How a younger generation is getting more into estate sales in North Texas

Estate sale signs have been popping up across North Texas this Labor Day weekend. But if you look into exactly who's showing up to shop, some of the customers may surprise you.

That's because a younger generation is joining the hunt.

Almost every week, you can find Sara Newman shopping at estate sales.

"I just love the experience of going to estate sales," she said. "You never know what you're going to get when you walk into an estate sale. "

She's been shopping them for as far back as she can remember, but lately, she's noticed a lot more younger shoppers searching right alongside her. 

It's a shift Janelle Stone has also noticed. She's been running estate sales in Dallas for more than four decades and says things started to change during the pandemic.  

"They bought upholstered furniture and things that you used to not be able to give away," Stone said. "They were buying it because they couldn't get the fabric or the furniture, and then it just trickled into where they would look at the small stuff and say I like that."

Stone says the interest never went away. At her sales, shoppers line up early, wrapping around the block, hoping to get first pick. 

"It's sort of a game," she said. 

She says younger generations are often looking for something they won't find at traditional retailers. 

"They want to be different than everyone else," Stone said. "They don't want the same look that everybody has."

"When I walk into the estate sale, I always take two laps," Newman said. 

The first is to see what catches her eye. If she loves something, she grabs it because the good stuff goes quickly. The second is to take a closer look. 

"I call my house Barbie's eclectic vintage dream house and it's almost 100% furnished with estate sale finds," Newman said. 

She says over the years, she's scored several museum-quality pieces she didn't pay museum prices for. 

"I have a sculpture by Washington Matafi, and I paid $100 for it at an estate sale, and I've seen pieces of his go for tens of thousands," she said. 

Newman has gained tens of thousands of followers on her Instagram by giving them an inside look at local sales and a heads-up on what may be worth buying. 

"I'm so excited about the experience," she said. "I couldn't keep it to myself, and so I do have resellers that follow me because that's kind of scouting content for them too." 

One of those resellers is Madison Berney, who runs Scooped in Dallas' Design District. At local estate sales, she looks for pieces she knows she can turn around and sell.  

Berney says she, too, is seeing demand for one-of-a-kind pieces and has turned estate-sale shopping into a full-time business.

 "Literally, my entire customer base is elder millennials and Gen Xers," Berney said. "There's definitely some Gen Zers that are in already, and I love it. Love to see it." 

She says there's another reason why many shoppers keep coming back to local estate sales week after week. 

 "I have made so many friends just standing in line and just talking to the person in front of me and behind me," Berney said. "Now, when I go, I recognize five, 10, 20 people."

Newman says that's become part of the draw for her, too. 

 "Be prepared to join a really amazing community of people," Newman said. "The entire secondhand community in Dallas is fabulous."

The hunt is just as much about the experience and the people as it is about the find.