Almost all the several hundred items for sale were purchased by the close of bidding, though Mid Atlantic’s staff hadn’t yet calculated the full dollar amount the sale generated. Goodwin was very pleased that a series of large, ornate display shelves sold for between $600 and $1500 each. The merchandise left at the end of the day was mostly fixtures and shelving, he said, which the company will likely sell on Craigslist. Anyone interested in purchasing the building space should contact Worley at jworley@midatlanticcommercial.com or visit the Mid Atlantic website. |
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Comments
1. I have never hidden the fact that I am not a fan of Newtown, but I've also stated since it was approved in JCC, it's ours as a community, and we need to make it successful.
2. I was offered a space to rent in Newtown if a friend acquired the building. A more centralized location for my family business would be very desirable. We love our current location, but it is far from the population center.
3. Greed? I really find this statement offensive and degrading to my business. I have paid hundreds of thousands in taxes over the last 11 years in business, provided jobs and used local labor for all work in my business, use local farms and vendors, bank locally, use organic and all natural products whenever possible, re-cycle water for our herb garden and more. My business has donated tens of thousands of dollars to local charity, including but not limited to, CDR, Williamsburg Aids Network, Schools, Avalon, Hospice, Foodbank and more, we feed and clothe the needy, have raised and distributed thousands more. We continue to do this even in these challenging times for our business, because it's the right thing to do. This sounds awfully greedy to me.
4. I have been a public servant since I started coaching youth basketball at 16 years of age, I spent 8 years in the military, volunteered for many hours with local charities, serving my 8th year on the BOS, 3 years on the PC, co-founded the Stonehouse District Citizens Association in 1998. I have always been active in the community in which I live, including when I lived here while on active duty.
5. I do not write postings under the alias of "Hopley Yeaton".
If either of you ever have the courage enough call me, I'll be happy to discuss your issues with me. I do however take offense if you insult my family and/or business when you know not what you speak. I find these personal attacks offensive by those who seemingly are incapable of using their own respective names.I never mind criticism or debate, I just like to know to whom I'm addressing my recourse.