Southeast Iowa Auctions
– Jacob Glandon, Black Oak Films, Webster, Iowa
For the last several months, 101 West Marion St. in Sigourney has been buzzing with activity. People have been seen carrying all kinds of items into the historic building like furniture, antiques, toys, and other household goods. Not to worry though, this isn’t a reverse robbery but is actually the beginning of an online auction. Joi Hubbs and Ken Wagler, along with James Edwards and Mindy Pickrell have turned the once vacant former bar and restaurant into the staging grounds for Southeast Iowa Auctions, an online auction. While Joi owns the building, the auction is primarily operated by James and Mindy. James handles the staging of items while Mindy takes care of the business side, which includes taking all of the photos of listings, cataloging them, and maintaining their website.
101 West Marion didn’t change from an unused building to an online auction overnight. Many hours were spent by the team in cleaning and preparing to sell the leftover items from when the building was a bar and restaurant. The benefit of using the building as an online auction is that a lot of those items were sold in a past auction; a very easy way to eliminate unwanted inventory. Outside of being a bar and restaurant, 101 West Marion has seen many business ventures through its doors over the years. At one time it was both a furniture store and funeral parlor, where a particular gorilla was exhibited after its untimely death. It was a biker bar, the stone pony, and just like any other building, it has seen ownership change a handful of times. It has been owned by Joi for 3 years and she is currently planning on having brick work done on the exteriors of the building and will paint over the new bricks when that job is done.
Before running the auction in Sigourney, James worked for Sharpless Auctions for a handful of years – where he met Mindy – leaving there to create an online auction for BWP Auctions, and then moved on to Sigourney. James has known Ken Wagler for several years, dating back to the influx of online auctions in 2020. The two met at a Sharpless auction where Ken was trying to determine if an item he was interested in was worth bidding on. When auctions went online, it wasn’t as easy or wasn’t possible to evaluate items like it is at live auctions, so Ken would see an item of interest and would ask James to check it out for him to determine if it was worth bidding on.
Choosing Sigourney for the site of an online auction was something of a convenience for Ken and James. Several months ago, Ken went to Sharpless looking for James, he discovered that he was no longer working there. He called him, learning that he had left Sharpless to start the online auction for BWP, left BWP and was now considering starting his own auction. Ken said “How about Sigourney, Iowa?”. Ken knew the perfect building in a perfect location; there aren’t many online auctions in our area, making Sigourney a great location for one. The two began preparations to transform 101 West Marion into the space it is today.
James aims to have a variety of items available for bidders at each auction. Items range from antiques, homegoods, toys, video games, electronics, collectibles, and more. Consignment is always accepted and James sees it as a great way for local people to sell anything and everything. People not looking to sell but rather buy can also visit 101 West Marion to preview the lots. Some auctions do not do this for a variety of reasons. James attributes the reasoning behind allowing people to preview lots as a way for people to know what they are buying. He wants bidders to know the exact condition of items so that they are not bidding blindly. Mindy brings her expertise into this part of the operation by taking photos that show exactly what the lot consists of. Through their teamwork and smiling faces, James and Mindy aim to build an auction that people can trust and rely on for years to come.
Southeast Iowa Auctions has already had a great impact on Sigourney. When buyers come into town to pick up items, they will probably need to get gas, get a bite to eat, and do some shopping. This is a wonderful boost to Sigourney’s economy and gets new faces into shops and restaurants. Another boost to town is the fact that 101 West Marion is being used. With all of its history, it would certainly be a shame for it to be vacant. As the years go by, hopefully Southeast Iowa Auctions will become a mainstay in Sigourney, Iowa.
If you would like to buy or sell through Southeast Iowa Auctions, please contact them at:
(641) 622-6646
www.southeastiowaauctions.com
Facebook: Southeast Iowa Auctions
