Shoptalk: John Rolfe, Portland Press Herald

Q: How do the consignments work?

A: It's pretty straightforward. With home furniture and furnishings, in most cases we retain 50 percent of the final sale price, and the agreement is for four months.

With that, it's important to know that 65 percent of our store is turned over every three to four weeks. We have two to three thousand customers a month come through our doors, and we receive one or two truckloads of furniture a week.

In the auction division, a sliding scale is negotiated, depending on the size of the estate. Fifty percent would be too expensive, in many cases.

We also carry a full line of new furniture, which we need to be able to offer at up to 70 percent off its normal suggested retail, and antiques.

Q: How often do you do auctions?

A: Some times are slower than others, but it's not unusual for me to do two or three a month. I also do a lot of charity auctions, and I'm available if there's nothing on my calendar, and I do not charge. I enjoy doing it - it's like an evening out for me.

Q: How did you get into the antiques and auctions?

A: My dad's a very avid antiques collector, and I grew up in the antiques business, going to auctions every weekend. I was always fascinated by auctioners, as I think a lot of people are, by their chants. I made a commitment to become an auctioner and went to a professional school, Yankee School of Auctioneering, in Manchester, N.H.

Q: How long did that take?

A: Two weeks, and then I worked with a professional bid caller, and basically was tutored. It was like learning another language. I worked probably eight hours a day for probably six to eight months memorizing my chant. I could have learned another language faster than I became an auctioneer.

Q: Can you put a dollar value on your store's inventory?

A: We have from 15 to 20 full truckloads in our store on any given day, but it's very difficult to put a number on it . . . but I can tell you a story. My dad, Charles, started Locke Office Products in 1962, with $30,000 in capital borrowed on the second mortgage of his house in Bangor. In 1987, when Locke was sold, it employed 250 people and did over $20 million a year in sales.

My goal when I started this - my dad always said, 'John, in business the first million is always the hardest' - was $1 million, and I'm happy to report we broke the first million my first year in this business. So that's kind of a tribute to my dad - who works part time for me, now, on the floor.

In the realty division, the company is pushing $5 million in sales. Which, for two agents in under 12 months - that's above average.

Q: How do you define 'quality' furniture?

A: I get asked a similar question 10-15 times a day, and we always say the same thing. We ask people first to visit the store. Anyone who does will immediately understand what we're looking for.

It's simpler than you might think. We're always looking for quality furniture in past-perfect or as-new condition. I could run you down at least 15 manufacturers - Ethan Allen, Stanley, Thomasville . . . It's that simple - quality-built furniture.

Q: What if something doesn't sell?

A: If it doesn't, after four months, the customer is encouraged to come to the store to pick it up, but they're not burdened with that responsibility. We will in some way take care of the disposition of the item, for donation or sale. I always tell people, if you know a family in need, please give me their name and number. I keep a list and we try to help in that way.

Q: Does an unsold item's price drop over the months?

A: It doesn't decline according to a schedule, but on a per-item basis, to try to induce a sale. If a serious buyer comes onto the floor, it's no different than if we had a house listed. All reasonable requests are entertained. I am in partnership with my clients and want to make it fair for both parties.

Q: Where do your clients come from?

A: From all over the state. We are finding that the client base is expanding. A lot of areas don't have a store like us. We take a lot of consignments from Bangor. We can't go there for a chair, but if someone has a substantial amount of quality furniture, we will send a truck to Bangor.

It's amazing how many people trade out their furniture. We find many people change their interiors the way the seasons change in Maine.

Q: How do you handle it when you go to a home and the items aren't up to snuff?

A: It does happen. And, first of all, whether I am selling one sofa for $100 or a whole estate for thousands, I treat everyone the same. If I go to a house and truly feel I can't give them representation, I do a few things. I try to refer them to another consignment store or used furniture dealer. I give them an idea how they can market themselves, in the Press Herald or Uncle Henry's. I might suggest a yard sale or a tag sale.

I never leave without trying to help and thanking people for the opportunity. And I always carry the numbers of social service agencies in case people are interested in donating.

Q: Do you ever buy things from your store for your own home?

A: To be honest with you, myself not so much. My wife, though, yes, will occasionally reintroduce some stuff into the house on a very regular basis. We have several lines represented that my wife feels it's important we can personally endorse.

Q: What's hard about the business?

A: Probably the hardest thing for me is that I can't offer my employees health care (insurance) . . . Certainly it's a matter of affordability, which in some cases could meet or exceed what I'm paying an employee . . . I hope this changes in the future.

Q: How many employees do you have?

A: Right now we have 10 full-time, and a field of part-timers we use for other things. Such as, the auction facility - when we do a large estate auction, we bring in several people to work as runners, bid-spotters.

Q: What did you do after selling Locke in 1987, and the founding of Upscale?

A: Are you sitting down? I went to culinary school for two years and graduated from Florida Culinary Institute. At the top of my class, though I hadn't done too well when I went to the University of Maine.

I owned and operated Alfonso Gourmet Pasta, in Florida. We were the Southeast's largest gourmet ravioli manufacturing company. It's still in business. My brother, Jeff, and I purchased the business and started in a very small, 1,000-square-foot boutique, and when we sold the business, in 2002, we operated out of a 20,000-square-foot USDA factory. We had a full line of ravioli and sauces that we sold to the food service industry - airlines, theme parks, cruise liners were a big part.

Q: Did you sell to return to Maine?

A: Yes. I'd been on a no-compete agreement with Locke, but a day didn't go by that my wife and I didn't say we had to get back to Maine. It was imperative.

It was like the Beverly Hillbillies in reverse - back up the truck and head home. We knew we needed to find a need, and fill it. I will say, if you can make a living in Maine, you can't find a better place to live.