Dear Brown Button Community,
Since our very first estate sale back in 2011 (a tiny project in a garage that took us three weeks to tackle) we’ve been on an incredible journey with you. Over the years we’ve served thousands of families, sold more than three million items, and shared over a half million in-person transactions. Some of you have been with us from the very beginning, and we can’t overstate how much your support has meant to us.
The traditional estate sale experience has been at the heart of Brown Button. The conversations over the jewelry cases, the thrill of discovery in the back basement, the joy of finding that quirky piece of art you didn’t know was in the sale. Those moments: unexpected discoveries, friendships, and shared stories, are part of what made Brown Button what it is today. (Anyone remember the sale where the can of bear mace went off in the garage?)
But along with the joy came challenges. Homes were never designed to hold 200+ shoppers at once. Parking often felt like an adventure in itself, from cul-de-sacs to soggy pastures. And for many of you, work schedules meant missing out on the first days of sales altogether.
The Shift to Online
In early 2024, we began experimenting with online estate sales. Over the past 18 months we’ve hosted nearly 100 online sales, ranging from packed antique collections to small apartment downsizes, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Shoppers have told us they love being able to:
- Participate anytime on their schedule, day or night, whether it’s before work or at midnight.
- Skip the lines and crowds. No waiting in the rain (heat, snow, etc) or elbowing to be first through the door.
- Have a chiller shopping experience. No bumping in tight hallways, no items pulled off the hold shelf by a competing shopper, no line cutting kindergarten shenanigans.
- Pick up only what they’ve won. Scheduled pickup times make the process simple and easy.
We’ve also found that families in gated communities, apartments, and rural properties have eagerly embraced this model. It provides them with privacy and flexibility that in-home sales simply couldn’t offer. This has opened up the door for us to serve more families than we could in the past.
Why We’re Moving Forward
After seeing how this model better serves both families and shoppers, we’ve made the decision to focus exclusively on online estate sales beginning November 2025. Over time this shift will allow us to offer more sales, more variety, and a smoother experience for both our shoppers and clients.
Honoring the Change
We know this transition means change for our loyal in-person shoppers. Many of you have enjoyed the rhythm of browsing through homes, talking with our team, and turning an ordinary Saturday into a treasure hunt. We’ll miss those moments too. Change is rarely easy, but we believe the future holds even more possibilities, and we’re bringing all the creativity, care, and energy you’ve come to expect from Brown Button into this next chapter.
This transition hasn’t been easy for our team either. Big shifts always come with challenges. Some roles have changed, our day-to-day looks different, and we’ve had to reimagine how we do what we do. We know it’s the right move, but that doesn’t mean it’s the easy one. Through it all, we’re leaning on our mission statement like wind at our back. Still focused on bringing that blend of awesomeness and compassion to this new model, caring for our clients well while working really really (really) hard to keep and build a team culture we love.
Our heart and our mission remain the same. We’re still here to serve with compassion, creativity, and excellence. From beautifully photographed items to friendly faces (and awesome load-furniture-into-your-vehicle customer service) at pickups, we’re committed to bringing the full Brown Button experience into this new format. As our mission statement says:
We are on a mission to revolutionize estate sales with a blend of awesomeness and compassion; caring for those who are downsizing in life while cultivating a team culture we love.
With deep gratitude for every laugh in a hallway, every story shared, and every connection made, we’re excited for this next season and grateful you’ve been part of our wonderfully kooky estate sale adventures.
With gratitude,
The Brown Button Team
