Weller Pottery

The Courtyard has received a donation of Weller Pottery containing 12 pieces all in pink/peach color. Weller Pottery Company began in 1872 in Fultonham, OH and made vases, bowls, and art pieces as well as more utilitarian items such as mixing bowls and pitchers.  The Ohio River valley was an excellent source of clay for several pottery companies that moved to the area including the makers of Fiesta, the Homer Laughlin Company.  McCoy was another manufacturer of decorative pottery and became very collectible like the others.  In 1905, Weller was the largest producer of pottery in the entire country.  They mass produced their hand painted pieces until 1920.  During the Depression, they stopped the hand decorated pieces and began producing simple embossed lines.  The company closed in 1948.

At one time Weller, Rumrill, McCoy, Rockwood, Roseville, Shawnee, Homer Laughlin and others were very collectible and brought large amounts of money.  However, as with so many things, this has changed and even pieces in excellent condition do not bring the money or interest they once did.

Please come in and look at these lovely pieces -- no chips or cracks and priced to sell!

Repurpose A Desk

Remember when all homes had a large desk with lot of drawers where your dad sat and paid the bills or your mother wrote out her thank you notes, birthday and Christmas cards?  Well like other fond memories, those tasks have changed drastically with the use of the home computer.  Now we need or want a much smaller space for our laptops.  Many have gone paperless so the huge filing drawers are mostly a thing of the past.  We do our banking, shopping, make travel plans and appointments online now.  The world is rapidly changing and we have to accept that and appreciate the ease with which we can do our daily activities.  Sometimes we even have to try and repurpose some of the furniture we currently have in our homes or look for good pieces of furniture that we can use for something completely different than what it was originally made for.

The Courtyard currently has several nice desks from traditional to casual each of which can be used in a unique way.  This lovely semi-circular desk has drop leaves and a single drawer.  It would make a great bar and can fit into a corner of your living or dining room.  When serving put up the leaves so you have lots of room for glasses, bottles and mixers.

If that doesn't work for you, how about a vintage secretary desk that would be darling in a little girls room.  There is some gold trim but that could easily be changed to her favorite color (if she is 5 or under that would probably be purple!).  The four drawers are just the right height for a child to reach for underwear and socks, t-shirts and accessories.  The shelves can hold favorite books and toys while the cubbies would work for hair bows, jewelry and other treasures.  It also works for a place she can do homework.  This would also work in a bathroom for towels, toilet articles, sheets in the drawers, scented candles, etc.

This is a beautiful leather trimmed three drawer desk that is finished all the way around so it can be used as a server for a buffet in the center of the room or here's an idea - - - how about a desk!  Lots of room for a computer and still have available work space.  Just a thought.

This one is perfect for a more casual room in your home, cottage or cabin.  It would work well in a childs room, as a dresser in a guest room, or even an arts and craft table since it has glass on the top.  Paint and glue can be washed off easily.  Great for scrapbooking with storage for lots of paper.

So now you get the idea -- we have six desks currently in stock that all need a good home.  With some TLC and creativity, you can create a unique and unusual piece of furniture for your home.

Lismore by Waterford Crystal

For many years people have coveted Waterford Irish Crystal in all patterns.  Lismore has always been one of the most popular and became more so when President Nixon's daughter, Trisha, chose it for her crystal pattern when she married in the late 1960's.  

We have been very fortunate to receive a wonderful large donation of Lismore crystal and we have it available for your gift or entertainment needs.  We have priced each stem individually

for those who want to replace a few broken pieces, add to their collection or give
as a shower or wedding gift.

We have the following available:  12 water goblets each priced at $45.00, 9 double
old fashions priced at $45.00 each, 8 champagne flutes at $35.00 each,
11 wine glasses at $25.00 per stem.  In addition, there are numerous
serving pieces also available including a Waterford cake knife.

Prices are extremely reasonable so these will probably sell out quickly.
Come shop with us and you will treasure the experience.

Another "House Sale"

Our recent House Sale that we sponsored in Hinsdale, IL was a huge success financially for Wellness House.  It required a lot of planning, staging, developing a way for items to be priced so that some things that did not sell could come into The Courtyard, getting enough volunteers to donate their time to help direct people through the house, sell, wrap purchases etc.  We worked very closely with the 2 consigners who were giving 50% of the sales to Wellness House.  One of our merchandisers said "never again" while another said "never say never".

But look what was donated today.  A "house" that we felt we wanted to accept and apply our recently learned expertise.  So now we are having a different type of "house sale" in the shop.  The home is 5,133 square inches of living space at a cost of $7.69 per inch.  The house has a grand entrance with columns, a curved staircase, parquet floors with slate in the kitchen and carpeting in the bedrooms.  Fireplaces in parlor and kitchen and wood paneling with built-in shelves in the parlor.

There is great light that comes in through more than 30 windows and doors but fully electrified for dark evenings.  Come in for a complete tour and think about how happy you could make a young lady by purchasing her first home -- daughter, granddaughter or yourself!  Priced at $395.

The Courtyard Sale - Furniture - Majolica and more!

Our upcoming moving designer home sale located at 46 S. County Line Road in Hinsdale, IL includes majolica, furniture, silver, crystal, glassware, many pictures and framed wine posters, a framed signed piece of golf memorabilia, Asian art, outdoor items, bolts of fabric, Asian linens, books and many other items too many to mention.

We know that there are many people who collect the older pieces of Majolica and it will be available  on the 2nd floor.  

The main floor this 1928 Zook home contains a large ultra suede sectional sofa, a 2 cushion matching sofa, a pair of Asian chairs, a Peruvian coffee table, many Oriental items, pictures, several rugs, silver, glassware, desk, baskets and many one of a kind things.

