Why We Wake Up Early
The alarm goes off at 4:30 AM on a Saturday. It’s dark. It’s cold. Normal people are sleeping.
We are not normal people.
The Morning Math
Estate sales in Nebraska typically open between 8 and 9 AM. The sign-up sheet comes out around 6:30. If you’re not in the first ten names on that list, you’re shopping the leftovers.
Drive time to a rural sale: 45 minutes to 2 hours. Factor in coffee, gas, and a wrong turn on a county road that Google Maps swears is paved (it isn’t), and you’re looking at a 4:30 departure.
Why It Matters
The first five people through the door get the picks. By the time person number twenty walks in, the Pyrex is gone, the cast iron is gone, and the mid-century furniture has a “SOLD” tag.
This isn’t a hobby where sleeping in works. The early bird doesn’t just get the worm — the early bird gets a Griswold skillet for $5 and a Broyhill Brasilia nightstand for $20.
The Ritual
Every Saturday morning looks the same:
- 4:30 AM — Alarm. Coffee starts.
- 4:45 AM — Check the estate sale listings one more time. Look at the photos. Plan the route.
- 5:00 AM — Load the truck. Blankets for wrapping furniture. Cash in small bills. Phone charged.
- 5:15 AM — Drive. Podcast or silence, depending on the mood.
- 6:30 AM — Arrive. Join the line. Nod at the regulars.
- 8:00 AM — Doors open. Move fast, buy smart.
- 10:00 AM — Done. Truck loaded. Heading home.
By noon, we’re photographing inventory and listing items while everyone else is just waking up.
The Why
People ask why we do this. Why wake up before dawn to dig through a stranger’s basement?
Because somewhere in that basement is something beautiful that someone forgot about. And we’re going to find it, clean it up, and give it a second life.
That’s the whole business. That’s why we wake up early.