(May 12, 2016) There’s a traffic jam of sorts at the north end of Snow Hill on Route 12 every Thursday evening, as dozens of cars line the street and fill the adjacent parking lots in preparation for the weekly auction at the Riverside Auction Company.
Held in the old cannery, the building is now a warehouse for stuff: Old things, relatively newer things, trinkets, furniture, household items and, last but not least, an incredible collection of cat figurines.
Almost everything is for sale — except the cats. The cats belong to owner Janice Candy.
What started as a fascination developed into something grander, as people learned of her affinity for felines and began giving them to her. En masse.
The cats now require their own section, having outgrown the shelf upon which they originally sat. They now line an entire wall of the interior showcase room and are decidedly not for sale.
With the cats are any number of seemingly unrelated articles, mostly housewares, available for bid this week in the smaller interior room. Outside of this room, yet still within the cannery, is another room lined with tables featuring other items for sale.
This week there are live plants, plates, glasses, books and piles and piles of other treasure just waiting to be discovered by a resourceful shopper.
“I tell people its like Christmas every week — there’s just no good way to say what we’re going to have week to week,” Candy said.
Riverside Auctions works on consignment — the Candys don’t go out ‘American Picker’ style and root through cellars, attics and garages for their wares — people bring the items to them.
There are also items they won’t accept.
“We don’t do clothing or old TVs any more but we’re not really that picky — anything that’s legal we’ll try,” she said.
Memorable items include a plunger used to detonate explosives and a 10-foot prototype surfboard.
Fees are set up so the Candys earn from both buyers and sellers based on a sliding scale determined by the final selling price of the item. The more an item or lot goes for, the smaller the percentage the house walks away with.
Those interested in submitting items for auction may do so on Sundays and Mondays between 11 a.m. — 4 p.m. on site. Sellers requiring table space must register with the Candys in advance either via the website, www.riversideauctionco.com, or by phone at 443- 235-9994.
The auction house opens at 1 p.m. on Thursdays for a buyers’ preview, but more savvy visitors can check the website earlier in the week for photos of the next items up for bid.
At 5 p.m. the action begins in both rooms, and will go on “as long as it needs to,” but is generally over by 8 p.m.
Last month, 325 lots were sold, which is about average for this time of year, she said. Like other markets in the area, sales are seasonal.
“We see a few people once or twice, and then we won’t see them again for six months or a year. Some people have timeshares or come down in groups. There are quite a few we see weekly,” she said.
Like the people who shop for them, the items vary week to week, and largely without rhyme or reason. Candy said the most popular items right now include decoys and vintage cookie jars.
“My business is fickle,” she said.
Held in the old cannery, the building is now a warehouse for stuff: Old things, relatively newer things, trinkets, furniture, household items and, last but not least, an incredible collection of cat figurines.
Almost everything is for sale — except the cats. The cats belong to owner Janice Candy.
What started as a fascination developed into something grander, as people learned of her affinity for felines and began giving them to her. En masse.
The cats now require their own section, having outgrown the shelf upon which they originally sat. They now line an entire wall of the interior showcase room and are decidedly not for sale.
With the cats are any number of seemingly unrelated articles, mostly housewares, available for bid this week in the smaller interior room. Outside of this room, yet still within the cannery, is another room lined with tables featuring other items for sale.
This week there are live plants, plates, glasses, books and piles and piles of other treasure just waiting to be discovered by a resourceful shopper.
“I tell people its like Christmas every week — there’s just no good way to say what we’re going to have week to week,” Candy said.
Riverside Auctions works on consignment — the Candys don’t go out ‘American Picker’ style and root through cellars, attics and garages for their wares — people bring the items to them.
There are also items they won’t accept.
“We don’t do clothing or old TVs any more but we’re not really that picky — anything that’s legal we’ll try,” she said.
Memorable items include a plunger used to detonate explosives and a 10-foot prototype surfboard.
Fees are set up so the Candys earn from both buyers and sellers based on a sliding scale determined by the final selling price of the item. The more an item or lot goes for, the smaller the percentage the house walks away with.
Those interested in submitting items for auction may do so on Sundays and Mondays between 11 a.m. — 4 p.m. on site. Sellers requiring table space must register with the Candys in advance either via the website, www.riversideauctionco.com, or by phone at 443- 235-9994.
The auction house opens at 1 p.m. on Thursdays for a buyers’ preview, but more savvy visitors can check the website earlier in the week for photos of the next items up for bid.
At 5 p.m. the action begins in both rooms, and will go on “as long as it needs to,” but is generally over by 8 p.m.
Last month, 325 lots were sold, which is about average for this time of year, she said. Like other markets in the area, sales are seasonal.
“We see a few people once or twice, and then we won’t see them again for six months or a year. Some people have timeshares or come down in groups. There are quite a few we see weekly,” she said.
Like the people who shop for them, the items vary week to week, and largely without rhyme or reason. Candy said the most popular items right now include decoys and vintage cookie jars.
“My business is fickle,” she said.