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Mike Kelley, a Westport resident since 1998, is doing something that would never occur to most people. He's sold his house, overlooking the Saugatuck River, and on Saturday Sept. 24 he'll be selling the entire contents of his home, helped by Connie Cooper, an interior designer.
"I always loved skiing but never had the time," Mike says. After retiring from Ernst & Young, he spent more and more time at his second home in Crested Butte, Colorado. "I always loved Westport but I only spent two weeks here last year," he says.
Having made the decision to move, Mike had no clue how to go about selling the upscale furniture and accessories that graced his home. Connie, referred by a friend, brought in an appraiser, Cynthia Herbert, who put a fair market value on everything in the house. "Mike has some exceptional pieces of furniture," Connie says. "He was surprised at how quickly top quality furniture loses its value, especially if it's not an antique."
Connie has been very aggressive about getting things done, Mike says. She helped him stage the home for sale and re-decorated the family room. She made lists of furniture and accessories, distributed it to other designers and posted items to Craigslist.
The hardest thing to sell, Mike and Connie agree, will be the 1906 Steinway grand piano. Made of Dominican mahogany, the piano is a work of art. It has the original sound board and ivory keys, "I hate to sell it," says Mike, who loves the piano even though he doesn't play.
Mike Kelley is philosophical about leaving the home he has loved behind. "I think of a house the same way I think about motorcycles and cars," he says. "If it just sits there and becomes static art, let someone else use it!"
For times and directions to the sale of Mike Kelley's furniture, contact Connie Cooper at (203) 256-9183.
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