Why does nobody want to buy classic furniture anymore?

We are in the process of selling our home in Millburn, which we have lived in for almost 30 years. We have a complete living room full of 2007 Stickley Mission furniture, and we have a master bedroom full of the stuff too. In addition, we have a 30-year old Ethan Allen breakfront and dining room table/chairs, as well as some hand-crafted Amish stuff in the kitchen. All good, classic stuff, especially the Stickley.

I have talked to a number of Estate Sales people, and all of them have said that nobody is interested in that kind of furniture anymore. As one person said, "All of the kids want to buy furniture that looks like George Jetson's furniture". They said to expect to get pennies on the dollar for the Stickley. 

This is really unexpected, and a rude awakening for me. The Stickley stuff is beautiful and well-constructed.

We bought all of the Stickley from Valley Furniture in Sterling. I tried to call them to ask them if they knew of any specialists in used Stickley, but it seems that the store closed down in 2013.

I was just wondering what the experiences of others here were when they tried to sell/buy classic furniture. I am not sure if the Estate Sales people are telling me this to try to "rig the game" when it comes time to do the sale, so that their favored clients can get away with dirt-cheap prices, so I need some kind of sanity check here.

Thanks,
Marc

I've heard the same from some estate sales that I've visited. There is also less demand for oriental rugs. I think there's still some demand for Stickley, but would agree that it's on the downward track particularly among younger buyers. If you have the time, perhaps one avenue is just to post individual items, and be patient. However, yes, if you need to sell quickly, the results may be less than you had expected.

Tastes change. Mission is actually more in demand than anything 18th century or earlier inspired. If you had had original mid century stuff you would be in luck. That stuff is in. But people today want minimalist clean look. Old furniture is hard to get rid of, even verifiable antiques. So I think what you are being told is pretty accurate.

I have worked part time for a couple of Estate Sales outfits.  There is no demand for traditional furniture, ornate mirrors or china.  The people who enjoy those items, can typically afford to buy new, so they do not show up at the estate sales.

I have seen dining room sets offered for $200 (meaning that $125 will be considered), and getting no bids.

If you have a complete set of china for 12, you will be lucky to get $50-75 for the entire set. It beats throwing it away though.

You might consider advertising your furniture on the _American Bungalow_ website:  https://www.americanbungalow.com/?page_id=336&category_id=2%2Ffurniture

Try calling Home Again in Summit. (908)464-8800. 

They deal in well kept used traditional furniture that appeals to the Summit/ Short Hills/ Chatham set with more conservative taste... who are bucking the trend.

"Everyone" does want open plan homes and visually clean furniture.  Except for the people who don't.   

tomcat said:

I have worked part time for a couple of Estate Sales outfits.  There is no demand for traditional furniture, ornate mirrors or china.  The people who enjoy those items, can typically afford to buy new, so they do not show up at the estate sales.

This.

I work for an upholstery manufacturer, and by far the bulk of our residential product goes (eventually) on very traditional high-end home furnishings. Operative words being "high-end." People buy it. They just don't buy it used.

I have a house full of Stickley, both the original and 20th century reissued. My kids don't want it so I guess when I go , it goes.

Funny. My folks always "redecorated" biyearly  with cheap **** in the 50s and 60s so  I decided to invest and get classic stuff. Guess they were right

I don't think an estate sale is the place to sell something like that. Try an auction house like Nye & Company. 

There is a Stickly museum on Rt 10 in Morris County. They might be able to help.

ll, tell the "kids" not to move too fast to discard your lovely stuff.  Their kids may want it, or they may change their minds later.  Anyhow, that's how it worked in our family....  The grandparents' early 20th c. oak went to Goodwill in the early 50s, and my sis wound up buying similar at auction 20 years later.

Meanwhile, enjoy!

An Ethan Allen catalog today and one in the 60's

Thanks to everyone for your comments. It certainly doesn't look encouraging for the Stickley stuff. What a shame. The craftsmanship is really exquisite, and when we bought everything 10 years ago, we assumed that it would still be a hot commodity when we decided to move. Of course, we could choose to store everything in the hopes that the taste for used Stickley would return, but I don't want to take the gamble. I will try the Stickley Museum and also call Home Again and Nye.

How about contacting Nest & Co. in Montclair?  They specialize in Craftsman decor.  No furniture, as far as I can tell, but they might suggest a way to sell your collection.  I love Craftsman style, and this is just a phase in which it's out of favor.  Sorry about the timing for you, though.  home@nestandcompany.com

ckdhaven said:

"Everyone" does want open plan homes and visually clean furniture.  Except for the people who don't.   

Count me in the group who don't ... maybe because I grew up in a mid-century home (in the "mid-century") with all modern furniture and never really liked it.  But I'm not currently in the market to make any purchases, although I might be in a (hopefully) few months or a year or so after a planned home renovation.

ckdhaven said:

Try calling Home Again in Summit. (908)464-8800. 

They deal in well kept used traditional furniture that appeals to the Summit/ Short Hills/ Chatham set with more conservative taste... who are bucking the trend.

