By Sierra Kondos | Special to The Examiner
The love for history, antiques and interior design inspired two friends to partner together and create a liquidation business, Estate Sale Queen Bees, in August.
“Estate sales are often conducted to clear out the estate of someone who has recently died,” Stephanie Comeaux, co-owner said. “But they’re also used by people of all ages who are downsizing to a smaller house or liquidating a personal collection.”
An estate sale differs from a yard sale in various aspects — from interior design to legal contracts.
“An estate sale takes days or weeks of prep work by a professional team,” Trisha Faye Callaway, co-owner said. “Opposed to items laying willy nilly in a yard or a garage, an estate sale has various elements like staging a home, appraising items, drawing up a legal contract with a deadline and a percentage agreement between both parties. Our job is to take the burden off the homeowner or person in charge, whether they are present or out of state.”
The business does not operate from a brick and mortar establishment, but from job to job.
“Since each job can take up to a few weeks, we set up our ‘office’ inside the home we are working on,” Comeaux said. “The time at each job depends on the state of the home, whether it needs to be cleaned and the furniture moved for an aesthetic look for the event. Once that is over, we pack up and set up at the next job.”
The friends use networking and advertising as their marketing strategy for kicking off their business.
“When someone passes away, their next of kin queries realtors on who they would recommend helping with the sale of home items so that the home can go on the market,” Callaway said. “We use a five-to-ten-mile radius of the house to post yard signs that point to the home or has the address, and we post on sites such as ... the Southeast Texas website.”
In the months that followed opening the business, the friends have made memories from unique customers ranging from a 10-year-old “old soul” to an authentic old soul, who invited himself to lunch and provided pleasant conversation. The endeavor of opening a liquidation business appears to pay more than just financially. It provides insight into humanity and offers an opportunity for a social connection as well.
For more information, call 409-233-0714.