As promised, decor8 attended Meg’s first ever Modern Economy sale in San Francisco, CA last night… If you weren’t able to make it, here’s the scoop…
By: Anh-Minh Le, decor8 West Coast Writer
You never know what you?re going to get with a sample sale. Ugly goods that no one else wanted, damaged goods, still overpriced goods ? they?re all possibilities. And then, of course, who knows how chaotic the event will be. (Remember that episode of ?Friends,? with the wedding gown sale?)
I?m happy to report that the first-ever Modern Economy sale, held last night in San Francisco, included fantastic merchandise at affordable prices, and there were no tugs-of-war over sheets or running to stake your claim (like at other warehouse sales I’ve attended).
Jon (the husband) and I arrived a little early, which was a good move for two reasons: 1) There were three events going on at Fort Mason last night (the ME sale, an SFMOMA sale and an AIDS Foundation benefit); and 2) the merchandise at the ME sale was going quickly. About 15 minutes into the sale, I overheard a woman asking about a Perch birdfeeder. She was out of luck; that item was already sold out. (I managed to score the only Perch bird pendant light on the sales floor.)
So what were the deals like? King-size Amenity duvet and sham sets that normally would set you back $520, were marked down to $315. The Dwell duvet that I paid over $200 for about a year ago was priced at $86! jefDesign lamps were $135 instead of $260. There were all sorts of decorative pillows in the $20ish price range. And the Sara Paloma ceramics ? which I had been eyeing at the SF Craft & Folk Art Museum just last week ? were all 50 percent off. In addition to home accessories, you could find doggie outfits (so cute!) and dishes, t-shirts, aprons, wrapping paper (you know, in case you?re not just shopping for yourself at this sale) and jewelry.
After a little browsing and shopping, Jon and I popped over to Greens for a snack. When we came back to the sale ? which, by then, was about an hour after it started ? there were a lot more people and a lot less merchandise. People were walking out with a brown bag in each hand, full of stuff. Yet the space never felt overcrowded and you never had to run or climb over people to grab something. I was impressed by how well-organized the sale was, and all of the people working there were super-friendly. (I recognized Kelly from Relish ? a great shop in Berkeley ? and Lisa of Good On Paper.)
More Modern Economy sales are planned in the future, including one in Los Angeles later this year. If you?re lucky, founder Meg Mateo Ilasco will be showing up with lots of discounted modern wares in your town, too!
Curious to see more? View additional photos here.
(images Copyright Anh-Minh Lee 2006)
May 5th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Which designer makes those adorable pet clothes? Those are divine!
May 5th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
ff: the shirt+tie doggie outfits are by variegated. they’re normally $70, but were selling for $40 at the sale.
May 5th, 2006 at 11:43 pm
OH MY GAWD! Love that Dwell baby! Not that I need it, but how cute is that!
May 6th, 2006 at 1:41 am
oh that dwell bedding… such a good bargain!
May 6th, 2006 at 4:24 am
This is such a great blog, I love it and I really like that you feature stuff that goes on in other places because it shows you really have your readers at heart.
Rene
May 6th, 2006 at 8:42 am
thanks anh-minh for the great write-up and photos of the sale. i’m glad you were able to score the perch bird light–there were lots of folks eyeing it as it sat on the holds table. i will be working on putting together the next sale in LA in a couple months. it will probably be around august or september. (i may also have some smaller interim sales in SF.) plus, i’m working bringing the sale out to other cities outside california! i’ll definitely keep you posted.
and of course, thank you holly for all your support. :)
May 8th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
I love the dwell baby bedding too! Ahhh!
May 8th, 2006 at 11:27 pm
correction :: the dog “shirt and tie” product is by Everyday Studio, not Variegated. We source vintage ties in San Francisco for the shirts, making each one unique! We’ll be selling it online soon, but until then, feel free to get in touch with us. http://www.everydaystudio.com
Retail Price is $36.00 thanks!
May 9th, 2006 at 6:31 am
Yes, those were Everyday Studio dog shirts and ties. Sorry I didn’t catch that comment earlier. The Variegated collars and leashes were right next to them!
May 10th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Who makes the pet bowls?
October 7th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
[...] their path. My friend Anh-Minh attended one of her sales in San Francisco back in ‘06 and blogged about it here in case you are curious to see what these sales are like in person. Since so many online responded [...]