Sale of Randhurst memorabilia a big hit with some shoppers
About a half dozen people waited in the freezing cold outside the former Steve & Barry's at the Randhurst Shopping Mall, hoping to be the first ones at the mall's last sale.
The main mall, which closed last year, is selling the trinkets that it collected over the years -- Christmas trees, tables, benches, giant rabbits.
Shortly after 10 a.m. the doors opened, unleashing a stream of people who had been sitting patiently in their cars, unlike the die-hard shoppers at the front door.
Many bought fake poinsettias for $5 each, a box of 50 bows for $10 each, tables for $20, wheelchairs for $40 and fully decorated Christmas trees for $50.
The Metzger sisters, Valeria, 11, and Victoria, 10, stood watch over their pile of stuff, that included Christmas ornaments, speakers, a coat rack, and a wagon that their parents, Dale and Andrea, of Palatine, had grabbed.
"I didn't expect to buy anything here, but look what happened," Andrea Metgzer said. "This is more than what I'd expected."
Nearby, Jim Biebrach of Northfield sat his un-Santa sized person in a bright green chair costing $100. Biebrach said he'll to store the chair until Christmas and then bring it out just for the holidays.
"I have never seen such a chair," said Biebrach, a confessed Christmas fanatic who came with his son, Matt.
"When I saw that chair, I said, 'That is going to be ours.'"
The most popular items, three people sign holders and twin bears, will be sold via silent auction. Names and bids were taken up at the front of the store. The highest bidder will be given a call on Monday, said mall manager Lisa Blaszinski.
The sale continues today, Friday, until 6 p.m. On Saturday it goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bring cash because checks and credit cards aren't accepted. There's no tax on sale items.
Proceeds go to Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and the Mount Prospect Fire Department.
The mall's owner, Casto Lifestyle Properties, is gutting the main mall but keeping the major tenants that are attached to it and on the perimeter roads. The renocvation plan calls for a number of restaurants, a hotel and about two dozen smaller buildings to be scattered around the site.