Modern Economy Sale: Review + Slide Show!
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)