Clearing out a home is an overwhelming task, particularly when sentimentality is involved. “It’s nice to call in a third party to handle that,” said Kelli
Helmers, who is the local owner and operator of Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington, along with her sister-in-law Anne Helmers. “If it’s a family trying to go through all of these items, everything you pull out of a box is a trip down memory lane.”
Sisters-in-law Anne Helmers, left, and Kelli Helmers, right, started Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington in 2018.
There was a time when seeing a notice for an estate sale typically meant someone had died. There are numerous reasons for transitioning from a house and holding an estate sale these days. It’s also not uncommon for people to want a fresh start with a new or remodeled home, at which point it’s out with the old and in with the new. Furniture pieces, antiques, vehicles and all manner of possessions can be sold through an estate sale company.
With a staff of eight, Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington conducts estate sales for clients in Fayette County and throughout Central Kentucky, most of whom are retiring, downsizing or moving, according to Anne Helmers. “We strive to make our sales organized, clean and fun,” she said. “And we love seeing so many repeat customers at our sales.”
The Helmerses define an estate as the possessions or property, excluding real estate, owned by a client. “We are prepared to ap- praise, price, advertise and sell everything from furniture, clothing and vehicles to jewelry, special collections, art and more,” Anne Helmers said. “We combine our passions for research, history and treasure hunting with an experience-based understanding of how to help families during times of transition.”
Anne Helmers and Kelli Helmers opened their franchise business in 2018, five years after the national Blue Moon Estate Sales started in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Our national support assists us in providing policies and procedures that ensure we operate in accordance with very high standards of customer service,” Anne Helmers said. “There were not many in-home estate sale companies when we started Blue Moon, and our services seem to have filled a void both for clients who need our services and for custom- ers who love to shop our sales.”
Real estate agents are good sources of referrals for Blue Moon, and Blue Moon’s weekend estate sales can also function as an open house setting for real estate agents, Anne Helmers said. Blue Moon can stage items within a house being sold to make it look like a pop-up retail space, or they can conduct an estate sale before the house goes on the market to help clean it out. Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington is also an affiliate member of the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors.
Sometimes the Helmerses are the only point of contact for out-of-state family members who are emptying a relative’s home. “We are a great referral service for anything a family going through a transition would need,” Anne Helmers said. “Families who need an es- tate sale are generally dealing with major life changes, and the process can be overwhelming and complicated.” The Helmerses offer compassion, attention to detail, a creative spirit and expediency with their services.
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Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington specializes in researching, pricing and staging sales in clients’ homes.
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Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington specializes in researching, pricing and staging sales in clients’ homes.
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Blue Moon Estate Sales Lexington specializes in researching, pricing and staging sales in clients’ homes.
A native of Toronto, Anne Helmers has a master’s degree in early childhood education. Before becoming a business owner, she sold vintage items in antique malls. Kelli Helmers is from Murray, Kentucky. She earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky and has a background in art history and event planning. They are both only children who married two of the three Helmers brothers.
Starting a business wasn’t daunting for the two, as entrepreneurship is common in their families. Kelli’s mother has owned a restaurant in Western Kentucky for a couple of decades. “Both of our husbands are local business people with diverse activities,” Anne Helmers said. Her husband, David Helmers, is an entrepreneur, artist manager and event producer. Kelli’s spouse, Lee Helmers, is a stockbroker and certified financial planner. Family members have been a source of business advice and support for the Blue Moon owners.
“We hit the ground running when we started. We were busy right off the bat,” Kelli Helmers said. “Anne and I were very involved in operations seven days a week for the first couple of years; we have tried to delegate some of that to a really good managerial team we have in place now. We have time to concentrate more on marketing and growing the business.”
The sisters-in-law were looking for a business venture they could do together. “People kept asking for this service,” Anne said. “We wanted something that embodied our values, and we wanted to bring professionalism to this field. I feel comfortable that we’re doing that right now.”