Kenmore Merchants Undressed

James G. Murphy Inc., Auctioneers – Christie’s is for Wimps!

James G. Murphy Inc.

18226 68th Ave. NE

Kenmore, WA 98028

(425) 486-1246 / 1 (800) 426-3008

Most of us have been to some sort of auction. It’s either been one of those silent auctions for charity or you’ve been on a cruise and watched people bid on cheesy oil paintings. Everyone has watched those fancy Christie’s of London-type events on TV or in movies where the uber-wealthy bid on everything from Cubist paintings by Pablo Picasso to French tulipwood floral marquetry bombe commodes.

Well my dear readers, you’re about to discover that one of the 10 largest Auctioneer companies in the US operates right here in Kenmore, WA and they aren’t taking any prisoners. Nope. James C. Murphy Inc. is to Auction companies what Martha Stewart is to interior design: Larger than Life and capable of doing just about anything! This amazing company auctions everything from entire restaurants and retail stores to factories, saw mills and mining equipment. We’re talking serious “stuff” here!

Last week I was fortunate to receive a tour of this fascinating operation by General Manager, Bob Hensel, who gave me a real education about the world of commercial and Industrial auctions. I had absolutely no idea of the scale and scope of this business.  Here are some quick facts about James C. Murphy Inc.:

• The company is ranked in the top 10 Auction companies in the US for total auction sales
• They conduct an average of 120 auctions around the country every year
• These auctions are always “no minimum, no reserve” which means there is no minimum bid, nor is there a price at which an item must sell (many auctions require an item be sold at no less than a certain price or the item is not sold at all)
• They service 30 States including Hawaii and Alaska
• James C. Murphy Inc. is one of the largest “car dealerships” in the State selling over 4000 titled vehicles per year
• The company offers its on-line bidding service MurphyLive which allows the buyer to participate in real-time live bidding from the comfort of your computer
• The company is located on a 6+ acre property with a huge warehouse, administrative offices and huge lot that holds some very interesting things
• The company hosts 8 large heavy equipment & vehicle auctions a year here in Kenmore
• James C. Murphy has 30 full-time employees and is one of the largest sources of business tax revenue for the City of Kenmore

So What Do They Sell at these Auctions?

Bob Hensel took me on a grand tour of the facilities and explained that they operate like most businesses. They have an extensive sales force, a highly experienced administrative staff and an operations division that, to me, functions like a veritable military invasion force. The logistics and planning that go into an auction is a Herculean task. For example, the day of my visit the warehouse contained property from a number of failed businesses and property seized by the government:

This merchandise must be inventoried, categorized, put into lots and prepared for auction. In many cases property finds its way to James G. Murphy due to business failure, repossession, government seizure, etc. Then there is the task of appraising property. Many times they are off-site at a saw mill or factory liquidating property. At other times they must transport vehicles, machinery and other items to a central location in order to ensure exposure to buyers. You can tell Bob LOVES his job!

And, for you ladies…….

Yes, Clothing Retailers and Fabric Stores go out-of-business and James G. Murphy Inc. auctions off bolts of fabrics, designer clothes and even Wedding Dresses!

Then There’s the BIG Stuff

Can you imagine liquidating a factory or saw mill? How about auctioning those huge earth moving trucks at open pit mines! This is exactly what James C. Murphy Inc. does. Check these things out:

And then there are the various truck, boats and other equipment at the Kenmore lot:

And then, there’s my favorite…………………..

According to Bob, one of the most interesting facts about the auction business is that it is essentially recession-proof. There is always a need to move merchandise through our economic system in good times and bad. Often, auctioneers are the first to notice a shift in the economy, for example: they saw the decline of the DotCom’s long before the media picked-up on the trouble and, more recently, the decline in print media has been devistating to printing companies. Then there are all the wonderful stories Bob told about seziures of vintage cars from drug dealers and liquidating the designer clothes of a big-time embezzler.

As a Realtor I’ve seen a lot of personal property being sold at estate sales and, of course, there are foreclosures and sheriff sales of homes, but I was utterly blown away by this fascinating local company. I can’t wait to attend their next local auction on May 2nd. I hope to see you there.

For more information visit JGM at: www.murphyauction.com.

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