This week I had the rare opportunity to explore 100 years of vintage clothing inside just one room at the Robert Yardley Force home. It was an experience I’ll not soon forget and one that I am very excited to share!
Friends, this sale is better than any vintage clothing store, antique store or online store I’ve ever been to or seen! You will find everything from a closet full of late 1800s petticoats to hoop skirts and jackets, Ostrich feathers, prohibition era silk dresses and sequin dresses.
There are tons of hats, children’s clothing and exquisite old steam trunks -even a few men’s suits and a killer collapsible top hat! Keep in mind, this is all just one small area of the sale. There are at least three full floors of treasure.
You might have seen this amazing sale previewed on Channel 9 News or on the Cobblestone Too! website listed as “The House That Time Forgot.” Cobblestone boasts that it is the “best to-date in the city” and my friends, it is. It starts Thursday at 9am and lasts thru Sunday. Find all the info here.
Cobblestone has done a simply amazing job at organizing this massive sale. It is a rare treat that you will not find again in the near future. If this is your first experience at an estate sale, I urge you to be patient. Cobblestone expects 4,000 shoppers to attend the sale and will have an officer on site to maintain traffic flow.
When I got the exciting news that I was going to be allowed in pre-sale to photograph and write about the clothing, I planned this whole elaborate set up– including bringing in my dress form and a friend or two to help me perfectly execute the shoot. Then, I decided to just go low-pro because the clothing was probably all very very tiny and since women used to wear corsets–most likely nothing would fit my size 6 dress form. Well, again I was wrong. Women!! These amazing pieces are actual wearable vintage! The sizes range from 2-8. I know those sizes don’t include everyone (not me, for sure!) but its pretty amazing, considering the normal range of vintage clothing stops at a current size 4.
My suggested estate sale shopping kit (it’s hardly a “kit”!) includes:
- Large, empty reusable shopping bag to hold treasures as you shop
- A close fitting messenger bag for personal items to free up your hands for shopping!
- A little bit of cash just in case the seller doesn’t accept cards (sometimes you can give them a few bucks as a deposit so they will hold your items until you can make an ATM run!)
- Lots of patience and understanding. Shoppers can sometimes be competitive but it’s all worth it.
And remember to be extra thankful to the wonderful Cobblestone Too! employees as they are responsible for bringing us this awesome sale!
Venture out this weekend, pretty pirates, and take this opportunity to experience first hand, 100 years of Colorado history before it all goes into museums 😉
Robert Yardley Force Home
717 Humboldt Street
Denver, CO 80218
To see ALL photos and stories of my “Force Home Adventure”, come join me on Facebook/DingalingVintage.
Guest blogger Ashley Poskin of Dingaling Vintage posts on the Horseshoe blog every Wednesday and Friday about vintage lifestyle and her fabulous vintage finds. Follow Ashley on Facebook and on Twitter.
