After a few months of talking and working and cleaning and stressing the ‘eff out, we finally had the big BrickHouse + Modernhaus + Terri Planty pop-up sale this past Sunday (with extra special help and management pizazz from the super talented Laure Joliet).
Lots and lots of folks showed up, lined up and then heckled us when we were a few minutes late opening (not that they knew it had rained all morning and the seven of us spent FOUR hours as well as all of Saturday prepping to open for the sale – so you know – give us an extra ten minutes to wipe the sweat off and slap on some deodorant).
If you’ve ever sold at a flea market or pulled together a pop-up shop, you know that this kind of event can be a bit of a nightmare. Weeks of prep and labor and refinishing and stress and rentals add up into a singular moment where the crowd bum rushes in an orgy of shopping frenzied madness. It was like Thunderdome, but with less leather.
See the guy in the white shirt on the right full on running? He wasn’t the only one. I almost got trampled by a lady trying to get to a lamp.
People grabbed their wears and we tried our best to invoice and process payments quickly. Thank the lordy for the boys (Erick, Ruben and Jeremy) who functioned as our cashiers, brute strength and water suppliers. I have to say, the first hour was completely overwhelming and a bit chaotic. People be hard core about their vintage buys.
Laure and I tried to grab some quick photos of the setup before it was all torn to shreds. Gotta love that bright noon time light to make everything look extra harsh and sexy in the parking lot (Thankfully Laure got around and took a bunch of pictures that I am now reusing with reckless abandon).
This little girl was my best salesman. She got her folks to buy this little Lane storage table by sheer adorableness – she kept climbing inside like it was a little house!
Check out Erick & Ruben working it at the cashier table and charming the ladies. It seems like we never got a shot of Jeremy during all the chaos, not even one of him bending over.
But Laure, me, Bianca and Summer all got wicked ass sunburns. Sexy right?
I hope you hecklers feel bad. We forgot to put suntan lotion on because we were rushing to open up. SHAME. SHAAAAAMMMMEEE on you.
In the end it went really, really, EXTRAORDINARILY well – sunburns, rainstorms, hecklers and those two crabby hipsters (we could hear you, also, put on some real pants – your camel toe is terrifying) and all. We were burnt, exhausted, dehydrated and hungry but still had a completely killer time meeting readers, new visitors and letting our stuff go to great new homes. Jeremy and I brought a huge load including a full 6×12′ trailer, full truck and fully stuffed Scion and left with just a tiny fraction of the original mass. The garage is finally walkable and the house needs some rearranging, but slowly everything is getting put back into place.
Maybe you missed out? Maybe you feel so sad? Maybe we can help? I’m not sure if we could do another one of these pop-up sale things anytime soon, we are officially pooped and busy napping. Well, be sure to check out the online shops all year ’round.
TERRI PLANTY (Custom and gorgeous handmade terrariums)
MODERNHAUS (Tasty vintage awesomeness)
BRICKHOUSE (Not temporary and still full of magic)
*Thank you all you amazing peeps who helped pull this together. I was a stressed out basket case of a mess and you guys were incredible and brought the best stuff and helped with all the heavy lifting. I’d listen to weird techno mixed with mariachi while eating hamburgers in a parking lot and cleaning furniture all day, any day. Most fun I’ve had in a long, long, long time.
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50 Comments
WOW– I see so much awesome stuff!! I’m a little bummed, but I spent the whole day at Disneyland riding on the new Star Tours. Dang, I woulda probably ran for that print of California or any of those rugs.
Speaking of which, anything left over?
Hope you all were able to earn enough to pay the mortgage on the Brick House for a few months!
The sale was spectacular and Im so glad I made it. I am now the proud owner of that awesome trunk. The greenish one, not the gold one. I love it! All the other stuff I wanted was snatched up within seconds.
The hecklers cracked me up. You were running 10 minutes late though. They had places to go!
Do you have any after pictures? Did you sell that awesome green sofa?
Oh awesome! That was my trunk! Yes, all the sofas sold and went to really great homes. At the end we were so tired we totally forgot to take any pictures. Wasnt much to see though…
It was an amazing experience, and also really cool to finally put a face to one of my favorite blogs. The awkward up-nod in your general direction? That was me.
Oh man, its so awkward, I fear meeting readers – it stressed me out. I always feel like they’ll be disappointed or want to punch me or something. It’s so stupid. Everyone is always really nice.
I was toward the end of the line and actually tried explaining to a couple of grumblers that the rain prolly wreaked havoc on the schedule and you guys weren’t quite ready yet. “Well it looks ready to me,” he replied. Yeesh! Well I personally had a great time and ended up with an adorable owl lamp!
Oh GAWD I so wanted to be there, especially after seeing the pics, all that loveliness. I think you peops were SO brave to go through with it all. I’m a bit of a flea market fiend… oh what the hell so I’m a full blown flea market ADDICT. I’ve been at the front of the line watching the seconds tick by till opening time, bracing my feet just so, so that I won’t be carried away and trampled by the throng
It’s madness I tell ya.
Anyway, so glad to hear it was a big success.
Which sunburn is yours?
That photo of Laure (the one looking down at the burns with the hair over one eye?), that totally an art photo. I’d have it blown up and put on a wall, just something about it… so fresh.
… or is it Bianca?
If I wasn’t in Az, i would have been over there in a minute!
In the Dodge pickup~
You had such amazing vintage goods!!!
I love the pic of the guy running~and I would’ve been right ahead of him!
Tina
The whole time, I was looking at that greenish trunk, wondering where it went..oh precious, sweeeet trunk. Robyn, bah!
