Reuse is in my blood and I come by it honestly! Being the last of 6 girls, I was the queen of the hand-me-downs. There were only 9 years between the eldest and yours truly… man those Italians are a randy bunch!
I remember eyeing every new acquisition of my sisters, knowing that one day, it would be mine. My prayer was only that the trend lived long enough for me to grow into it. Fat chance. Trends are fickle and fleeting by design; cool one year, dorky the next. That’s what sells product, I get it. The problem was by the time I got it, I didn’t want it.
Those of you that have kitchens or baths that were hep and happening when the term “hep and happening” was actually “happening” are painfully aware that there are trends in house fashion as well. What? Simulated wood grained Formica countertops and carpet squares not
working for you? I can recount the style of kitchen cabinet “fashion” as it’s evolved over my 21 years in business. Here goes: white laminate,
If your kitchen still looks like this...
oak, cherry, maple, white raised panel– and currently– the painted and/or two wood kitchens that resemble living rooms and you have to play hide and go seek to find your appliances. How’s that for showing some staying power? Now all of them are still “happening” to a certain degree because of stylistic tweaks. Think of it this way, a pencil skirt is still a pencil skirt. The classic lines are what defines it. But one you’re attracted to today has some current component (lycra or built in spanx for example) that makes it more desireable than it’s original predecessor….which is why we simply must have it.
... perhaps it's time to upgrade! (actual Murco kitchen)
We are enticed to always have the newest, greatest, slickest surroundings, and that’s all fine– if you have the Johnny to back it up. If you don’t, you either have to accept where you are, or you have to be creative to circumvent the no money thing. By “creative” I mean, you have to be willing to work your ass off, because when it comes right down to it, if you’d like to live better than your checkbook balance implies, something’s gotta give. There is no some thing for nothing,…but there’s some things for next to nothing if
you’re willing to do the work.
That’s why I love what I do. Murco avails the opportunity, but it’s my buyers who turn the opportunity
into gold. You don’t need brand new for it to be brand new to you!
The family that works together sets themselves apart!
My 3 daughters have worked with me pretty much since birth. Indentured servitude is such a harsh term, but until they staged a “peaceful protest” invoking child labor law violations, indentured servitude basically summed it up. Ah, those were heady times. Agree or disagree, working together with “family” prepares you for working with “others”.
Think of it this way….
No one irritates you as much as family members can so if you can navigate situations successfully with your family, you can negotiate with anyone! It was it great training for them. Truth be known, it was even better training for me.
My first home auction was done with my 2nd child Allison, now 23, literally drooling on my hip. Thankfully, she has outgrown that drooling thing. The point being, she knew as much about what I was selling as I did, maybe more. We all learned together, really. I remember one auction where I was so pregnant with Madelyn, now 20, that I couldn’t even see my money belt beneath my enormous belly!
They grew up helping not only at auctions on weekends, but also during the week. Before our business went to the web, Murco would send mailers via US Post to subscribers alerting them of an auction. The girls would sticker and post hundreds of notices each week. I can still see their little bodies lined up on the couch watching TV while their little hands flurried over flyers.
My office has always been in my home where I could knock out 2 hours before anyone woke, then whip up a caffeine induced breakfast that would make Rachael Ray blush. Off to school they went, off to my hellish office commute of the 15 feet it took me to walk to my desk. Back then, my work life ended at 3:30 when I exchanged my work hat for chauffer’s cap and off to ballet, soccer, swimming– you name it, we went. On auction weekends, I would go straight from auctions to soccer games, then back again. I thought those days would never end. But estrogen waits for no woman!
When adolescence struck and Murphy’s House of Estrogen was in full swing, they really didn’t dig getting up at 7:00am to work auctions. Yeah, never went over big. Imagine that. The deal was, they either worked at auction or worked chores at home. Choose yer poison, partner! Taskmaster or teaching them to master tasks? Depends on if you ask me or them. I know I have 3 accomplished, intelligent, funny, savvy girls, who know how to work and play hard.
My eldest, Megan (25) has grown up watching me develop this business. I remember her telling me when she was about 12 that she never wanted to run her own business. She had seen me wrestle with indecision over business challenges and hurdles and decided that it was easier for someone else to determine what to do rather than have to figure it out, alone. After she graduated college, she worked for a large company that did just that and pretty soon, she came to see that entrepreneurship is far more empowering than terrifying….especially if you’re right! She joined me over a year ago and has brought tremendous change and vibrancy to the company. For those of you who have been with Murco for years, I’m sure you can see the difference. Not only is our website tricked, marketing & operations revamped, and a consistent brand emerging, but you actually get a response when you email! Ah, thank God for youth!
Sometimes auctions can be rough!
Anyone interested? Anyone at all? C'mon!
Auctions are extremely dynamic. That’s what I love about them. That’s what I hate about them. They can switch on a dime, great bidding one auction, great begging the next. Some auction days, you’re the bird, and some auction days you’re the statue. You’re either standing shiny doing your statue thing and people are saying “Wow, look at that shiny statue,” or a bird perched upon said shiny statue with extreme gastronomic distress and with nary a Sham-Wow in sight.
Some auctions I feel like a naked statue with not just a bird perched upon me, but a flock of birds who had obviously ingested something they shouldn’t have. From my point of view, it can be brutal. I’m having flashbacks just writing about it. Allow me to elaborate…
This house one house had all the makings of a good easy breezy auction. A new kitchen, updated baths, great doors, new light fixtures, this was a no brainer! I thought I’d be in and out of this house in a heartbeat. It wasn’t a tear-down, but a massive remodeling job and Murco selling out all the materials was the jump start to the renovation process.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, on auction day, the turnout was extremely light and those who were there, went for the jugular. $200 for an entire new kitchen? Please God, say it ain’t so.
Now, I respect that people are there for a great deal. If you have participated with us, you know that ridiculous deals are had by all, every auction. But from my perspective, good business isn’t when one person sees one’s neck exposed and goes for the jugular. Good business is when both parties understand the situation but find a way that works for everyone. Good business is when all parties walk away feeling good about their transaction.
Many people wonder why I can’t just give the materials away; after all, I’m a recycler. However, I have clients to answer to. I am hired to sell and disperse house parts to generate revenue and to reduce waste. When the client has paid thousands for a kitchen that I sell for $200 it never goes over big, let me tell you.
It’s often a tough road to navigate; provide great deals for my buyers while delivering decent value to my clients. Bottom line is that I care so deeply about what I do. Trying to make both sides of the equation gel doesn’t always gel. But you know what? I try. Each and every auction, I try. And when it works, it is so sweet, and when it doesn’t, it sucks cheese. But either way, this is what I do, and I accept the ebb and the flow of the open market. I don’t necessarily enjoy when buyers give crazy low bids, but I accept it as part of the job. I have no choice other than to suck it up and work with the buyers I have. So ultimately whether it’s a good auction or bad auction from a revenue point of view, the effort and intent are the same. Murco connects those who need materials with materials diverted from landfills. I provide buyers with outstanding opportunities to improve their scene while providing owners of a property an avenue to put their home parts to good use while generating revenue.
I’m so proud to be a conduit to the continuation of materials. If I have to swallow a little (or a lot) of pride to do so, whateva’ tomorrow’s another day! Our first auction of the year is on Jan. 29th in Hinsdale. Come out and make nice. Let’s start the year out with a bang, not me whimpering!
