Behind one of Midland’s many century homes sits an old, barn-style garage.
Inside this brightly coloured garage, Jacqueline Sunday has transformed its interior into a cute and cozy home décor boutique specializing in curated vintage finds, original artwork and lamps from the past.
Having just celebrated its third anniversary, Sunday Restoration is now branching out to include offering whole-home contents appraisals both in-home along with online estate sales.
“We started as a home décor store,” Sunday says, noting they initially featured mainly unique vintage lamps and a lamp repair service. “I’ve always been a treasure hunter.”
Before beginning to offer the new service, Sunday took courses and training provided by the Personal Property Appraisal Group.
According to Sunday, her goal is to help the community gain a deeper understanding of the true value of their belongings while effectively addressing the complexities of downsizing, managing a loved one’s estate and/or navigating significant life transitions.
“I realized there were a couple of niches in this market,” she says, noting in-home estate sales regularly occur in larger centres, but are not as commonplace in north Simcoe.
Sunday says that since the explosion of online sales during the pandemic, online estate sales have also garnered greater attention.
“I work with maxsold for online auctions, but if you prefer, for those left with an estate and you don’t want anything from it, I can do it on site,” says Sunday, who moved to the area from Brantford with her young family after her husband got a job at Raytheon Elcan.
“You kind of have to have no attachments (to items) in the home anymore. Otherwise, it could be kind of traumatic.”
But the advantage of an estate sale is the sheer number of people it can draw, according to Sunday.
“You might get hundreds of people who will show up,” Sunday says, adding that personal connection grew deeper during COVID-19 when many flocked to garage sales after the bans were lifted.
Both whole-home contents appraisals and in-home and online estate sale services begin with a complimentary consultation, during which Sunday carefully assesses client needs, objectives and timelines to ensure a thorough understanding of their unique circumstances.
Sunday says her extensive industry expertise and years of sales experience, combined with her prescribed research and evaluation methods, guarantee precise, well-informed appraisals.
"Downsizing or managing a loved one’s belongings can feel incredibly overwhelming, and we understand just how challenging it can be to even begin,” Sunday says, adding she prioritizes financial value and understands sentimental significance, ensuring that all belongings are treated with respect while providing an accurate reflection of their true worth.
“At Sunday Restoration, we specialize in guiding individuals through the decluttering process, ensuring they get the best possible value for their possessions— even if that includes coordinating the removal of non-sellable items.”
Sunday also considers herself an advocate for the environment through her work and represents another reason she wants to keep vintage pieces in circulation longer.
“I believe there’s enough stuff in the world today and we don’t need to make more stuff,” she says, adding she’s also a strong proponent of wrapping high-quality, gently used items to give as gifts since it recycles products rather than throwing them out or buying something new.
“My goal is to get people thinking about re-gifting.”
Sunday says she loves uncovering hidden value in unexpected places such as the time she came a 1990s yellow Sony boombox likely worth about $100.
(I'm) doing everything I can to keep items in circulation rather than defaulting to waste," she says. "What sets us apart is our deep knowledge of the vintage market, our trusted local presence and our ability to identify value quickly."
Sunday also believes in giving back with 50% of proceeds from all donated goods sold going to charity. So far, the initiative has raised $7,000 for local charities and not-for-profit organizations.
Sunday Restoration is open year-round Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays.