Hunt for gems: Aspen Thrift Shop Art Sale, Silent Auction returns

Fans of Aspen’s most coveted treasure hunt are in luck! It is that time of year once more. 

The yearly Aspen Thrift Shop’s Art Sale returns from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Red Brick Center for the Arts, located at 110 E. Hallam St., along with a preview event from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8.

“No need to travel to Paris to check out the enviable ‘brocante’ flea markets next week,” longtime volunteer Katherine Sands shared in a statement. “Thrift Shop brings together its annual Art Sale with a wild, weird, and beautiful collection of the best art, books, decorative and vintage items that are donated to us during the year.”

The popular Friday afternoon sneak peek gives the public a chance to visit the shop and earmark for themselves what they want to buy the next day — with no purchasing allowed! The Thrift Shop will not move objects, so if a painting spotted on Aug. 8 is in a certain spot, it will remain in that position for the Saturday sale.

“It’s a chance for people to see what’s coming up the next day. People get very excited and line up very early the next morning, so they can get the things they have identified,” Sands said.

The abundance of eclectic objects and treasured art can be a bit overwhelming otherwise, Sands explained.

A Silent Auction will be held throughout the four-hour event, giving attendees time to bid quietly and collect boldly. 

“We start pretty low,” Sands said, of the starting bids.

Due to the generous donations by the Roaring Fork Valley community, the 76-year-old thrift shop has more contributions than it can provide space for, and this sale is the once-a-year opportunity for the public to benefit. 

Sands came up with the idea initially because some of the pieces the community donated were valuable.

“I saw that we got so many beautiful donations from the public that we weren’t really able to do them justice in the shop, so we decided to offer them to everybody in one sort of great day,”
Sands said.

The Silent Auction will feature distinguished artworks, including pieces by painters Loren Dunlap, Richard Carter, Dave Stirling, and Tom Benton. There will also be rare finds, such as a belt buckle by late Aspenite silversmith Jim Hayes and a highly collectible 1950s Christmas tree.

This significant community event helps fund the Thrift Shop’s scholarship and grant programs, which assist dozens of nearby charitable organizations each year.

“I would say there’s almost no area of this valley that isn’t touched by Thrift Shop funding,” Sands said, whether it is generous college scholarships, youth organizations, or environmental organizations — “you name it,” she adds.

All of the proceeds from the auction will continue to go towards these grants.

The Shop will continue to welcome more incredible donations and encourage Roaring Fork Valley members to continue donating!

For more information, contact Katherine Sand at 970-948-5128 or ksand@radarcontact.net.