Did you know … that we go through people’s trash?
And by “we” I mean, Kevin and LeRoy.
Did you know … that we live in a throw away society?
It never ceases to amaze me the kind of stuff Kevin finds on his “treasure hunts.”
He and LeRoy go out several times a week and hit garage sales, estate sales, thrift stores, even the trash people leave by the side of the road with “FREE” signs on it, looking for treasures to either fix up, our personal use, decorate our house(s), (remember we have the rental house across the street), or, put in one of Kevin’s booths.
He has three of them.
Booths, not houses.
He started this “hobby” about five years ago. He started small, just some shelves but he quickly upgraded to a booth when he started to consistently find some pretty great finds for dirt cheap. His hobby soon turned into a business.
And more booths.
All of these booths are in the same building; he’s vendor 5150.
He not only enjoys the hunt, he makes some decent money as well. Sure, he has to pay booth rental but he still makes a nice profit every month. It’s a lot of work but he truly enjoys it. I also think it’s a great outlet for his creativity because Kevin is very creative he’s creative with his hands, I’m creative with my words. He sticks most of his stuff in his booth, as is, though he does fix up a few things and ups the price for his labor of love, but for the most part, what you see is what you get.
I don’t go with him. This is something that he and LeRoy enjoy doing together but I have gone with him a few times when we’re out-of-town and I have to admit, it’s sort of fun. Instead of seeing a piece of junk, I’m learning to view it as potential. Just because it’s used doesn’t mean it’s trash, right? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?
And honestly, it’s more like an act of service for the community – who has time to scour all of these outlets to find treasures? Kevin does the work for you and literally displays his wares in his booths for people to sort through and (hopefully) buy.
He talked me into going to a Goodwill with him one night after one of our dinners out and I found a NICE leather jacket for $25.00 and a blazer for $10.00 and I was hooked. I definitely don’t go as often as him but I no longer turn my nose up at the thought of shopping at Goodwill.
Yes. I was one of THOSE people.
He’s constantly arranging, re-arranging his inventory. He says he “layers” his inventory so when the first layer is bought he can just pull out the second layer and so forth.
Speaking of “inventory,” Oh Lord. I’m constantly coming home to new items either lying on the table for him to take on his next trip to the booths, or new pictures on the walls, or little knick-knacks he finds and puts on my desk. It’s like treasure hunting in my own home. And apparently, I haven’t seen it with my own eyes but I can just imagine, the basement at the rental house is wall-to-wall “inventory”. (I hate to call it junk but …). It’s starting to look like those nightmare houses on the show “Hoarders.” He calls this inventory his “savings account.” I’m still not sure what that means even after he has explained it to me like a 100 times, but … whatever makes the man happy, right?
I think he will continue to do this even after he retires – which he plans on doing in about a year. He thoroughly enjoys it and when he finds a true treasure and he tells me about the “hunt” with sparkling eyes, I can tell he truly loves the process. It keeps him busy and active and who am I to stand in his way?
Happy husband, happy wife, right?
Write From Karen 