Changes Take Shape at Green Valley Auctions, Inc.

by Walter C. Newman

In late 2007 Green Valley Auctions president and senior auctioneer Jeffrey Evans announced that there were several changes in the works for the Mt. Crawford, Virginia, company (M.A.D., December 2007, p. 28-D). He reported a plan to modernize and expand Green Valley's physical space in order to provide a better venue for its catalog sales and to add much-needed dedicated space for Green Valley's uncataloged biweekly auctions. In addition, he stated that the lot configuration of some of the company's catalog sales would change; particularly, certain categories of glass would be moved from glass-only sales into Americana/decorative arts sales. Last, Evans announced that Green Valley had entered the world of Internet sales by partnering with LiveAuctioneers.com to offer real-time bidding during its catalog auctions.

Two of the components of this announcement have come to pass with few, if any, glitches. The move to incorporate on-line bidding has been very successful, as has the redistribution of certain glass items into more widely attended auctions. But as is often the case, some things do not go as originally planned. In addition to the auction enhancements, a more dramatic reconfiguration of Green Valley Auctions has occurred.

Jeffrey S. Evans and his wife, Beverley, relinquished their interests in Green Valley Auctions, Inc., effective January 1. Gregory L. Evans, Jeff's brother, is now the sole owner of Green Valley Auctions, Inc. Greg will continue to operate the company at its current location. Jeff and Beverley have formed a new business, Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates. The new company will be the owner and operator of what was formerly Green Valley's specialty catalog sales division.

Green Valley has long operated on two separate levels under a single corporate umbrella: the popular uncataloged biweekly auctions of estates and as-found merchandise; and the specialty and cataloged sales of glass, early lighting, Americana, and decorative arts. Though the biweekly and catalog divisions have been run separately, the new business model will physically separate the activities.

According to Jeff Evans, "The [specialty] catalog division of Green Valley Auctions has grown tremendously over the past [ten] years, so from a business standpoint, the time was right for a separation. We have needed more room to efficiently process the large number of collections consigned to the catalog department for several years now."

Plans to expand the existing auction facility have been scrapped. Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates will be housed in a completely separate building. According to a press release, the new facility will be a 7500- square-foot freestanding building designed as a state-of-the-art auction gallery, specifically configured for catalog auctions. It will be located on the Green Valley property within walking distance of the old location. After a year-long adventure obtaining the necessary zoning and special-use permits, final building permits were issued on January 9. Jeff Evans planned to break ground within a few weeks of that date.

In addition to its auction services, Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates will offer appraisal services, private brokering, expert consultations, and a wide range of management services for personal and estate collections. Additionally, Evans thinks that the business change and the completion of the new facility will afford him the opportunity to add lectures and symposiums to the company menu. He said he has long wanted to reestablish this educational element, and the changes will allow him to incorporate those activities. The educational efforts will be aimed at collectors and professionals, with an eye toward incorporating them with specific specialty auctions.

The educational element is important to Evans. He is a recognized authority in the fields of early American pattern glass and 18th- and 19th-century Shenandoah Valley furniture and decorative arts. He has worked as an appraiser and consultant for museums and private collections. He has worked closely with the Corning Museum of Glass, the Sandwich Glass Museum, and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA). Evans has lectured and conducted classes on American antiques and is the coauthor of the catalog that accompanied a 2004 exhibition of Shenandoah Valley pottery. He is scheduled as a guest speaker at the 2009 MESDA furniture seminar in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Over the years, Green Valley has earned its place as one of the country's outstanding regional auction firms. By and large, that reputation has been built on the success of its catalog and specialty auctions. With the recent increase in awareness of and interest in furniture and decorative arts of the South, and in Shenandoah Valley items in particular, Jeff and Beverley Evans hope to build on that legacy.

In fact, Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates has borrowed from that success in the choice of its corporate logo-the white silhouette of a leaping stag on a blue background. The image approximates the painted decoration on the door of a circa 1800 hanging cupboard, decorated by Johannes Spitler and sold by Evans in 2004 for $962,500, setting a record for painted American furniture.

As for Green Valley Auctions, Inc., the company will continue its own business under the direction of Greg Evans, who stated that the company name will change slightly. His company will be known as Green Valley Auctions and Moving, Inc. The company's emphasis will remain clearly focused on the current biweekly auction sales, but Evans stated that because of the continued trend toward downsizing, there is a need for so-called "wall-to-wall" estate services. In addition to liquidating entire estates, there is also a need to move selected furnishings from a home place to a retirement community or an assisted living facility, and to then move the remainder of the estate to the auction warehouse for a future biweekly sale. Evans thinks that the need for such services is on the increase. He foresees expanding the size of Green Valley's biweekly sales as a result.

The delay in the construction of its new facility for Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates has forced alteration of its 2009 auction schedule. According to the latest press release from Jeff Evans, the winter glass and lighting sale is scheduled for April 4 at the Ramada Harrisonburg (Virginia).

Green Valley Auctions and Moving, Inc. will continue to use the current Green Valley Auctions, Inc. Web site (www.greenvalleyauctions.com); the telephone number is (540) 434-4260.

Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates is developing a new Web site (www.jeffreysevans.com); the telephone number is (540) 434-3939.

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