 They spoke with great fondness of all those who work for them,
saying that the entire team was not just a group of employees, but
also a group of very good friends.
Another key to the success that the Whites have achieved may be
that they have built a solid reputation for their services and are
known to put together "clean" auctions.
The Whites give their clients options that range from being very
involved in organizing a sale to being totally uninvolved --
whichever is best for them as a seller.
Dan said that many sales involve moving a person from their home
to a retirement facility. In those cases, sometimes the seller isn't
physically capable of getting things ready for a sale.
Other times it may be an estate where for whatever reason, the
heirs are just not able to deal with selling their loved one's
possessions.
The crew from White's goes into the home and boxes everything up
to be transported, but in most cases it doesn't come to the auction
house. First it goes to the Whites' home, where everything is
thoroughly cleaned, dishes and kitchenware are washed, lace doilies
washed and pressed, furniture is cleaned, even shop tools are wiped
down so that they make the best possible impression on the bidder.
Once the items make it to the auction house, Pam's decorating
skills are put to work as crews cover tables with white cloths and
Pam incorporates lace tablecloths or splashes of colored cloth and
helps group things to make the best presentation.
Dan said that offering clean items is a part of what makes the
White auctions very popular. The buyers know before they get there
that everything is going to be clean and displayed well so that the
quality of a piece can be easily seen.
Pam added that this is also their way of showing respect for the
seller and for the things they have to part with.
"We take care of each piece like it was our own. We show respect
for the item and the owner of the item," she said.
"In some cases," she continued, "these are people who don't
necessarily want to sell their stuff, but they are in a position
where they have to, and we want to respect their feelings."
Once everything is removed from the home, the Whites can also
make arrangements for a thorough cleaning of the home itself. They
have people who will come in and do all the cleaning and a person
who will come in to load up and haul away any trash that has
accumulated, making the real estate ready to sell.
From there the home may go to a real estate agent, it may be sold
at auction by White's, or if the seller prefers, White's can list
the real estate themselves and sell it in the housing market.
This past weekend White's began what is without any exaggeration
of the word a gigantic liquidation of one person's decades of
collecting.
Dan said that getting through everything that will be sold out of
Sherman's Curiosity Shop in Atlanta will take up every other weekend
probably through the month of October.
On the day of this interview, the sale area was completely set up
for the first Saturday auction, and everything for the Sunday
auction was ready to move into place Saturday night.
Outside there was a trailer ready to unload for the next auction,
which will be Sept. 18, plus their garage at home was full of items
that will be moved to the auction house at a later date, and there
is still more to take out of the building in Atlanta.
[to top of second column]
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Pam said this is the first time ever that they have completely
cleared a calendar for one seller, but it was what had to be done.
The Sherman sale is going to be a huge undertaking for the White
crew, but they are all up to it. Pam said that for this series of
auctions, they have six people working consistently to get
everything ready.
For Dan, the day of the auction is the fruits of their labors and
the most enjoyable part of it.
"We have too much fun," he said. "The day of the auction is the
fun day. And especially when we have stuff like this that every
piece is going to have multiple bidders and prices are going to be
respectable, it is not tiring, it is just really fun."
In spite of the fun, Dan said the Sherman auction has pretty well
filled their plate for the next two months.
He commented, "Right now we're not going to book anything else,"
to which Pam laughed and said, "Uh-huh, until you come home some day
and you've talked to some sweet little lady who has to move and
doesn't know what she's going to do, and she needs to sell her
things right away."
She went on to say that it was their way. If something like that
should occur, they will surely make time to get another sale in.
In addition to sales at the auction house, the Whites will also
do auctions on location, such as the auction they are working into
their schedule Sept. 18 at the former J&S Auto Centre location.
They also do consignment sales. Dan said that anyone who has
something to sell can bring it to the auction house. In
consignments, they would prefer to have enough for a full wagon, but
they will work with the sellers even on small amounts. In the case
of consignments, those items are sometimes held until there is
enough to do an entire auction, or they may be added to an already
scheduled auction.
In spite of the fact that nearly every member of the White family
has at least two jobs, the business as a whole still makes sure that
they make time to support local causes.
One of their greatest contributions is to The Oasis, as Dan
explained that the senior center has a fundraiser auction at the
White Auction House.
Dan and the crew take care of selling items, The Oasis brings in
food to sell, White's clerks take care of all the record keeping and
money collection, and at the end of the day, every penny earned goes
to The Oasis.
In addition they do charity auctions for Ducks Unlimited, Quail
Unlimited, and they are involved in the Lake Fork Community Auction
each year. And most years they are a part of the auction team for
the 4-H'ers at the Logan County Fair, all free of charge.
As this article comes to a close, shining the Business Spotlight
on Dan and Pam White has been a true pleasure and brought to mind
the saying: "When you do what you love, love what you do, life is
good."
[By NILA SMITH]
Note:
White's Auction House is a regular advertiser with LDN. Their sale
bills are posted up to two weeks in advance in the
Auctions section of LDN Classifieds.
(Part
1, posted Sept. 7) |
