Vintage goods

The first day of the Ralph Lauren Home Sample Sale within Chelsea’s Metropolitan Pavilion brought on massive, slow moving lines and ultimately a long wait in the cold for those who were anxious to browse the huge space full of vintage goods, designer sheets, antique designs, and discounted furniture. Numerous helpful employees fluttered about, assisting shoppers with heavy items and locating prized possessions. Delivery is arranged on premises for furniture and non-taxi-fitting items.

Some aspects of the sale require patience as you dig and carefully browse as many pieces are cluttered together within various shelves. Vintage pieces occupy a good chunk of the sale, with two separate sections full of stackable tattered suitcases ($20-$40), which are very much in style at the moment, vintage record players ($40), decorative or playable vinyls ($5 each), old radios ($25), funky top hats ($20), antique street signs ($25), and I also spotted a Royal typewriter ($50). All of these goods are everything you would find in an upscale antique store, but for a fraction of the price! There were also some funky goodies for the daring designer such as skeletons ($100), an old newspaper stand ($250), black and white framed art ($100 each), totem poles ($150), vintage school lockers ($50), a gumball machine ($250) and a gym’s basketball scoreboard ($600).

A small collection of jewelry and gifts were located in cases toward the front of the room. Here, RL Vintage turquoise jewelry ran between $100-$200, with an array of Navajo-inspired moccasins and accessories intermixed.

Moving on from vintage, there were a vast array of RL Supply lanterns ($150) and wicker lights ($250), about seven gorgeous brown leather and plaid wingback chairs ($750 each), and numerous wood drum tables in a variety of stains for under $1,000.

Some higher end items that were selling quickly included Ralph Lauren’s New Safari Library Club Chair ($3,512, orig. $10,033), the beautiful Desert Modern Chest ($3,699), the Rosecliff Bookcase ($3,145), and Rosecliff Mirror ($2,494), as well as the sought after Alpine Lodge Armoire ($3,277, orig. $9,632).

I was a bit disappointed by the selection of couches and love seats. Pieces are “sold as is” and for the most part feature large imperfections. A variety of white love seats and chairs with large stains and rips were on hand for the purpose of recovering, and certainly meant for someone with an artistic imagination. However, you may be better off purchasing an old couch on craigslist if that’s your forte as these are certainly not worth you money.

Be sure to inspect the dining room tables on hand for scratches and nicks. Ralph’s Black and Red Modern One Fifth Dining Table was in great shape ($3,399).

An L-Shaped table held on to heaps of Ralph Lauren Duvet Covers, Sheets and Shams. The Cream Josephine Duvet in Queen Size will run you $400, but Ralph’s Denim Design Duvet and White and Blue Striped Duvet are only $100 a pop. Ralph’s Franklin Bed Blanket’s ($450) looked extra cozy, as did the Cashmere Sweaters for your furry friends ($30 each)!

The Ralph Lauren Home Sample Sale requires an early visit. Don’t wait until the last minute on this one! I was there when the doors opened and noticed stock depleting by the second. Shoppers are frantic and stake their claim fast by having employees mark furniture and décor pieces with a “SOLD” sign quickly! I was certainly impressed by the sale’s vintage array, which wasn’t the main focus compared to the furniture, but do keep in mind that stock is not replenished as time goes on. Act now before it’s too late!