LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: This is a RIP-OFF REPORT, on GROVE SPRINGS HOMESTEAD, a consignment furniture outfit in GROVE, OKLAHOMA.
I put some very fine pieces of TELL CITY FURNITURE, in their place, on consignment, as they SEEMED to have a decent situation going on there. They have a certain following there in Grove, OK and in the general area.
As I said, I had some very fine pieces placed there. The deal you make with them, normally, is a 60/40 split. These people get a good deal of walk-in traffic.
Over a period of about 14 months, they sold most of my pieces.
HOWEVER: Now, here, I need you to pay strict attention to what I say. I inherited an ULTRA-FINE, PERFECT, TELL CITY BREAKFRONT-STYLE CABINET. It was an early 1950s breakfront. In my family since it was BRAND NEW.
This piece was ALL MAPLE. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL THIS FINE PIECE WAS ? OF COURSE !!!!
They had this TELL CITY MAPLE piece for a while. So, I got to thinking about things: This thing is worth more than what I have posted on it. At the price I have on it, I am just giving it away.
So, I went down to the the place, Grove Springs Homestead. I asked for the woman with whom I formed my original consignment, but she wasn't there. Another woman was there, with whom I had had numerous conversations.
I told her: I am going to do something different on my Mother's TELL CITY BREAKFRONT. I want sixteen hundred dollars ($1,600.00) for this piece, and I will handle the advertising. She asked me what I might do
to advertise this very special piece.
I replied that I was going to perhaps do many things: CRAIGSLIST, the GROVE SUN classified ads, The JOPLIN GLOBE, and other things. She said, " You know, I don't think it will sell for that kind of money".
I told her that I appreciated her opinion, but, I told her that I was not about to let that piece go for the $400.00 (four hundred) dollars that THEY
had on it.
AGAIN: she said, " The market is depressed on this kind of thing."
I should have listened closer, and picked up what the woman was trying to tell me.
The next time I was there, they had MOVED my piece from the main large room, to a small storage space, next door. I should have paid more attention to that, also.
Some time went by. I got busy, with what I do, which is making films, and other kinds of business.... One day, I went to my mailbox in Grove, and and there was a piece of mail from these people: in the envelope, was a company check for 60 per/cent of the lousy $400.00 bucks they had originally on the piece.
I knew EXACTLY what these women had done: They had STOLEN my breakfront. Oh, Hell yeah!!!!! This is a case of THEFT THROUGH CONVERSION.
The owner there is a middle aged, pretty woman with a keen eye for QUALITY.
And I will tell you right now, what she did: she took my Mother's TELL CITY MAPLE BREAKFRONT home with her, and PRETENDED to sell it.
I went to see these very fine ladies. They knew EXACTLY why I was there. They knew they were in trouble with Dr. H. E. "Buz" Sawyer, Jr.
Here's what these LIARS, CHEATS AND THIEVES had to say....now get this:
They said, basically: TOUGH s**t IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT. WE TOLD YOU IT WOULDN'T SELL FOR SIXTEEN HUNDRED. SO, IN SPITE OF THE AGREEMENT WE HAD WITH YOU, WE SOLD IT ANYHOW, AND NOW YOU HAVE YOUR "END OF THE DEAL". That's EXACTLY what these women said.
This is THEFT. PLAIN. AND. SIMPLE. THEFT.
QUICK LESSON IN BUSINESS LAW: When you lend a party a piece of property, for ANY REASON, that property is a "BAILMENT". And, under CIVIL LAW, the person that is HOLDING THE ITEM, MUST take REASONABLE CARE of the item.
I could not go to the cops, with this, as it was placed with them under a contract. See what I mean ?
I would just like to point out that GROVE SPRINGS HOMESTEAD owes me $1,200.00 dollars, and a letter of apology. And, like many business deals that GO TO HELL in a handbasket, it's a CASE OF: NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED.
THEY ARE LIARS, CHEATS AND THIEVES. PERIOD.