Our Story
Estate Sales by Sheila has been serving the Middle Tennessee area (and sometimes way west, or way east, or even way south!) for over thirteen years. We can handle anything: from small pop-up one day sales, online auctions, and classic weekend estate sales to entire warehouse or store front liquidations. No sale is too big or too small for us! We love to help people find their treasures new homes as well as fill the homes of our customers with unique items or everyday necessities. With a knowledge base that spans decades in the antique market, we know what your items are worth while at the same time making sure our customers are getting good deals, everyone leaving happy (whether it’s a client or a customer!! is our primary goal! We boast an email following of over 10,000 happy customers who will follow us to the ends of the Earth to shop with us because of our honesty, integrity, and most of all… because we have cookies at each sale.
It all started with a conversation.
Estate Sales by Sheila was born out of a love of two things: helping people and thrifting. After a lifetime of junkin’, yardsale-in’, and flea markets, Sheila finally decided it was time to clear out some of her treasures and open an antique booth - that quickly ballooned into 5 antique booths all over the mid-state. Then, one day at random, her hairdresser said he was moving to Florida and considering an estate sale. “Let me do it, I’d love to help you and give it a whirl.” She and her business partner, Bob, baked cookies at the sale and the sale was an immediate hit. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the next few years, we grew by word of mouth and after thirteen years we are hosting four to six sales weekly. No sale is too big or too small for us to try to help you out with. We are so lucky to have a crew of about twenty-five folks, some of whom are part-timers and some of whom help daily. We are lucky to call everyone who works with us “chosen family.” Within that family we have a rag tag cast of characters, including Sheila’s two actual daughters, Casey and Sydney, who are typically queens of staging and pricing sales (but can often be seen at the sales running around helping folks when needed, too!). Sydney’s two rugrats, June and Arnie, are often also seen in photos during set up. We have an entire crew of familiar faces, some of whom have been around close to the beginning of it all - but who all come from different backgrounds and with varying interests. In fact, it would seem like we have an “expert” for anything, be it sports memorabilia, fine China, crystal, high-end clothes, vintage clothes, musical equipment, guns, knives, military items, jewelry, sterling, coin collections, and more - just to name a few!
We strive to be able get the top dollar for your treasures and because we have such a wide knowledge-base as a collective, we are incredibly successful at making that happen. Our main goal is to help you through whatever journey you’re currently walking: a death in the family, downsizing, moving across the country, just needing to declutter an attic, or liquidating an entire store front. We are here to help tell your story.
The Whitlock Gals are the heartbeat of it all - Sheila and her two daughters, Casey and Sydney.
Sheila: Though she doesn’t like to be called boss, she’s the head cheese. She began this company with a dear friend, Bob Mather, with nothing more than a love of helping folks and a familiarity with antiques and treasures due to years of yardsale-ing, collecting, and junkin’. With a background in advertising, she does everything she possibly can to ensure you have the best possible outcome from your sale. She will always answer her phone, (literally always) and she has a penchant for making whoever she is talking to feel like her top priority. With kindness and a tender heart, she has helped hundreds of families through many of life’s transitions. From loss, divorce, down-sizing, cross-country moves, and even business liquidations, Sheila truly just wants to help take the burden of “what in the heck do I do with all this?” off of you. Her husband, Randy, is a history buff and gun and knife collector who is often called upon (begrudgingly) to clean up and price any firearms or pocketknives we come across (and ensure the transaction is legal for all parties involved).
Casey: Sheila’s oldest daughter, set-up and picture queen, taking the majority of photos that end up on our sale sites. She is extremely picky about how tables are set up, and we are grateful for her eye for detail when it comes to making your home one hundred percent sale ready! She is very funny, often keeping everyone’s spirits high with her quick wit, and is the beloved auntie to Sydney’s two kiddos (June and Arnie).
Sydney: Sheila’s youngest daughter, the jack-of-all trades. On top of pricing most of the sales from top to bottom, she can often be seen ‘tying up any loose ends’ to make sure sales are ready to open: from putting out last minute items dropped off by families to making sure checkout tables and signs are at each sale. She can assess the value of most items in a house based on memory and comparable items found in many houses. Often pricing three to four sales a week, you can run into a lot of the similar stuff, but Sydney also knows the resources needed to appraise the curious and unique. She’s the mother of the two babies often seen in the photos, June and Arnie (the next generation of Estate Sales by Sheila!). Her husband, John, is the resident expert for appraising sports memorabilia - anything from autographs to jerseys to paper cards, he’s our guy!
It really is a family here, some actually related and some chosen. We are lucky to have a big crew with so many talents and areas of expertise. There is nothing that we, as a crew, can’t handle!
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She started as seasonal, spending her winters here and summers in her home state of Colorado. She’s now here year round and ready to help out in any way she can! Not afraid of attics, or sheds (or a dead mouse or two in a forgotten corner of a basement), she has the grit to deal with anything any house throws at her.
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Our Murfreesboro helper, she is a hilarious and kind woman who is willing to do just about anything from set up to helping run a sale. Her jovial nature is appreciated by customers, as is her help during the sales
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A crowd favorite, Jayme’s warm smile lights up a room and just makes you wanna be her friend. She does some set up and pricing mid-week, but where she really shines is running sales - customers love her bright and kind personality! You can count on her to clear out a house lickety- split!
