About Us

My name is  James. I am the owner of Hunt & Gather Estate Sales. My wife Jennifer & I have been married since 1998 & have lived most of our adult lives here in the Greater Lafayette area. Jen was born here, went to St. James grade school, Lafayette Jeff High School & Purdue University. At Purdue she earned a Bachelor's Degree with a double major in Psychology & Anthropology. So, her instincts to "hunt & gather" treasures have always been there. In addition to being an invaluable part of Hunt & Gather, she is the Trauma Registrar for IU Health Arnett. Our son, Ethan, is an electrician's apprentice with Gaylor Electric. Ethan graduated from Harrison High School, was a Lifeguard during summers at Lafayette Parks Dept. & spent some time in the US Navy and at Ball State before finding his place with Gaylor doing work he enjoys. Ethan is also and Eagle Scout.

I was born & raised about an hour north of Lafayette in DeMotte, IN. I graduated from  Illiana Christian High School, attended Purdue Calumet & Trinity Christian College.  I spent nearly 25 years in retail and retail management before starting Hunt & Gather in 2020. I learned countless valuable lessons while working in the retail management world & I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to apply what I've learned to help folks with estate sales here at Hunt & Gather.

Jen & I have been going to estate sales or auctions for over 20 years. What started as "cheap entertainment" and a way to spend time together turned into conversations about how the business of these types of sales worked, and what circumstances brought folks to require an estate sale. We learn so much about folks as we prepare sales. As estate sale shoppers over the years, we would often have fun speculating what kinds of lives people led based on the items we would see at estate sales. World travelers, lifelong employees of a local factory or company, teachers, volunteers for organizations near & dear to them or quirky, fun items that represented what we convinced ourselves was someone's defining personality. You can often tell what people love, cherish and find most important by the belongings in their home. It is our honor to help families through what is an overwhelming task of what to do with a house full of "stuff". I always say, "You get to keep your memories, we are here to assist with the items that helped create those memories, find new homes to create new memories for their next caretaker." Whether someone is downsizing, or an estate representative is dealing with the passing of a family member or loved one, Hunt & Gather Estate Sales is ready to help. When you see us at our next sale, introduce yourself. We'd love to meet you.