Two years later, Bryan McDaniel and the crew at ‘McDaniel Auction Center’ thrive selling antiques, collectables, jewelry and art.
A truck pulls up to the front door of McDaniel Auction Center in Manassas. It’s loaded with an entire household of antique furniture.
Oil paintings are packed in cardboard, the grandfather clock is wrapped tight in a moving pad, and leather chairs are stacked strategically, strapped down tight. For one older couple in Dumfries, the contents in this truck represent most of the acquisitions they’ve made over the last 30 years.
Sadly, they couldn’t take every piece with them when they downsized. So they called the auction.
“We bring in anywhere from 200 to 500 items every week from people downsizing or moving out of the area,” says Bryan McDaniel, the owner and auctioneer. “The thing that makes it interesting is that you never know what’s going to come in next.”
The hundred or so people at the auction every Saturday evening must think the same thing: they stand along the sides of the aisles when all the seats are taken, all for a chance to get a great deal on a silver dollar collection or a fancy Persian rug.
As more of these folks continue to seek smaller living quarters, the need to liquidate furnishings will only continue to grow.
“We’re on the brink of something very large,” says McDaniel, a tone of responsibility in his voice. “Unlike this generation, Boomers are collectors, they have a lot of stuff.”
The McDaniel Auction Center in Manassas is located at 8279 Shoppers Square in Manassas. Its is open every Saturday at 4 p.m.