"Everyone" does want open plan homes and visually clean furniture.  Except for the people who don't.   

Good suggestion. I didn't know that they moved - they used to be in New Providence. 

My house is almost all Mid Century modern, but most is inherited.  I also have 70 year old oriental rugs, also inherited.  When I need to buy, I buy generic mid century style, but not expensive from retailers.  I would definitely be interested if there was some sort of second hand central store to go to that stocked the same quality as what I have now.  But I don't see myself going to estate sales where I have to schlep the furniture home or pick through crap vs authentic.  I also don't see myself attending auctions because I just want to buy something, not hang out for hours and bid.  I think it's a potentially a good idea to have a store like this, but I doubt it would be profitable.

ckdhaven said:

"Everyone" does want open plan homes and visually clean furniture.  Except for the people who don't.   

When Mr. Blandings talks, I listen.

I've seen the sort of store campbell29 describes in other parts of the country...takes a big inexpensive space in a nice neighborhood.  Like her, I might be interested in this sort of furniture, but will not run from sale to sale, or deal with the logistics.  I want a seller who can handle delivery and removal of the furniture I'm replacing, so am likely to eventually buy new or live with what I have 

I think, more generally, a couple of big trends have been working against traditional furniture.  One is a trend toward more "fast casual" decor, at lower cost with more frequent replacement.  Additionally, with marriage ages creeping up, people with the funds to buy good furniture often have two apartments worth of good modern furniture and stick with that style. Whatever the case best of luck!

who knew? All our stuff is mid century because that is when we bought it!  

Knoll pedestal  tables, bent wood arm chairs, Breuer chairs,  original camp chair, etc

Kids don't want the furniture either!

Trends come and go. My mother bought "antiques" out of necessity in the 50's and 60's because it was cheap, cheap, cheap. Then they became fashionable. People thought her place looked great. Now "the look" has gone back.

I'm far from a kid, but I get it. People don't want to be weighed down by all this stuff. A few things here and there, sure, they fit and they make a difference.

How many of us had massive, expensive TV armoires for our massive, heavy TVs? Mine went to the curb. The TV went to the dump.

I can probably count the number of times we've used our wedding china on my hands. Same for the family silverware. We're keeping it, but aside from it's history, it's just a box of stuff that sits in a closet.

At the rate that I am going, it looks like the dumpster for my Ethan Allen breakfront and dining room set. I paid about $6000 for both around 25 years ago, but there is nothing you can do if nobody wants this stuff anymore. The same fate probably awaits my kids' bookcases and dressers and maybe even the Amish kitchen stuff that we had hand-built about 20 years ago. It's a shame that many families lost their furniture in the recent storms, but I can't send my furniture to a home that would appreciate it the most.

if you have the time, just sell it locally. You might not get thousands of dollars but if it's in good condition, You'll get something and it's better than it going to the dump.

We thought we were going to be radically downsizing and I sold almost all our larger pieces of furniture on the local FB swap group. I didn't want to move stuff if I wasn't sure it would fit. It made me feel better knowing stuff got rehomed. 

also if you can't sell it there are places that take large furniture donations.  One is Market Street Mission in Morristown and they pick up.

If you itemize your best bet may be to donate and take a tax deduction.

No one has mentioned Craigslist (or eBay). If you can take (or find) good photos, post the set (but say pieces are available individually) on Craigslist NNJ and NYC. I bet you get some interest. And your buyers will come pick it up!

Thanks for the suggestions. I alrerady contacted Habitat for Humanity this morning, sent them photos, and waiting for their response. It takes them two days to evaluate and respond. 

Some people have suggested Craigslist, but I am a bit wary to post on there, as some people have mentioned that people will jerk you around, come over, look at the stuff, and then not buy. I have a limited amount of time to wait at home for potential shoppers to check out my stuff. But, if I get a bit desparate, I might do Craigslist.

I already have an offer for all of my Stickley from a "bottom feeder" who is giving me 10% on the dollar. 

Another thought is one of the organizations setting up homes for refugees coming into the country. Typically they find them an apartment/home to rent and then try to furnish it. They might be happy to have some decent, good-quality furniture even if it isn't in the latest fashionable style. I know Catholic Charities is sponsoring some families - I don't have contact info handy, but I will look and see if I can find it. Other religious denominations are also involved with helping refugees get established, so perhaps someone else will have some contact info for you. Morrow Memorial Methodist church in Maplewood is very active with social causes, so perhaps give them a call?

eta: I've asked on the SOMA refugee support FB page if anyone knows of a contact for an organization that might be able to use furniture such as yours. If any leads are posted, I'll edit them in here, or PM you if you would prefer that.

Enki said:

I can probably count the number of times we've used our wedding china on my hands. Same for the family silverware. We're keeping it, but aside from it's history, it's just a box of stuff that sits in a closet.

We didn't register for china or silver when we got married, but later on  we inherited complete sets of both from my grandparents. For years, we kept it all packed away, too. Then one day we thought, "what are we saving this for?" Now we use the silver daily, and the china any time we have guests, no matter how informal.