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Another “all arounder” who sets up during the week and works the sales on the weekend, he likes to get started early before attics and sheds get too hot. He is also a fan of glass ware, his expertise is well-valued: from depression glass to fine china, this guy knows his glass.
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Karen often helps out setting up and running sales down i-65. As a Columbia resident, she is great to have at our southern sales (or any sale she is willing to travel to)! She is chatty as all get out and always has a story to tell. She is also very knowledgeable about sewing and crafting, which is helpful in many houses.
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The handy man extraordinaire. No matter if a handrail needs built, parking needs to be roped off, or lights needs to be run to a shed on the far end of the property, Larry is our guy. You can also always count on him for snacks and bottles of water.
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Our jewelry queen! Everyone has a special talent and hers is shiny things. She will help run sales on the weekends - our customers love her chatty nature and restaurant recommendations - but mostly she prices and displays any jewelry we find in the home. Armed with an incredible knowledge of name brands, designers from all eras, and gold/silver testing, Leesa she makes sure you get top dollar for any jewelry in the sale. Her husband, Billy, who is often roped into helping, is a watch aficionado, another helpful area of expertise when it comes to pricing unique treasures.
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Our doll lady. She is mostly a cashier on the weekends, but her true expertise shines through on a house full of dolls and toys. A lifelong collector, she can assess the condition and quality of a doll quicker than most people can say “Barbie!” She’s been around the Estate Sale world for a while, as prior to helping us out she worked for Michael Taylor and Kenny of K Squared.
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Our dastardly duo from Hohenwald. These two are a force to be reckoned with, often moving like tornados to get houses set up with high quality and efficiency. Rene prefers behind the scenes set up and pricing and is a total queen when it comes to making sure things are done correctly and well, but Melvin will do it all, including running sales, driving golf carts, or (if you ask him real nice) moving furniture.
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He actually has a whole real job during the week, but spends his weekends with us as a very well-loved cashier. Always willing to travel for farther sales and help price in the evenings if glassware is involved. he is the epitome of a Super Trooper. He loves Waterford Crystal and Fenton - and Dolly Parton.
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The first thing one often notes is her height. She often sets up sales during the week and then helps run them on the weekends - she is absolutely willing to help out in any way, shape, or form she is needed! Paula is always down for a “road trip” to some of our farther flung sales and is also almost always willing to share eggs from her chickens!
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Jayme’s husband, our “man with the van,” drops off tables prior to set up and breaks them down and loads them up shortly after the sale has ended. Often sporting Tennessee Titans gear, he’s an important fixture to the “crew.”
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One of our newest friends, Robert was a quick study to setting up sales and took over our Instagram - making sure each sale is showcased with multiple items shown in multiple videos to generate interest and get people to come shop with us! He is willing to help out in just about any aspect of the process and we are so glad to have found him.
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Crazy Sarah, the real garage and attic queen. This lady loves to dig! The more abandoned the better, she will jump right in and start going through long forgotten boxes with zeal and love every minute of it. She has a very wide knowledge base for antiques and treasures as she had a booth at flea markets for years. She knows how to spot unique items that may not be noticed in the back of a root cellar.
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The southern outpost. These two are indispensable in more ways than one, and while they are more than willing to drive anywhere to help set up or run a sale, they are very well-loved members in the community of Manchester and surrounding areas. Ted loves all things Halloween and puts on a huge display at his house every year for the whole of October to benefit the Shriner’s Hospital. He loves to plunder in sheds - the more dilapidated the better. Stacy is as sharp as she is kind and she keeps everyone in line - including Ted.
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Our mighty sequoia, customer turned dear friend, Tree is a hilarious hippy who ain’t afraid of an attic or a shed - but her real talents shine when it comes to high-end clothes, purses, and other sundry. She is a whiz at knowing brand names that other folks may let slip through. She also works the sales on the weekends! Customers love and trust her expertise and humor (and her yorkie, Mr. Darcy, who is always at her side. Unless you have food, then he’ll be by yours.)!
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You’ll often see her sweet face sitting at the checkout table on the weekends. She is incredibly adept at pricing sales and absolutely makes sure you’re gonna get top dollar on every item. Probably the best haggler we have, she is loved for her humor and incredible attention to detail when pricing or setting up a sale. Her son goes to Vandy and she loves her pets, you find that out real quick.
We have several other folks who step in and help from time to time, if we’re in their area, or if we have particularly tricky tasks that need an extra set of hands or eyes. But as you can see, we have a person for almost everything - and what we don’t know, we have access to a national wide group of Estate Sale Companies we can call upon for pricing advice on very unique items.
At the end of the day, we love what we do!
And why “cookie,” you ask?
Let us tell you about our friend Bob Mather.
When this wild ride all first started, Sheila had a partner: Bob. A former executive for EMI and a very proud Master Gardener of Davidson County, Bob was one in a million. Sticking with Sheila often til the wee hours of the morning getting some of those early sales set up, he was a permanent fixture of the sales from Day One. Among many hats he wore, the most beloved was “Bob the Baker,” always making sure the sale had a fresh supply of both chocolate chip cookies and the now famous ‘crack.’
Due to a heart condition he was unaware of, Bob passed away very unexpectedly in December of 2019, leaving a hole in the hearts of not only those who worked with him, but the thousands of customers who called him friend. Because of Bob, we now have “Have you checked your blood pressure today?” signs at each sale - a reminder that a simple task can help keep you going and baking and gardening. So when you come to our sales, see the sign, or taste a cookie - think of our Bob!