Many of our guests at the Munro House Bed & Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan, spend their liesure time perusing the goods at the many antique shops in our area. Allen, the “antique capital of Michigan”, is just 5 minutes away on U.S. 12 and is the home of several antique malls that are clean, climate controlled, and very well stocked.
Our guest, Leonard, had left for the day to have some fun enjoying his favorite pastime, antique shopping. He came back rather quickly and was very excited. He told us that he had to get online so he could check something out on e-bay. He needed to find the value of a particular style of china.
It turned out that Leonard was a very sentimental fellow. A 55 piece Limoges china set matching the exact pattern his grandmother had owned was for sale at a local shop. The only problem, was that there was a $75 price tag on the tea pot, but no prices on the rest of the set. He enquired if it was $75 for the tea pot–the going rate–or $75 for the whole set–a steal. The proprietor did not know, as the set was in his shop on consignment, so he called the seller but got an answering machine. He left a message to call Leonard at the Munro House with the correct pricing. Leonard used our PC to get online and found the current bid for a similar set to be $1,500. He began to physically shake with excitement at the prospect of getting an incredible deal on a chance shopping excursion to a small town in Michigan.
Soon, Leonard received the call. The seller wanted $75–for the whole set. He rushed to the store with cash in hand. When he arrived, he had to wait in line behind a man who was trying to buy that same Limoges set. The shopkeeper was explaining that he had just confirmed that it was $75 for the set, but it had been promised to a man named Leonard who was due in any minute. That was when Leonard identified himself.
The other fellow casually waited while Leonard completed the transaction. As he was boxing up his treasure, the late-comer offered him $1,300 cash-on-the-spot. Leonard thanked him for the offer but turned him down, explaining that he bought the set for sentimental reasons and had no intention of ever selling it.
We meet the nicest people at our bed and breakfast. Each of them has an interesting story to tell and we are happy to listen and share. My peeps keep my life interesting. That’s why life is good in Jonesville.
Mike Venturini – Innkeeper
“Life is good in Jonesville”
“Life is good in Jonesville”