Inside the Garnier-Thiebaut Warehouse Sale, South Boston, Virginia October 16-18, 2014

The Garnier-Thiebaut warehouse sale in South Boston, VA starts Thursday morning, but the gracious owner and employees allowed me take a sneak peek Wednesday night and pick out my favorite things. It was like being in luxury french linen heaven. Garnier-Thiebaut provided me with an opportunity to shop til I dropped the night before the sale is open to the public, take pictures, and choose my favorite merchandise, and I promised Garnier-Thiebaut that I would share pictures, info, and my favorite finds here on my Southern Virginia Mom blog. 

Thanks so very much to Rossi for helping me find my way around, describing the technology that the company uses for their high quality products, explaining to me the science behind thread counts, and  teaching me about Turkish towels and their renowned absorbency.  Rossi is also to thank for helping me pick out some great items, like this adorable aqua apron I'm wearing above. I love the pretty bird print and colors so much, and it has the aqua, red, and gold found in my kitchen.  Housework has just gotten a little prettier. 

I started making my list and checking it twice well before arriving at the warehouse sale. The first thing on my list was sheets. I purchased a set of high thread count sheets the last time I attended the sale, and I love them! They are very soft and they wash well. Rossi told me today that this line of sheets  pictured above is brand new and will be available to retailers in 2015, but they are offering them first here at the sale. The Chamonix Premium Sheet Set is an 800 Thread Count Cotton available in several neutral shades. Don't worry, the sheets you have known and loved for years are still available, too! 

Next on my wish list was a new door mat. These were available at the last warehouse sale. I didn't buy one, and I regretted it for months. These pretty, yet durable door mats are available for $7 for one, $12 for two, and $15 for three.

 There are about four different designs, and this was my favorite. I am especially fond of the scroll and like the fleur-de-lis design.

I learned this evening that Turkey is known for their cotton and for their luxurious bath towels. Turkish cotton is treated in a way that allows for super absorbency, durability, smoothness, and softness. These Lucia Minelli Turkish Cotton Towels, available in a variety of colors and several stitch patterns, are a luxury. The label notes that these are more expensive towels than average, but are well worth the extra price for the quality and softness of the cotton. At the warehouse sale, however, the towels are heavily discounted, priced between about $12 for three piece sets (hand towel, wash cloth, towel), and about $42 for a 10-piece set.

This tablecloth below is a luxury french linen. It is gorgeous in person, and is one of the higher quality linen pieces at the sale. I took the picture to remember this piece and to talk about a very interesting process I learned about, called Green Sweet. Green Sweet is a way of treating fibers individually, so that when they are woven together, they do not absorb stain causing agents, but trap them. When this happens, you can see the dirty mess on the fabric only until you wash it, but after it is washed, the dirt, wine, chocolate, etc. will wash right out, leaving no stain. High quality fibers are used and treated specially using this process. There is another process of applying acrylic layers over fabric that creates a different type of stain resistant fabric also available at the sale.

 

Learning about the fabrics, the processes,and the technology was pretty interesting, but even more so was the shopping. I spent the next hour or more going through shelves and tables of linens. This is what I found that I really loved.

Simple, elegant, thick, fluffy white towels. I purchased two white bath sheets, plus the white bath mat pictured next to these.

 

Red and white checkered tablecloths and napkins for which the old cotton mill in South Boston was known. I'm looking forward to decorating and picnicing with this.

Beautiful french linen napkins, placemats, and kitchen towels. I picked out a couple of these for myself, and a couple to give as small gifts to a couple of sweet neighbors of mine. I hope the ladies like them.

Sturdy white hotel-quality dishes and stainless steel ware.

This is the french linen in a different pattern, and in the square tablecloth. I really, really wanted this, but it was not available in the size I needed. Maybe I should buy a new table??   

I came home from the sale with the red and white checkered table cloth, six patriotic style cloth place mats ($1.70 each), a large white tablecloth (which doesn't require me to purchase a whole new table), the white bathmat, a couple of white towels, a set of beige high thread count super soft sheets, two extra pillow cases ($2.95), numerous french linen kitchen towels for myself and as gifts ($2.50-$6.50), the beautiful aqua blue bird apron ($6), 15 off white cloth napkins ($1 each) which I plan to have monogrammed, and several small hotel quality dishware pieces. 

If you're thinking about going to the sale, here's what you need to know:

1. The Garnier-Thiebaut Warehouse Sale is also known locally as "the old cotton mill sale."  It is also formerly known as the Hilden America sale. They do sell the red and white checkered tablecloths, plus cloth napkins, bed sheets, towels, stainless steel flatware, door mats, and more.

2. The Garnier-Thiebaut Warehouse Sale is located at 1041 Commerce Lane, South Boston, Virginia. If you are traveling from the town of South Boston, take 58 West, take the right at the stop light just beside Bojangles onto Commerce Lane. There are Garnier-Thiebaut buildings on both sides of the lane. The warehouse sale is in the building on the left. Go around to the rear of the building. If you are unsure, look for this balloon. It marks the spot where you should enter.

3. The Garnier-Thiebaut Warehouse Sale will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 10am-6pm; Friday Oct. 17 9am-6pm; and Saturday, Oct. 18 8am-1pm.

4. Cash, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted. There is a 5% discount if you spend $100, 10% discount on purchases over $300. Please keep in mind that the prices on the merchandise are heavily discounted already, even without an additional discount.

5. Garnier-Thiebaut teamed up with the charitable organization Helen's Glasses, which helps provide eyeglasses to those in need. You are invited to bring your old reading glasses with you to the sale, where the company will collect and later distribute them. You are welcome to read about this organization here.
6. Chef Steven Schopen, owner of Molasses Grill in the Town of Halifax, will be on site to present a cooking demonstration Saturday morning at 10 am. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this cooking demonstration by the renowned and talented Chef Schopen.

Update:  Once just wasn't enough, so I went back for Round Two!  There was something I couldn't get off my mind, so I went bakc for it, and ende dup with a few more things while I was there. Check out my finds from warehouse sale shopping trip #2 and shopping trip #3. I know, I know.

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