Yaay! Glad you made it through the sale. Looks like the hard work paid off. I feel you on the awkward and stress. I had a pop-up over the weekend and all my friends were commenting on my stricken facial expression. But it’s like what if we run out of toilet paper or someone gets pissed! Ha. I hope those sunburns heal fast.
Congrats…sounds like a blast-I SO wanted to be there- all the way across the country. Yay for cash, Boo for Crabby Cameltoes!
I’m so glad to hear that everything went super well for you. And of course, I’m really sad that the Equus poster went to some local buyer
Hope you get to take a well deserved rest?!
Now of course, I’m also super curious to see what house projects you’re going to do with your hard earned cash…
you mean to tell me – that whole time i was bothering you about my ugly ass rug choices- you were sitting on those beauties instead? i am an amateur.
I’m wicked jealous I couldn’t be there. You have some sexy furniture, seriously. I drool over it. I LOL’d about the crabby hipsters!!
It’s incredible the amount of hours of sheer labour these sales take! Congratulations, you survived!
“maybe you feel so sad?”
that cracked me up. great job, dude!! so glad it went well and it’s OVER. I know the feelin’.
I’ve been a lurker for a while and have enjoyed being inspired to do new projects in my reno (much to the boyfriend’s horror). I wish I wasn’t in Canada or I would have bought you out of house and home. Think you’ll be putting any of the leftovers up on your ebay shop? I’m on a never ending rug/lighting quest
Congrats on the great sale!
Flippin’ sweet! Gurl, that is some crazy gang you had outside! I wish I could have joined in the festivities. Congrats, I’m very excited for you. Minus the sunburn, no pain, no gain
Damn! Looked like an amazing sale! Wish I could have been there!
I’m a little embarrassed for the running guy. Wait to play your cards to the vest, dude.
Oh my! I was right next to the Crazy lamp lady!! she pushed me and my girlfriend OUT of the way, hahaha. Anywho, I’m so glad I went , I got your beautiful cream ottoman/bench and a kick ass rug/couch throw from Summer!
omg why would anyone want to sell all that!?!?
I want at least half of this stuff
Sigh. that’s “way to play your cards to the vest.” He’s running too fast, I’m typing too fast.
Hey, I see my brother-in-law and my nephew in that top photo. And hey, that’s the back of my sister’s head! I guess they went to the sale (I tipped them off). It looks like you got a good crowd!
how much is the little girl?
Seriously, people running? LOL. People don’t play when it comes to their MC needs. I love me some action shots!
too bad i was so hung over and missed it…
and then i got drunk again to sooth my pain.
c’est la vie
Oh my, sounds a little scary with those people running for the wares. Nice looking stuff though!
So, not only was I crushed to be studying for a final rather than hopping a plane to L.A. to attend this vintage extravaganza, but then you just HAD to go and post a photo of the event with my sister in the background? LOW BLOW, Morgan.
So glad it went well, even in my absence! Congrats!
omg..the dude sprinting – funniest thing i’ve seen in WEEKS! Hope he got what he wanted.
see the way running man’s head is tilted just so? he was heading for that awesome blue lamp, trust me, I’ve been that man
These photos make me VERY sad that I live in Maine……
I am very sad I didn’t get to meet and heckle you (kidding! (ish)), but looks like you had an amazing sale.
The running dude KILLS me!
So glad we made it! I got some great chairs, side tables and a rug! SCORE. Please do it again, I will be there in a heartbeat. Thanks you guys!!!
Ok you guys have me beat! Glad you guys had a successful sale….people running huh?
my heart just broke into a million pieces seeing all of the good shit i missed out on. i’m going to go cry in my pillow.
p.s. on a less selfish note… i’m stoked you guys sold a ton of stuff and i hope you don’t get skin cancer!
Was that a modern family reference?
Wish I didn’t live 2000 miles away otherwise I’d be running faster than white shirt guy
Wow. I know how overwhelming and chaotic it gets in the first hour of my boring, normal garage sales — so this sounds very stressful! Glad that it all went well, boo hiss to the cranky & impatient buyers.
I guess me & RunningMan have polar opposite collecting styles… I’m more Zen… “…coffee table must come to you…”
Your sale is one more reason I’m sad I don’t live in LA anymore… but at least I get your blog, so I won’t complain too much… and I don’t live near RunningMan… so there’s that… =:)
okay, I meant to say, “… coffee table must find you…”
me sleepy…
great sale as i expected..most of all…loved that you could PART with your stuff..;)..i need to learn that
Ugh. I should’ve come the half mile up the road, if only for that cane and macrame hanging chair! Next time
Loved reading about this sale. Couldn’t stop laughing at your comments. Seems market frenzy is a worldwide phenomenon. South Africans, and those from Durban ( well most of my fellow market mates ) in particular love a bargain. That photo of the guy running is priceless. I’ve reposted this. Loved it too much. Hope that’s okay?
Since I live in Amsterdam, Holland, I can only covet your stuff from afar. But maybe you can help me in my search for one of those amazing white round metal magazineholders (like the one in picture no. 8 in this post). Could you tell me the name of the designer? Thx so much!
Why are your reserves so high on the ebay store? I’m not understanding this–you’ve got 7 hours left and stuff isn’t going to sell.
Oh man, I am close to tears right now! I just discovered you through Tara Whitney! Had I known about you sooner…. You are just down the 215 and around the corner from me and I would have waited in line for this sale. I so want that CA map I see hanging on a fence in one of those pictures! My son loves maps and we hang them in his room. Oh well, but now I know where you are and I will stalk you like crazy!!! LOL
You had plenty of lovely stuff! Wish I had been there.
when i was a small child we used to have a storage end table just like the one the little girl loved. I used to hide in it. congrats that your sale went well.
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