By ERIC C. RODENBERG
AntiqueWeek Associate Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — For instant gratification, and that good old buyer’s high, a quick jump on the “Express Auction” might be just the ticket.

Inaugurated Oct. 12 by Dan Ripley of the Antique Helper auction house, the Express Auction is designed to accommodate the busiest of the busy, while taking some of the “mystique” away from the auction. Every other Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ripley will offer a short, four-hour uncataloged sale with an emphasis on furniture and decorative items.

“I am thinking that this Antique Helper Express thing may be the perfect fit for the coffee crowd,” said Antique Helper staffer Joni Back-Bubenzer. “You drop the kids off at school, then head to Antique Helper for a fun afternoon of auction delights and time with friends.”

From a woman’s perspective, the timing may be perfect, Back-Bubenzer claims.

“After 11 years of marriage, I have learned that it is sometimes best to introduce a new item when my husband is away at work. Off goes the husband, in comes the new armoire, out goes the bookcase. It’s a simple procedure that I’ve managed to schedule down to a science.”

At the same time, the Express Auction is not limited to only the ladies. It’s also geared to guys and store owners looking for those bargains that sometimes “slip through the cracks” on auction day.
This quick-and-easy-method of trade is nothing new, according to another Antique Helper staffer and passionate re-decorator.

“Sales formats like this have been a staple in major metropolitan areas for years,” Andrea Hastings said. “Now Indianapolis residents can discover what New York housewives have known for years.”

The main factor, though, is keeping it simple, Ripley says. Given Antique Helper’s convenient Indianapolis location, close to Broad Ripple, Meridian, Kessler and other northside communities, auction goers will have the ability to arrive at a reasonable time and get home before rush hour.

“It’s an easy in, easy out kind of auction day,” he said. “The schedule eliminates the stress of waiting to see if the item a buyer wants will come up for bidding before they have to leave, to make it for car line or an afternoon appointment.”

Coffee will already be brewing when the doors open at the auction house at 9 a.m. for previews, and the company is working on getting a higher-end catering service to come in and offer a wide range of quality food.

Antique Helper is also aggressively using Facebook to get the news out, featuring photos of some of the lots up for sale. The company currently has about 600 “friends” on Facebook.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” saidBack-Bubenzer.

“We’re reaching out to the community. We want the Express Auction to be a little more laid back,’ or non-threatening, tailored to the ‘first timer.’ We want to make this an informal sale, where people can come to just have fun.”

Ripley and his staff are also concentrating efforts on marketing the Express Auction as a money-making alternative for schools, clubs and other social organizations.

“With Express Auctions, your members can deliver items to Antique Helper any time, watch them sell at auction, then see your group’s bank account grow,” Back-Bubenzer has written in their flier to such organizations.

For the bi-monthly sales Express Auctions is looking to accommodate “clean vintage or antique furniture, dishes, glassware, lamps and lighting, vintage quilts, jewelry, original artwork and prints, pottery, cookie jars, nice area rugs, musical instruments, memorabilia and other interesting items,” according to the flier.

Also adding to the more festive atmosphere at Express Auction will be contests and free give-aways, including tickets to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

“Most people don’t understand what an untapped resource an auction can be,” Ripley said.

“Our goal is to get people with families through our door. We hope to educate them and present the opportunity to buy pieces that are both fun and educational.”