A trip to Oakland last weekend for a triple play — a visit to the Alameda Pointe flea market, a trendy retro shop, and the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale — ended with barely a thing for me. But for my friend, Dhelia, it was a treasure trove. And I enjoyed every vicarious minute — and the great bargains.
The highlight for us was the White Elephant Sale, a huge rummage sale in a giant warehouse benefitting the museum. We went last year and each brought a large oil painting. So fun! This time, we used the same strategy — arriving no less than two hours before closing on Sunday. That way we would get great bargains — and wouldn’t know what we missed.
As the photo shows, Dhelia nabbed a beautiful pair of faux bois chairs, a French term meaning fake wood. In other words, they look like wittled branches. (The funny thing is these really are wood, so maybe it’s more bois than faux….)
They were in immaculate condition, with cane backs. The price for the pair was $300, but because of the late hour, reduced to $150. With 15 minutes before closing, the kind volunteer said, “make me an offer.” I pulled Dhelia aside, whispered in her ear, and she offered $75. Sold! Now how much happier can a pair of girlfriends be?
Dhelia had already purchased a gorgeous, antique oil painting at 50 percent off the original price. With slight rearranging of her living room, the faux bois chairs sit behind a couch, looking out her french doors to the garden. Beautiful. 
Read the stories I wrote after last year’s White Elephant to take a peek at our purchases and what we did with them…
“I love changing something old and giving it new life,” she said.
You can find Metamorphix at 554 Bascom Avenue.
I was immediately drawn to two items hailing from Argentina. I am entranced by stories of strong women. Hence 
Getting lost drives me nuts. I hate it. I always stress about keeping my clients waiting and I don’t really care to be spending any extra time wandering around trying to figure out if I’m headed in the right direction. But on this particular day, I found myself lost. I was supposed to be in a very nice residential area of Redwood City and instead, 
I found myself in the middle of downtown Redwood City. So I’m trying to find my way back to the street I need and something catches my eye. A gorgeous red brick building and on that building there was a sign — Brick Monkey.
favorites is this set of metal nesting tables for $1350.00 and let’s not forget these fabulous chairs. I love the geometric shapes of the leather. Now here is the best part—Brick Monkey is having their very first factory floor sale! All of their custom metal furniture will be up to 70% off. 
So mark your calendars for January 23rd and 24th. Be sure to come prepared with a large vehicle and moving pads to bring your one-of-a kind treasure home. Trust me on this. Bring a big car. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been caught in the wrong vehicle. Once a year, designer Stephanie Kolkka, a Brick Monkey partner and the metal-smith( who created those wonderful nesting tables) clears out her Napa Valley studio to make way for new designs. Expect great savings and wonderful finds. OK, I’m putting this out there— I’m up for the floor sale! Who else wants to make the trip? I’ll drive and I’ve got a big suburban. Let me know. We could meet for coffee (Peet’s preferably) and then some serious shopping! C’mon it’s twenty ten and we all could use a dose of fresh! Comment here or drop me an email—desiree@lookiloos.com
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