My Bedford, New York farm is still abuzz with stories from the Great American Tag Sale.
The weekend's big event brought in lots of money for the Mount Sinai Martha Stewart Centers for Living. We sold hundreds of tickets to the sale. Shoppers from all across North America made the trip - visitors from California, Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Canada, and more. Other celebrities, such as Joy Behar, Blake Lively, and Lara Spencer also attended. And we couldn't have asked for better weather...
Here are more photos from The Great American Tag Sale.
The Great American Tag Sale was located at the end of this hayfield at my Bedford, New York farm with the golden weeping willows as its backdrop. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
During the two day sale, shoppers looked for treasures under several large tents and outdoors on the lawn.
There was an entire table dedicated to textiles. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
And in the center, stacks of chairs and tables. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
The Great American Tag Sale will air as a one-hour special on ABC May 25th. Here’s Brett Albright, one of our camera operators.
With so many people in attendance at my farm, and so many goods to be sold, we enlisted the help of a great team of security at the sale also.
In this photo, events planner, Chris Hessney, along with antiques experts Jim Klinko and Vincent Manzo.
Look at all the dishes, pottery, and lamps for sale – nearly every item was sold from these tables. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
This fun hooked rug was also for sale.
In this area, copper cookie cutters – remember all those giant Easter egg cookies I make every year? (Photo by Mke Krautter)
Antiques expert and auctioneer, Frank Kaminski, took a break to visit with my Chow Chows, Emperor Han and Empress Qin. These dogs love meeting all the people.
Here’s a happy shopper with a t-shirt of me and my selfie “thirst trap” photo! This was great to see.
Some of the chairs were labeled with information about the type and make – I always like to impart a little information, even at my tag sale.
This is Haden Spenard from the events team looking at a cabinet – are you interested in buying it, Haden?
James LaBorne is ready for more fun on Day-2 of the Great American Tag Sale.
Cashier lines moved relatively quickly. We had a long table of cashiers ready to help shoppers check out.
Layton Thomas was one of our volunteer cashiers for the event.
Pete, Phurba and Domi, from my outdoor grounds crew at the farm also helped at the tag sale! (Photo by Mike Krautter)
Large pieces were brought to the “will call” area using our new Scenic Road wheelbarrows.
Enma Sandoval and Andres Velastegui from my Bedford team also had lots of fun shopping and meeting visitors. (Photo by Mke Krautter)
Look at all the sterling silver spoons for sale!
And all the art work – all these valuable prints sold!
And do you know what this is? It’s the shell of an armadillo made into a basket. This too sold!
Outside by the front sign – Doug White, my property manager, and Frank.
Fernando also stopped for a photo in front of the sign. Maybe I should have sold the sign too – everyone loved it!
And here I am with the some of the members of our “muscle” and inventory crew – Myroslav, Julio, Hercules, Phil, Eloy, Sergio, Taras, James, Samantha, and Areesh. Everyone did such a great job! We all made many wonderful memories at the Great American Tag Sale!
Do you know... what we call today's tag sale actually started in the early 1800s?
That's right, shipping yards often sold unclaimed cargo and other warehouse items off the docks as part of "rommage" and later "rummage" sales. These sales were also conducted out of churches and other community areas to raise money for various charities. In the 1950s and 1960s, families began holding sales out of their garages and yards in an effort to get rid of "no longer used" belongings. My Great American Tag Sale, which was held in a back field of my Bedford, New York farm, was a large version of one of these fun traditional events - shoppers mingled, stories were shared, and many, many treasures were found.
Everyone had such a good time. Here are more photos, enjoy!
Many of the items I sold were also props used on my television shows and in my magazines. This coverlet was used in an issue of “Living” – do you remember it? Here are Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon, two of my greatest fans and Instagram friends, folding this great find. And guess who purchased it? My friend, longtime colleague and crafts expert, Hannah Milman.
Shoppers were finding treasures in every aisle. We instructed everyone to bring their own bags to carry away their items – many walked away with bags overflowing.
We gave t-shirts to every seller and volunteer, so they could be easily identified.
As tables emptied, our team put out more merchandise. Here’s James LaBorne taking out more pottery to fill the tables.
There were bins and bins of linens for sale!
Tibby Gordon made sure every item that came out of storage was tagged and displayed nicely.
Do you know what these are? They are glass floats. Also known as glass fishing floats, or Japanese glass fishing floats, these are now popular collectors’ items. They were once used by fishermen in many parts of the world to keep their fishing nets and longlines afloat.
Here I am during one of the walkthroughs making sure every tag was filled out appropriately. I made multiple rounds in all the tents to visit with shoppers and to help make sure everything was running smoothly.
Haden Spenard and Areesh Haq from “Team Hessney” handled logistics and planning.
Antiques expert, Vincent Manzo, was on hand to help shoppers with pricing and also share the history of many of the antique items for sale.
Lustreware in its earliest development was made throughout the Middle East. The name “lustreware” comes from the iridescent or luminous effect created on glazed ceramics which, following the initial firing, are taken through further treatment with metal oxides. Traditionally, copper and silver oxides were used, but the range also included gold, platinum, and bismuth.
Here’s antiques expert Elizabeth Jackson posing for a snapshot after another successful sale!
Shoppers looked at every item so carefully. It was nice to see how interested visitors were in the stories about these pieces.
Many rugs and runners also sold – some were used in my personal homes.
