Second Day of Bankruptcy Court-Ordered Auction

The second day of a high-stakes liquidation auction at Purton Furniture on Lenox Street drew a noticeably smaller crowd than its opening day, but bargain-hunting buyers made up for the numbers with intense activity by early evening as they lugged and pushed couches, armchairs, and other bulky furnishings out of the building.

The steady stream of buyers loading furniture into a wide variety of trucks and vans created significant traffic congestion around the Lenox Street entrance. The third and final day of the massive liquidation sale, ordered by the federal bankruptcy court, is slated to conclude today.

Bankruptcy Oversight and Sales Figures

Jonathan S. Altman, whose Cambridge-based consulting firm is overseeing Puritan Furniture’s operations on behalf of the court, acknowledged a slight decrease in attendance compared to the opening session. Police Sgt. Charles King noted that while the crowds were busy, he had witnessed much larger turnouts during the super sales the furniture store hosted in its heyday.

“For the most part we’ve had a smooth running sale,” Altman remarked regarding the proceedings. “As for the total proceeds of that sale, I’m going to wait until a final accounting has been made,” which he indicated should be finalized the following day. Altman previously estimated that total sales would need to surpass $1 million for any unsecured creditors to receive a payout.

Tensions and Remaining Inventory

As the multi-day auction wore on, customer demeanor and patience showed signs of strain. Security guard Eileen Manning reported that while Thursday’s opening drew just “one grouch all day long,” Friday proved considerably more hectic as she fielded complaints from frustrated shoppers claiming that sales tags had been swapped. “Customers are fighting today. They weren’t yesterday,” Manning observed.

Roughly 2,000 to 3,000 people packed the store on opening day. Auctioneer J.W. Barber, head of Barber Sales Inc. of Lebanon, N.H., estimated that the auction had successfully cleared more than half—likely two-thirds—of the store’s inventory. Despite the heavy volume sold, substantial stock remained, including about 800 living room sets, 1,200 mattresses, and roughly 1,000 additional assorted pieces of furniture awaiting final bids before the liquidation concluded.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger