Another weekly special at The Courtyard

"Green Light Special" #3 at The Courtyard -- as you are aware we are offering a specially reduced item each week for 3 very important reasons.  1)  you have the opportunity to purchase a great item for your home at a low price.  2)  all the funds from these items which have been donated will go directly to Wellness House to help support their programs for people living with cancer.  3)  it allows us to better utilize our limited space by moving items out to make room for new things coming in on a weekly basis.  WIN - WIN - WIN!  This week we were going to offer a 9 x 13 Iranian wool carpet but it sold before we uploaded the photos!  So, now we have a 27" square wooden  end table that looks to be inlaid.  Nice condition and ready for a new home -- priced at just $75.  It will easily fit in your car so you can take it home immediately.

Mark your calendar for the next Open Storage Event that will take place Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14, 2015.  We have just received some new donated items as well as several consignment items that have yet to be seen by our customers.  So let Friday the 13th be a lucky day for you and come find a very special item for your home -- a great gift that will last longer than flowers and has a lot less calories than candy!  More information to come.

Storage is OPEN!

We are happy to announce that our storage facility will be open tomorrow, Thursday, November 20th from 10 am until 4:30 pm.  You can come see all the new merchandise that has arrived during the last few weeks and have the opportunity to purchase what you need for your home in time for the holidays.  We have rugs, sofas, patio sets, bookcases, armoires, dining room tables, chairs (some by Baker) and some other unusual pieces.  Come early for the best choices.  There are even a few very high end items that have been drastically reduced in hopes of finding a new home for them.  Wellness House wins and you win.  Come shop with us!

Thursday at The Courtyard

All of us at The Courtyard try very hard to make our shop the epitome of consignment shopping and are always trying to improve the experience for you, our customers.  We have held "Special Events" to give everyone the chance to see what we have in our storage area and allow them to make the purchase long before the piece they want might go into the shop.  We clean, move furniture, inventory and price using a few of our dedicated volunteers who have been doing this since we began opening up storage to the public.  We try not to do them too often but then we receive so many nice pieces that we have a full room and no place to put it.  Thus, another "Special Event".  Our last one was help on August 28th and we thought we would try to cover the entire day so that you could shop, go home and measure, text a picture to family or friend and then return to make your purchase and hopefully take the item with you all before going to a local restaurant for dinner.  Seemed like a good idea at the time!  But it wasn't the success we had hoped for so on to Plan B.

Our merchandisers have decided to step up and open the storage area on Thursday afternoons from 1 until 4:30pm so that you, our valued customers will have the opportunity to come, look and buy!  Buy being the operative word here!  They are the ones who make the decisions about what is accepted to go into our shop and when it can be delivered and consigned -- they know the merchandise better than anyone.  This will begin on Thursday, September 18 and be held again September 25, October 2, October 9, October 16 and October 23rd.  Then they will re-evaluate the success of this (or not) and decide if we want to continue this after the holidays.

We all understand that today's lifestyle lends itself to a much less formal look than in the past and therefore, items that were once collected and cherished are no longer in demand.  This seems to be true not only with dishes, figurines, etc. but also with furniture. Please give us your ideas and feedback and let us know what we can do better.  We are grateful for your continued support of us and Wellness House and are always looking for a way to make us your first choice when shopping for your home.

"What a difference a day makes"

The wait is almost over -- in less than 12 hours our Special Event begins at The Courtyard storage space.  We have been posting about this for the past few weeks in order to get you excited about all the items we have available for you.  There are 8 dining room tables, several sofas, coffee tables, rugs, lamps, mirrors, chairs, trunks, desks, beds -- the list goes on and on.

You saw the "before" photos in the last post and now you see what we have been doing all week.  Our designers/merchandisers have done a terrific job placing the furniture to make it look welcoming and attractive and to help give you ideas on how things can be used in your own home.

We have done our part -- now it's time for you to come and make it all worthwhile.  Wellness House will benefit from the proceeds of this sale to help support their programs for families living with cancer.

Special Event Notice #2

We are busy getting all the overstocked furniture placed so that it can be seen, drawers open and chairs tried for comfort.  The pictures are the "Before" and you need to come see how much we will accomplish by Friday morning at 10:00 am when the doors open.  All of the proceeds go to Wellness House.  We have dining room tables and chairs, sideboards, china cabinets, sofas, end tables, beds, mirrors, rugs, paintings, upholstered chairs, desks, lamps, a few small items and more.  Come early and see just what great items are available for you to purchase and enjoy in your own home.

SPECIAL EVENT June 20-21, 2014

Attention!  Save the date!  Mark your calendar!  We are having a special event at our storage facility behind The Courtyard on Friday and Saturday, June 20 and 21, 2014 from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm each day.  There is a large assortment of merchandise ranging from beds to dining room tables and chairs, wing chairs, side tables, desks, lamps, rugs, china cabinets, benches, side chairs, pictures, chests, coffee tables -- just about anything your heart desires.

