Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Byfield
Hi Aubrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I, much like many others, did your typical growing up process of school, college, find a job! That led me the world of hospitality and events. I bounced around that industry until I was offered an administrative job that I really enjoyed. The stability of it was really appealing to me, so I continued my professional development within that world, which eventually led me to (believe it or not), the tax industry. I worked in management for a local tax firm for a few years before landing a big job at a remote expat tax firm doing people operations and recruitment. It was everything I thought I should want (emphasis on “should”…). The paycheck, the title, the responsibilities. That, however, came with the hours upon hours at my computer, the blackout dates due to tax deadlines, the pressure, and most importantly to my story…the anxiety attacks.
To cope with the stress, I would thrift. I loved finding good deals and have always enjoyed the “hunt” of antique and vintage stores. Definitely got that from my mom! So, thrifting vintage was my retail therapy. I have to mention that this “dream” job was also smack in the middle of Covid when nothing about our world was what we know it to be. One day, while we were living in a tiny loft apartment, I went for a walk and saw that someone had put a small piece of furniture out to give away. Immediately I thought “that could be fun to fix up and use for vinyl storage”, so I brought this chest into our tiny loft apartment and got to work. I sanded, painted, YouTube’d repairs, and figured it all out. That led me to refinishing furniture in our tiny loft apartment (less than ideal to start a furniture business in…) to pass the time. I’d film the process and post on my social media just for fun. That eventually blossomed into a reselling and refinishing business that I did after hours while still working my corporate job. Mind you, that meant 8-12 hours on a computer and then doing furniture stuff on my lunch breaks and weekends. My mental health was declining under the stress and I began having panic attacks. With it being a remote job, I could hide it well from them, but my health was suffering. My husband and I had discussed me leaving the corporate job, but I was definitely scared to lose the steady paycheck, so I stuck it out. Eventually I was offered a Director role, a pay increase, and far more responsibility. Instead of excitement, that brought dread. During a team meeting one day, I felt an anxiety attack coming on and quickly dismissed myself from the meeting, blaming internet stability. A quick call to my husband led to a “we don’t need wait, this isn’t worth it” and I quit not long after that.
From there, I focused on reselling and refinishing furniture to make ends meet and my husband and I were going to a lot of estate sales looking for inventory and project pieces to restore. I finally got curious enough about the in’s and out’s of estate sales and began learning the business with the help of a few mentors. In January 2024, I officially started my estate sale company and began serving families in the greater Austin area! It was a long road that led me to this point, but I truly believe I found what I’m meant to be doing.
I absolutely love what I do. It’s been a joy to finally find something that serves those around me. I won’t say it’s an easy job, but I will say it’s highly rewarding. If you don’t know what an estate sale is, which many don’t, it is a large, organized sale of a person’s belongings, usually after their or their loved one’s death, but not always. We work with families during big life transitions – death of a loved one, downsizing, transition into assisted living, cross-country moves, and more. We feel really honored to be let into people’s lives during such challenging times and we don’t take lightly the opportunity to re-home their belongings that are often part of a 40-50 year collection of memories and hard-earned items. I can’t wait to see what the years bring – year one has been incredibly rewarding! Our goal is always to provide a compassionate experience for our clients and a positive shopping experience for our customers.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s had it’s ups and downs, for sure! Far more ups than downs, however. Like I mentioned previously, estate sales come on the heels of some kind of major life transition for families, most often death of a loved one. That brings very understandable emotions along with it. You don’t really realize how attached to your things you really are until it’s time to get rid of them. Memories are often attached to items. Taking the time to sit in the grief with families as they navigate this is just part of the job. Being trusted to be included in a sensitive time is not something we take lightly. Grief comes out in many different ways, so a lot of the challenges we’ve experienced have revolved around learning how to handle situations in a way that helps our clients and does not add to their stress.
We’ve been impressed with Haven Estate Sales, Inc, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Haven Estate Sales provides residential liquidation services in the greater Austin area. Downsizing, liquidating, or moving can be a very emotional transition to make in life. Haven Estate Sales exists to provide a much-needed compassionate service during those times! We pride ourselves in our ability to handle our clients and their loved ones’ wishes with respect and the items you’ve spent a lifetime collecting with sensitivity. We take one major burden off of their plate by planning, professionally staging, pricing, promoting, and conducting a successful estate sale so that they don’t have to. Our clients can expect a cleared out home at the end of the estate sale along with a paycheck.
We put a lot of time and effort into our sales and are working to make our reputation not only about offering a compassionate service, but for having clean, shoppable sales. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished in year 1 and look forward to the years to come!
What’s next?
With year 1 under our belts, we are just simply excited for the future! Getting the brand and name out there, building relationships in the community, and finding families to serve is the goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.havenvintageandestatesales.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havenvintageandestates
Image Credits
Discovery Gerdes
