What do a bento box, metal penguin, and crystal decanter have in common?

They mean that Devon’s got a sharp eye.

Devon’s shopped like a 20-something hipster since he was 6. At 14, he regularly spots things we miss, although his motives, when grabbing that signed crystal decanter or antique perfume bottle, are different. Until we started selling at flea markets, he saw only cool “potion” bottles he could fill with colored water and display in his room.

When we started Unusual Offerings, we wanted to include the entire family from day one. That’s why “D” is in our logo. Recently, Valerie wanted to teach Devon about how the business side works, by having him add into inventory a few things he’d picked up at estate sales. Valerie and Devon set the prices, and Zander sells them at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market for as close to ticket as possible.

Devon found the intricately carved Japanese bento box at an estate sale when he was 8. He knew it was meant for food and connected it with Miyazaki cartoons. He thought it was beautiful and had it in his room for a couple years, using it to sort small LEGO pieces. He set a fair price that was a fraction of what it originally retailed for. The polished steel penguin is a candy dish. He never put candy on it, preferring to keep it on a shelf holding favorite odds and ends. The third was a hand-blown lead crystal decanter, which he spotted on a table full of glassware at a church sale. Valerie and Zander had both looked that table over but had not seen it.

All three sold on the same day. Devon was thrilled and eagerly bounced up to us, asking, “Where’s my money?” We made him do the math on a scrap of paper, then handed him the cash. His reaction is best described as a combination of Scrooge McDuck’s, “Bwah-hah-hah-hah!” and Daffy Duck’s, “I’m rich! I’m rich! I’m fabulously wealthy! I’m socially secure for life!”

Now it’s safe to say we all see dollar signs. Oh, yes, and beauty.