Most of these things are consignment items that have not yet been in the shop.  Because of that, we can't take offers but will sell at the price shown on the tags.  The advantage for you is that you get to see and have the opportunity to purchase these things before they come into the shop.  A few things are donated and we will be pricing them to sell quickly -- that helps you and Wellness House so it is a win-win for everyone.

For those who have been to our previous special events, you know that this works as "pay and go" meaning you need to be able to either take the item with you or arrange for pick-up within a very short time preferably by the end of the event on Saturday afternoon.  Our storage facility is temporary and we could be asked to move at any time so we don't have the ability to store your items for more than a few days.  Thank you for understanding and for helping us support Wellness House and all the wonderful work they do for people affected by cancer.  Come early!  And watch for our signs that will be on display the days of the sale at homes in the area.

Tracy Porter table

We received a really cute painted table today created by Tracy Porter.  It has 2 chairs that are included in the price and each has a fish, rod and creel on it.  You can see the detail and colors and just imagine how perfect this would be for your cottage or camp.  This won't be in the shop long so come soon and see how well done this is.

Also . . . our first alert to inform you that we will be having another special event out of our storage facility scheduled for June 20-21. More information will be coming out soon but you might want to reserve the dates now so you don't miss some incredible pieces of furniture that will be available to you before they come into the shop.

Special Event -- Thank You!

We are happy to announce that our recent Special Event, held at our storage facility, was big success and we want to thank all of you who come out in the bitter cold at this busy time of the year to support our shop and our goal of giving 100% of our proceeds to benefit Wellness House and their programs for people living with cancer.

We sold this beautiful sofa that will go to its new home tomorrow afternoon.  The planters are gone as well as many of the wonderful vintage hats, a bookcase, settee, end tables, paintings, a large inlaid desk, chairs and even the Christmas tree that was decorating the entrance!  Not to mention many small items, vintage hat boxes, gloves and lovely crystal.  Thank you to all who came and offered their support of our efforts.  Our manager, volunteers and merchandisers are the reason that this all works and without them, together with our loyal customers and the many new ones who are finding us daily, we are proud of our accomplishments and are able to do what we do.  Thank you!!!

Special Event -- Furniture, vintage hats, coats and more!

It's finally here!  In less than 12 hours, it will be time for our last special event of the year at our storage area.  We have worked diligently to get things in place and displayed to make an industrial spot look inviting and cozy.  Come in and see what is available for you to take home or give as a gift.

All of the furniture, lamps, rugs and pictures will be available for purchase.  As with all of our previous events, we ask that items be taken at the time of purchase or as soon after as possible.  

We hope to see you tomorrow, Friday, and/or Saturday.  We will open promptly at 10:00 am each day and will remain open until 4:30 pm.  The proceeds from your purchase will help patients and their families living with cancer.  Wellness House offers support at no cost to those who need their services.

or yourself how unique hLuLu of Chicago will have some beautiful vintage furs and clothing as well as handbags and shoes ready for purchase.  Her things are lovely and very high quality.  Come see fer items are.  

Special Event -- Vintage Hats!

For the upcoming Special Event to be held at our storage facility located in the walkway behind our shop, we will have some lovely vintage hats that came from an estate in Chicago.  Many are from famous designers and high-end departments stores and are of such high quality that our merchandisers felt we should offer them to our customers.  They will be available at our event this weekend, Friday and Saturday, only so this will be your only opportunity to purchase one or more for your collection or perhaps as a gift for a friend. We do not usually accept clothing so this is not the beginning of a new trend but rather a chance for you to see and buy something that would otherwise not be in our shop.

All of this begins in less than 48 hours and we have been hard at work moving furniture, cleaning and decorating, unpacking many small items that have just arrived and pricing everything so that we are ready when the doors open at 10:00 am Friday morning.  So mark your calendars, get our your boots and long-johns and plan to stop by and see what we have for your home, cottage or to give as a gift.

And remember that LuLu of Chicago will be there with her vintage furs, purses and shoes.  Hope to see you there!

The Courtyard Special Event

SAVE THE DATE!  We are happy to tell you that we are having another Special Event at our storage facility located in the walkway directly behind our shop.  It will be held Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7 from 10:00am until 4:30pm each day.  We have had many new arrivals during the past few weeks and we want you to have the opportunity to purchase these items without having to wait for them to come into The Courtyard.  To be fair to everyone, this storage facility will remain closed until the event so that all of our customers have the same chance to view and purchase.

These 3 cabinets will be available to purchase.  Please remember that there will not be any early previews or purchases of items shown until the actual days of the event.  Our proceeds go to support Wellness House and their programs for those affected by cancer.