A new shop has sprung up in Collective’s former space at 5339 Ballard Ave. It’s called o.b.o. and the owner, Jon Bengtsson, says it’s like the ultimate garage sale.
Truckload after truckload, Bengtsson and a friend are emptying their storage spaces and getting rid of stuff they’ve accumulated over the years. From an old neon Coca-Cola sign to chairs to china cups and antique whatchamacallits, this store has just about any vintage item you can think of. They’re only open a couple hours a day during the week but will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends. Next Monday they’ll have a huge sale followed by an auction the following week. (Thanks Silver for the tip!)
o.b.o – like the ultimate garage sale
Uh-oh. This is a dangerous store for Silvers…
what does the o.b.o. stand for?
sounds a little too much like a certain feminine product for me.
looks like a cool store though.
Offered by owner, perhaps?
“Or Best Offer”. (Standard Garage Sale pricing technique.)
So they hope to sustain this? Or it's just a short term thing?
I always love a good thrift-antique-second-hand-consignment store. I look forward to checking out the space this weekend!
I checked it out on Sunday and wasn't too impressed. It was just a bunch of stuff lying about, most of it not priced, no real thought to display or lay out. I usually like stores I can rummage through, but found it uninspiring.
I think they're still getting set up, so I'll wander back next week and see how it's going. I also think I was a bit biased because I had just left Souvenir's and they do such a wonderful job with display of their eclectic collection on antiques.
Any idea of hours during the week?
I love auctions – very dangerous and enticing! Don't want to miss that – will watch for details.
If you like eclectic furnishings and such, don't forget Space Oddity underneath Vain and the guitar shop. Cool stuff, pretty good turn-over, decent prices. Fun to poke around in.
I hope it's just a matter of getting set-up still. The scattered and unpriced thing may be problematic for many folks, myself included.
At least put prices on stuff, guys! OBO just works for one or two big ticket items per garage sale etiquette. :-)
With no Collective where will I find $2000 credenzas? Any ideas?
Where is Souvenirs?
Ahhhhhh, Souvenir! Another very dangerous store!
Souvenir is Curtis Steiner's gallery. He makes, buys and sells incredibly special and beautiful things. Here's a very cool video about Curtis.
Souvenir is located at 5325 Ballard Ave NW.
Great video, thanks for posting! I just got my mother-in-law a liquid silver necklace there, wish I could by everything, it's all facinating!
Oh I know. One of the only reasons I wish I were rich! The man is brilliant. Nice, too. ;-)
I love Space Oddity, too! Good thing I have a very small place, or I'd spend way too much there.
Based on my experience today, I doubt they'll be around long. Despite being the only person in the store, not a word was said to me by the owner and he seemed irritated that he had a customer. Also, it remains very cluttered and difficult to navigate and prices seemed on the high side. One last thing, if you are going to keep shop dogs (and I love dogs!), please make sure that your customers can come and go without worrying about the dogs escaping (and don't seem angry at same customers if your rambunctious puppy does escape!).