Haven Vintage and Estate Sales

In this Q&A, she shares how she got started, a look behind the scenes of estate sales, and how thoughts on adapting as she steps into motherhood soon.

Q: How did you first get into estate sales and vintage interiors? Was there a "spark" moment that pulled you in?

"I grew up thrifting, decorating, and attending estate sales - my mom has a love for preloved items that she definitely passed on to me! The ability to help keep things out of the landfills through repurposing and restoring was and still is a huge passion behind why I do what I do. I’ve been a vintage reseller for 5+ years! In that time, we were attending a lot of estate sales to source vintage pieces. After going to enough of them and sparking new friendships along the way, my curiosity was piqued around the possibility of starting my own estate sale company, which I pursued in 2023 and it’s really taken off since."

~ The ability to help keep things out of the landfills through repurposing and restoring was and still is a huge passion behind why I do what I do. ~

Q: Walk me through a typical estate sale day for you - what does that look behind the scenes?

"The days definitely vary! It just depends on what stage of the process we’re in. No day is the same, and that’s partly why I love what I do! It stays interesting fairly consistently. We spend our days sorting, cleaning, decluttering, staging, researching, pricing, marketing, and preparing for the upcoming sales!"

Q: How do you emotionally navigate entering someone's home and sorting through a lifetime of belongings?

"This is part of why I love what I do. What an honor it is to be allowed in someone’s home to sort through their items that they’ve often worked their entire lives to gather. I really do see it as a privilege that I am trusted to handle family estates in such a personal way. As an empath, it can be an interesting experience depending on the situation leading up to the estate sale. Homes and people always carry different energies - which I’m sensitive to! In the end, it’s such an honor to provide a service to families that are often in the thick of different types of grief and life changes."

Q: Is there a particular piece or story from the sale that stuck with you?

"I had a lovely client that was having to make the difficult, but necessary, decision to move into assisted living as her next phase of life. I met with her to walk through the process of the estate sale. She told me stories behind the items in her home - some that were gifts from the love of her life, some that her kids made, and more. Toward the end of our meeting, she began to cry and grabbed my hand. She expressed how scary it was to let go of her things, but she simply told me she trusted I would honor all of her hard work and asked me where to sign the contract. I, of course, started crying with her. I’ll never forget that moment! It was a huge reminder that what we’re doing and how we’re doing it makes a difference! It’s rare that I get to actually work with the actual owners. I often am working with estate executors and family members due to the passing or incapacitation of their loved one, so to have that experience with my client was really special."

~ It's been emotionally and physically difficult to take a step back from the business that I recently built and put so much effort into the last couple of years.~

Q: Now that you're pregnant - congratulations! - how has pregnancy shifted the way you approach your work?

"Each day is a bit different! Pregnancy is unpredictable and the body changes are rapid, so I’m noticing it’s requiring a lot of attention to how I’m feeling despite the tasks I need to get done! The Texas heat is difficult for any and all, but with how laborious and unpredictable estate sales are, we’ve taken a summer break just to be safe until baby arrives late summer! In the meantime, I’m reselling just as I always have and offering consignment to clients. This allows me to be a bit more picky when it comes to what I take on and gives me time to find a hand if I need help moving anything around."

Q: Are there parts of your business that you're thinking of adapting or reimagining as you step into motherhood?

"I’m not quite sure yet! I’m kind of a “figure it out as I go” person when it comes to new things (like motherhood…). It’s been emotionally (and physically because I really don’t slow down easily) difficult for me to take a temporary step back from a business that I recently built and put so much effort into the last couple of years. It will and is obviously worth it, but the fears I have as a business owner of things not picking back up where I left them is real! The reality is, it will be completely fine. The work is always there, I know how to market my services, and my clients/shoppers are wonderful.  I just love what I do, so getting pregnant quicker than we expected and so early on in a new business venture required a lot of changes when I was really in a solid flow! I look forward to adapting, though."

Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to start in this business - especially women or mothers-to-be?

"Make sure you have a solid support system before starting any kind of business is my best advice! What I do requires a ton of physical labor, problem solving, and emotional bandwidth as I often enter a space of grief with the families I work with. I thankfully have other work I can continue to do that allows me to slow down but continue earning income. Self-paid maternity leave requires a ton of planning, so adapting and getting creative with how to continue making income has been necessary. Nothing in me wants to go back to a corporate job, so I am very grateful for the years of reselling and creative services I’ve established so I have something to fall back on as I and my body slows down. If you’re not able to be and stay healthy, none of the hustle and grind matters. So, having the right support and prioritizing your health have to come first."