Etsy: Preparing for What's Really Valuable

Behind the scenes over the last several months, I've been researching, and recently finalizing various merchant side web services in order to begin liquidating much of our antiques, collectibles and what I like to call "unexpectables"— in advance of our adoption which is 12-24 months out. My wife and I share the same taste for mid-century modern decorative arts, furniture and furnishings. We're both rather frugal, so all we own is the result of being at the right garage sale or tag sale at the right time. Several times over the years in fact. I've posted about a couple of these finds before both here, here, here and here. Suffice it to say we've found some gems over the years.

A couple weeks ago it really hit home how some of our stuff has got to go, as we sat in a parenting and adoption seminar. Much of what's in our home are items that are either fragile and/or impractical, and likely dangerous to little ones. So after we returned from the seminar, we met a guy at our home who I'd arranged to show up in a truck, and he took a lion's share of my Heywood Wakefield blond wood 50's furniture back to Michigan where he shares in a collectible business. These items consisted of a vanity, side table, and a dinette set–complete with the famed Butterfly table. The Heywood pieces where the first collectibles I ever bought as a single guy right out of college, so a great deal of legacy and history exchanged hands in that transaction.

So as I ponder what's next for my wife and I, and one or two children who we may bring home from El Salvador in the near future, it makes me smile to know we're transitioning from a life of valuable stuff, to a life of true value.

Not to say enjoying what you have is inherantly wrong, but when this stuff becomes a burden, or draws attention away from things of greater importance, it's time to let go.

All that said, I do hope I'll never lose a passion for going to garage sales, and flea markets and antique malls. I've spent hours and hours in my parent's antique booths, going with them to garage sales, and enjoying every minute. I rank these memories among my most cherished. So it was a natural when my wife and I began spending time together doing the same. Time I wouldn't give up for anything. Except a baby. Or two!

Keep an eye out for our Etsy announcement and a few eBay sales soon. Our Etsy store is called "cur8tor." It's empty now, but won't be shortly. If you go there, you can look through my favorite items and sellers to get an idea what the cur8tor vintage store will be like. If you've never been to Etsy, you should check it out. All proceeds of our Etsy and eBay sales will go to our adoption fund. The costs associated with an adoption are mind boggling. But worth it.