And, I put out racks and racks of clothes – some from my own collections, and some from my personal wardrobe – almost every item sold!
Sergio Ducatti helped with loading and unloading – he was part of our “muscle” crew.
Old wheelbarrows – some also seen on the pages of our magazine, were all sold.
Every tart tin and pie plate was sold.
Jim Klinko and Vincent stopped for this photo before the afternoon crowds filled the tent.
Judy Morris and Heather Kirkland from my team pose with Bernie and Dennis after meeting for the first time. It was such a wonderful event for everyone.
Everyone is still talking about it, this morning - my first-ever tag/garage/yard/estate/get-rid-of-it Great American Tag Sale!
This weekend's event was a huge success. We sold thousands and thousands of items including furniture, tableware, art, linens, clothing, plants, decorations, holiday, kitchen, clothing, and so much more. The Great American Tag Sale kicked off with a lovely early evening cocktail party and preview, and then over two days of glorious sunny spring weather, we welcomed van loads of excited shoppers to my Bedford, New York farm. Everyone who attended found treasures. And all for a great cause - ticket proceeds are going to New York City's Mount Sinai Martha Stewart Centers for Living. It took a large team to put it all together, but we all did it, and it was a great time!
Here are some photos, enjoy!
On the day preceding the Great American Tag Sale, I hosted a cocktail party and preview outdoors on the courtyard of my stable located at the end of this long Boxwood Allee. The day was just perfect – blue skies and mild spring temperatures.
My friend Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events and his team prepared lots of wonderful bites for our guests. The appetizers included these roasted country ham in buttermilk biscuits. Our ham is from Loveless Cafe. (Photo by Pierre Schaedelin)
They also include giant jumbo Mister Spear asparagus with crispy parmesan and lemon zest, Mr. Spears green asparagus soup shots, cheese gougéres, marinated salmon from Purdy’s Farmer and the Fish wrapped in buckwheat crepes with horseradish cream, endive roquefort blue cheese with caramelized pecans, double baked potatoes with broccoli and sharp cheddar cheese, mini quiche with melted leeks and poached quail eggs, and of course pigs in a blanket.(Photo by Pierre Schaedelin)
All our small bites couldn’t be served fast enough – everything was so delicious. (Photo by Dominic Benevento)
We also had a seafood buffet of delicious oysters and shrimp. (Photo by Mike Krautter)
Our wait staff shucked the oysters for all the guests. They were so plump and flavorful. I always order oysters from Copps Island Oysters in Norwalk, Connecticut. (Photo by Mike Krautter)
These large, fresh shrimp are courtesy of Purdy’s Farmer and the Fish, a farm shop and restaurant here in Westchester, New York. (Photo by Mike Krautter)
Guests also walked to my Hay Barn set up with a tent filled with a sampling of premium items for sale.
Here is a beautiful framed photo of my old corn crib – for sale.
Art work was hung on wall panels for guests to see, while other collectibles were displayed on long tables.
Here are some of the Jadeite pieces – they were snatched up right away.
It was a busy morning before the tag sale. Mercedes-Benz provided four Sprinter 15-passenger vans for us to drive guests to and from my farm from the nearby John Jay Homestead. Here are the vehicles washed, cleaned and ready to go.
The side walls were removed from the tents. We had several large tents at the tag sale from Stamford Tent & Event Services.
With just 30-minutes to go, Chris Hessney gathered all the sellers and support staff for a last minute meeting.
Samantha Frisoli, who helped organize much of the inventory, checked that every item had an appropriate tag.
Here’s antiques expert, Vincent Manzo, ready to help shoppers and answer questions.
Tibby Gordon and James LaBorne stopped for this quick photo as they placed last minute items on the tables.
The Great American Tag Sale started right on time at 9am sharp.
I welcomed the first guests as they arrived and walked around sharing stories about some of the pieces up for sale. It was great to meet so many interesting and enthusiastic tag sale shoppers.
Here are Haden Spenard and Areesh Haq from Chris Hessney’s team – they organized many of the logistics of the event. (Photo by Dominic Benevento)
Shoppers entered the main tent where we displayed all kinds of pottery, and lots of chairs, cabinets, rugs, tables, and so much more.
Christopher Spitzmiller was also at the Great American Tag Sale. Here he is with his new chairs!
Shoppers took home many items! I think these two were very happy with their purchases.
Shoppers loved all the yellow ware – pieces went so quickly.
I sold many, many books – some of my own, and some of those I’ve collected over the years.
Here are Dominic Benevento and Chris Hessney taking a selfie! (Photo by Dominic Benevento)
Shopper also loved all the rugs and runners!
Here are Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon, two of my biggest fans and Instagram friends. They purchased many, many things from the sale.
And here is Andrew Ritchie, another dedicated fan and founder of the Martha Moments fan blog and Instagram page.
Auctioneer and antiques expert, Frank Kaminski, tagged these glasses – SOLD!
And here’s Jim Klinko, my old friend and antiques dealer in nearby Westport, Connecticut. He’s been eyeing this piece for himself.
Day 1 was a great success. I am so glad to be able to give proceeds to New York City’s Mount Sinai Martha Stewart Centers for Living, whose mission is to advance the quality of eldercare and to reshape the public’s perception of aging and provide outpatients with whole patient assistance, including medical examinations, advice about diet and exercise, and caregiving.
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