For the most part, we were disappointed at how high all the prices were, and a majority of the…read moreowners were not very friendly

If you're at all into browsing around antique shops, put this adorable city on your radar - even…read morethe city itself is an antique, having been founded in the late 1800s as a religious commune. It's super cute and historical - complete with its own walking tour! Aurora is a hidden gem - and is less 30 minutes south of Portland! The city is pretty small so it's definitely doable as a day trip depending on how long you want to spend antique-hunting. I've never seen so many antique stores in one place - there are at least 10 within walking distance, and a lot more if you include the ones outside of the quaint little Main Street area. PRO TIP: don't visit on a Monday though - as tons of the shops and restaurants are closed oddly enough. The city centers around historical Main Street which is pleasantly walkable and offers clean public restrooms and picnic tables to take a break on. It also offers a really interesting self-guided walking tour of the historic buildings and town called the "Emma Walk" and you can find it online here: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2013R1/Downloads/FloorLetter/460 Another little fun fact - Aurora is the home of Life Flight - the largest nonprofit air ambulance company in the country - who knew?!! There are lots of cute boutique hotels and restaurants in the area - as well as major chains in nearby Wilsonville if that's your thing. Every summer they have a fun festival called Colony Days. The town is easy to find - right off I-5. And there's lots of public parking in the Main Street area. Aurora is really a true hidden gem - I'd never heard of it and only stumbled upon it after digging around on Google looking for a fun place to stay on my way out of Oregon that's close enough to PDX but not inside the city lol. Definitely worth a day trip!

The Oregon City Auction is held every Friday night at 7pm. You can view the items before hand…read morestarting at 5:30 pm, I believe. If you've never been to an auction before, this is a great place to start because everything is cheap and it's not intimidating to make a bid. The auction has a great atmosphere. It's all very lively and exciting and full of Oregon City characters who all know each other. It's everything you imagine an auction to be -the auctioneer is doing a constant "HEY five dollars over here. How about six? Six dollars. Can I get six dollars? SIX dollars! Can I get seven?" They run the auctions like estate sales, which basically means they're selling all the stuff in your grandparent's house. Everyone gets a card with a number on it, which you hold up over your head when you want to place a bid. You will probably only be interested in 20% of the items. The vast majority of items are old tools, used silverware, crappy looking couches, and useless angel nick knacks. But they also auction off some really cool antiques and furniture. We bought a slightly used 1952 Remington typewriter for $5 and picked up a lamp with a stained glass shade for $20. The bidding usually stays in the $5-20 range and it's a rare event that the bidding ever goes over $100. But sometimes it does. I've seen a motorcycle sell for $700, a painting sell for $200. And a box of about 400 random baseball cards sold for $100. These bidding wars put everyone on the edge of their seat. Attending the auction is a good way to pick up useless crap if you're not careful. But just watching the whole process and the competition between bidders is so much fun. Definitely worth a trip to Oregon City.

The auction house has been in transition. The auctions ended and DJ's with a prime vendor…read morespecializing in all thing made in China has evolved into Haven Antiques, an amazing space with several vendors who display a great variety of actual antiques along with vintage and repurposed items

I went for the Tuesday auction for the first time and it was great! Yes 3 auctioneers in different…read moreareas is a lot to take in, but it's quite different stuff from the shed to the other areas. I got the few items that I wanted, no problem. Oh, I read their website which very clearly explains the slightly complicated auction schedule. Staff was great all around, efficient, no line to pay, all around a great experience and my new favorite auction.

Well I've never been so confused 3 auctions at one time I wanted a mower and a dresser that were…read moreselling at the same time. Missed both as I could not time it right. Well it's just a hard place to get what I want I would not recommend it. I also thought that the auctioneers were a bit rude to people at times we can't all be experts at attending this style of auction. I don't think I would want to sell here seems there's too many auctions going on at one time to get top dollar.

Stopped in to look for some Royal Haeger pieces and my search did not disappoint. It looks like…read morethey've definitely gotten things really organized in there and restocked from the holidays. There were definitely people in the store but not too filled early on Friday afternoon, that had changed within the hour to be full. They've changed their policy of cards also and there was a sign on the door about fees under a certain amount.

Great spot to find unique vintage finds. Clothing. Watches And other collectibles, home goods!…read more Worth checking out! Great prices.

I have been attending Capitol auctions since they opened. Has it seriously been 10 years?! I've…read morebought jewelry guns and more from here. This place has been my first stop every holiday to find something special. The crew at Capitol are as honest as they come. Professionalism and responsiveness are normal here. Good deals and quality items every sale are always to be found. It's worth the drive.

Well, I've gotta give it to them - my 2 star review was responded to by management (always a good…read moresign to me that someone cares) and I felt like I needed to give this place another run. As I mentioned in my earlier review, I wasn't too fond of going in person so I have been checking this auction out online for the last few months. I must say the quality of the items as well as the overall 'feel' of the auctions has improved. Since I am not doing this for entertainment (like lots of nice folks) I prefer bidding on line due to the distance (Salem) and I can avoid the drive IF I don't purchase anything. You have the option when you buy online to pick up the items or have them shipped. So far we have only done the pickup and it has all been super smooth. Overall, the professionalism of the owner & the types of good items they have been selling has been far more to my liking - so much so that an additional star is certainly deserved. I suspect if they keep going this way that they will continue to rise in my estimation.

We were downsizing by more than 1000 sq ft, and because I'm old, I decided that it was best to sell…read moresome of my favorite things that i'd collected over more than 50 years. I never had a lot of money, but that didn't hold me back, I bought carefully. I found a few auction companies on Yelp and contacted them. One stood out from the beginning, Salem Auction House. I trusted Jake from the first telephone call, I don't know why, but he has the kind of enthusiasm that I have for unusual items and furniture. His good character was apparent from our first meeting. He drove up from Salem, packed my items in the truck and charged a nominal fee for that service. We were moving, and we don't drive, so that was a huge load off of my mind. Everything was handled by Jake, he scheduled the auction, advertised it and put the entire process online to witness. I'll admit, I didn't pay close attention, but to put it mildly, it was (for me) an unexpectedly successful auction, far in excess of my expectations. Looking at the prices being paid was gratifying. I love Oregon, but people are very tight with money, if you try to sell things yourself it is both difficult and depressing. Somehow Jake and Salem Auction House have the right clientele. They appreciated my items, bought them because they liked my taste, and bought so enthusiastically that I know that they will be loved as much as I always have. That was important to me. Jake was as excited as I was, the itemized list accompanied a check within a week or so. I can highly and wholeheartedly recommend Salem Auction House!

Jake and his crew worked with me to dispose of my late brother's estate. He had a wide range of…read morecollectibles. They were able to find new homes for just about everything. Salem Auction House was a pleasure to work with.

O'Gallerie is one of the last few solid family businesses out there. They are very clear and…read moreupfront about their policies - no surprises. I have been buying and selling with them for 20 years, as had my grandmother since they opened in the 1970s' until she passed in 2006. Temper your expectations, folks. It's a treasure hunt, not a marriage.

This auction house will duck all responsibility and moral obligation for the condition of the items…read morethey sell. They have a disclaimer they quote to the end of time and ignore all other circumstances. Con artists or whatever but they are bad news.