We will be passing out numbers beginning at 8:30 am and will allow 10 people into the house at a time because of it's size and the amount of walking space available.  Check out and wrapping for the 1st and 2nd floors will be done near the front door.  

The basement will have only garage sale items and check out will be cash or checks only.  We ask that you shop there last so that you won't have to carry your bags throughout the house. 

This has been a huge endeavor for us and without our volunteers and merchandisers donating their time and energy to this project we would not have been able to accomplish what we have so far.  We need everyone to come and shop, enjoy the house and most of all, support Wellness House

to help them continue their wonderful programs for those living with cancer.

The time of the sale is Friday, Feb. 24 from 9:00am until 3:00pm.

Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9:00am until 1:00pm.

All sales are final and you will need to have items removed from the house no later than

Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm

Hinsdale House Sale

The Courtyard in Hinsdale, IL is trying something new.  It will be the first and only time that we are going to do this.  The sale will take place on Friday, Feb. 24th from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm and Saturday, Feb. 25th from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm.  The home, located at 46 S. County Line Road has been sold and the current resident will vacate the house very soon.  We were approached to do a sale of items that are not going to the new residence with 50% of the proceeds going to Wellness House which is our charity.  

The home is of historical significance built by R. Harold Zook in 1928.  There have been only 3 owners in that time including the last couple who lived there for 53 years.  It has all the original floors, built in cabinets, hardware, slate roof, beamed ceilings and paneling.  

On the 1st floor there will be furniture including a dining room table and chairs, a sectional sofa, chairs, ottomans, art work, tables, a grand piano and miscellaneous items.  The 2nd floor will have a large collection of majolica and many other decorative items.  Payment can be made with cash, credit cards and checks.  ALL items must be removed from the premises by 1:00 pm Saturday afternoon.  We will not have any moving help available or people who can help you take items to your vehicle.

In the basement will be garage sale items and we can accept only cash or checks for those things.

We will post more photos available as we receive them from the consigner.  Please mark your calendars and come early to get the items that you are looking for.  We will pass out numbers as you arrive and will let in a certain number of people at a time.  There is no parking on County Line Road so you will need to park on First Street.  Looking forward to seeing you there!  Remember, all the proceeds will go to Wellness House.

Continue to follow us on Facebook for more information and pictures with a link to our blog so you are aware of all that is happening.

Nutcrackers to go!

NUTCRACKERS any one?  We received a lot of them yesterday at The Courtyard many in unusual shapes and sizes.  These arrived just in time for the upcoming holidays and would make perfect gifts for the collector in your family or circle of friends.  

If you would prefer some other items to help decorate your home why not new holiday dishes?  We have both formal and informal -- even a set that shows how to build a snowman!  Really cute.

 

And Santa's?  Well of course, we have those too!

We also have dining room tables, chairs, Oriental rugs, sofas, lamps, chandeliers and wall art -- just about anything you need for your home or gift list this year.

25th Anniversary of The Courtyard

As many of you may know, we have been celebrating our 25th year of supporting Wellness House and the programs they offer to those living with cancer.  

It all started with 3 close friends and the help of a few others whose lives had been touched by cancer and were looking for a way to help raise funds for Wellness House which had opened just a year before.  They invited friends and relatives to come to a party and bring either a financial donation or an item that could be sold in the newly created shop.   The rest as they say is history.  Things have changed over the years, volunteers have come and gone, but the passion remains.  Still staffed by volunteers, there is now a manager and assistant manager overseeing things.  The 3 women who started all of this?  They are still there every day, decorating, taking in consignments on Monday's and they continue to love what they do.  

The evening was a huge success that included a balloon release with messages to those we have lost from cancer, time to renew friendships with former volunteers and supporters and the presentation of a proclamation give by the Illinois House of Representatives as well as a plaque from Wellness House in recognition of the $4,000,000.00 we have given to them during our 25 years.  

The Courtyard would not be the success it is without our wonderful customers and consigners who keep our inventory new and fresh and help us maintain the high level of quality items that we offer.  Everyone has worked very hard to make our reputation as strong and good as it can be and continue to do that on a daily basis.  Thank you to all who have supported us in any way -- we couldn't do it without you!

3 Bargains of the Week -- BOTW at The Courtyard

Periodically, we have donated items that we can reduce to very affordable prices so that our loyal customers can find a real bargain while helping out Wellness House by funding the programs they offer to people who live with cancer.  This week we have 3 such items -- our Bargains of the Week (BOTW).

First, we have a beautiful antique mahogany Victorian sideboard.  There is a center drawer and each side opens for storage with shelves.  It was originally $995.00 but is now only $395.00.

Second, we have a large glass front cabinet with shelving behind the glass, a pull out shelf and 2  doors on the bottom with shelving inside.  It would make a great bar with storage for your glassware on top, bottles on the bottom and the shelf pulled out for mixing and serving.   Let your imagination soar and come up with the perfect storage idea for your home!  This is now only $425.00 down from $1,100.00.

Third, we have a vintage solid wooden dictionary stand that will fit into a corner somewhere or stand prominently in your home.  Show off your favorite coffee table book, a family bible or what it was originally designed for!  Originally $145.00 it is now just $75.00.  

Sofas to Go! The Courtyard

We have 2 very nice sofas that need a new home and very quickly.  One is pale pink with rolled arms.  The other is a soft celery green.  We have a large shipment coming in this Monday, 5/9/2016, so these have be out before that.  We are offering each of them at $125 and they have to be gone by Monday.  Come in and see what a great deal this is -- a BIG Bargain of the Week!