UTICA — Utica Auction House LLC opened for business with its first auction on April 13, bringing the first public auction house to the city. Nick Cavalier III first began thinking about opening an auction house during the pandemic when everything switched to online. He owns an auto detailing business, Clean Car Auto LLC, and […]
UTICA — Utica Auction House LLC opened for business with its first auction on April 13, bringing the first public auction house to the city. Nick Cavalier III first began thinking about opening an auction house during the pandemic when everything switched to online. He owns an auto detailing business, Clean Car Auto LLC, and has also worked as a waiter — both the types of jobs and businesses that suffered during the pandemic. After his own experiences during the pandemic of trying to sell items online through options like Facebook Marketplace, Cavalier thought there has to be a better way that didn’t involve meeting up in a safe location to finalize the sale or, even worse, people who say they’ll buy something and then never show up. So, Cavalier began working on developing the auction business, which he operates from his Clean Car Auto property at 1700 Oriskany St., putting up a billboard to market the business. He takes in items on consignment and then sells them during the auctions, which are open to anyone who wants to come. “The idea started with vehicles, but then I got a lot of calls for household items,” Cavalier says. So far, he’s consigned and sold everything from a payloader to a small space heater. While most of the items he sells are consignment, Cavalier also has overstock merchandise on occasion. Right now, he plans to hold auctions once a month. For the first one, he hired a professional auctioneer and was pleased with the turnout for the event. The next auction will take place both in person and online, Cavalier says. He plans to have monitors visible during the auction so those attending in person can see the online bids. “We run an honest business,” he says. “There’s no fake bidding.” Along with being honest, Cavalier says his focus is on customer service, making sure both buyers and sellers are satisfied. Utica Auction House currently employs four people during the auctions, but Cavalier expects that number to grow by about 10 if auctions continue the way they started. Along with the auctions, he also hopes to begin offering a weekly flea market as well, noting that he plans to begin offering food concessions during the events. “We’re going to turn this into a destination spot,” Cavalier says.