Spring 2012

With such a mild winter, it wasn't surprising when a friend mentioned having had the mower out for
the third time this "spring." Grass doesn't check the calendar - it just looks for a little encouraging sunshine,
soaks up whatever moisture it can, and it's off to the races.  Much like everyone else, our team is enjoying
the early spring, but we certainly aren't letting any grass grow under our feet!  Emerging from the winter
antiques season, having sold four lifetime collections in a period of three months, we haven't had any time
to rest on our laurels (not that we'd want to, anyway).  Plans for 2012, made in the fall, are now unfolding and keeping everyone hopping.  We just completed our first Groupon promotion; started a Pinterest account (so addictive it is scary!); finished up course descriptions for our class offerings at the Chautuaqua Institution this summer; laid the groundwork for a website overhaul; and continue to fill up the calendar with lectures and appraisal  days throughout the Midwest.  And, of course, we've traveled near and far, gathering material for upcoming auctions - checking out and picking up consignments from Nebraska to the state of Delaware.
Gratefully, we continue to love, love, love what we do. Everyday is an adventure, every phone call is an old (or new) friend, and lots of opportunities lay ahead.  Our team is growing steadily, and we are fortunate to be surrounded by people who are passionate, dedicated and genuinely interested in making customers happy.

Happy spring!  We hope to hear from you soon.

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Amelia & Jeff Jeffers

Bricks and mortar make a great foundation

Re-published, from June 2009:

A good friend, who has been in the business for many decades, recently commented that the antique and art industry reinvents itself every 10 years or so, but that {in his opinion} we didn’t quite complete the last cycle. He believes that online giant eBay began to define a “brave new world” for buying and selling, but fell short when they didn’t get it quite right. What did eBay miss? The developers knew that a successful auction venue is based on trust, but they underestimated the importance of open dialog, transparency and true reputation. eBay, and
others like it, have tried to remove the challenges of person-to-person interaction: the occasional dissatisfaction, the difficult personalities that sometimes pop up, even the misrepresentations. It is a valiant effort to orchestrate our collective experiences, but isn’t overcoming those very challenges the key to developing and strengthening relationships?

Much has been reported lately about the future of “bricks and mortar” establishments versus online retailers. Garth’s has been involved with the online auction marketplace since the beginning, and we have approached the internet audience with the same value-system that our off-line community has known and appreciated. Simply, not only do we believe in the value of strong relationships, we enjoy them. We seek them. As a result, hundreds, if not thousands, of our internet clients have become in-house clients. There is no doubt that the internet has
forever changed the face of the auction world. But, we tend to believe that, while
information sharing has evolved in ways our predecessors could never have imagined and
marketing opportunities come and go, on-line platforms such as Facebook and Blogspot can be a great introduction to a new client. Ultimately a strong buying or selling relationship comes down to personal trust. High-tech will never replace hightouch. Backing up an internet marketing
effort with a reputable bricks and mortar business builds trust. Trust makes a great
foundation for any relationship.
- Jeff and Amelia Jeffers

Contact us today: by phone, snail mail, email or on Facebook. We look forward
to catching up with you!