Ken Nill has served on the Boise Bench Committee since he was a young man fresh out of college. Now, almost 50 years later, he is retired. With his retirement, an era will come to an end.
Nir said the commission was a poultry farm before it became an auction house. His parents bought him at auction in the early 1950s and built his legacy from there. Over the years, auctions have evolved into a buying and selling model for items such as furniture. This committee became the backbone of the Boise Bench community. However, this breadwinner will soon close its doors.
The commission is known for its extensive inventory of used furniture and antiques. Customers can come and sell their used items to Nil and his staff, who can then resell the items to other customers for a commission.
“I was surprised that there's always been a market for used furniture or cast furniture or things like that. It's like a perpetuation of itself,” Nill said.
unplanned family business
But the plan wasn't necessarily to join the family business.
“I was going to be a history teacher,” Nill said. “But I started working on the weekends, to make up for school and other things. Then I suddenly realized how profitable and very interesting the business was. Every day was like gambling. Something like that.”
Eventually, Nil and his brother bought out their parents, and the two co-owned the company until Nil bought out his brother.
He said it was a good career for him. During times of economic downturn, the committee sells large quantities of used furniture. In more prosperous times, the market for antiques and vintage goods was strong. Nir said this requires appreciation not only of the market but also of the commission's loyal customer base.
“We don't do much advertising. It's mostly word of mouth,” Nill said.
But running a family business takes time, which Nill calls “all-consuming.” For some reason, he has spent more time away from the shop in recent years, and has entered a sort of “semi-retirement” state.
But over time, the mountains began to call, especially Nil's cabin on Kearney Lake. With no one to take over the store, Nir said he would like to find someone to buy the inventory and lease the building, but the best option would probably be to liquidate it and lease the building for another use.
Additionally, business has slowed down lately. Nir can't pinpoint the reason, but believes online sites like Facebook Marketplace play a role.
“I can't tell you how many times I've put a bid on furniture for a house and then they're like, 'Well, guess what, let's try Marketplace,'” Hill said.
move on
Nill said customers are often sad and surprised to hear about the closure and share fond memories of the fees.
Nill said there is no set date for the closure, but he hopes it will be completed within the next 90 days. Commission sells inventory as much as possible. The original auction house then takes what's left and holds a final auction to close it out.
“This is an evolution, and the time has come, the time has come,” Nill said. “That's how I perceive it.”
