Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004290117
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The Santa who for years has been a Christmastime fixture at Miller & Rhoads' downtown Richmond store submitted a successful bid of $1,500 for the oversized gold and green chair.
The Valentine Museum, with director of development Judy Lankford handling the bidding, paid $11,000 for the 4-foot-tall clock, which since 1924 has hung above the information desk at Miller & Rhoads' flagship store.
"We're thrilled that we were able to get the clock," Lankford said. "We worked hard to raise this money. Everyone kind of pulled together."
Retired Miller & Rhoads employees donated $17,000 for the museum to buy the four-faced clock, which has been appraised at $15,000. Lankford said she was prepared to spend a little more than the $17,000 if necessary.
The museum also purchased two bronze commemorative plaques for a total of $725, leaving enough leftover funds to buy more artifacts for a planned exhibit on Richmond history.
The museum's winning bid prompted a burst of applause by about 150 bidders and onlookers.
Richard Johnson of Southern Financial Corp. of Richmond said one onlooker "treated me like a criminal" for bidding against the museum. Johnson, the only other serious bidder on the clock, said he was not sure what he would have done with it.
"I'm in the real estate business, and we would have found an appropriate place for it," he said.
"If I don't have it, there's no better place in the world for it than the Valentine Museum. I'm real happy they got it."
Santa, wearing the traditional red and white suit, also drew applause when he submitted the winning bid for the chair.
"This chair is very sentimental to me," he said. "I'm grateful it will stay here in Richmond."
Bob Hardy, one of the previous Miller & Rhoads owners who said he is working to transfer the chain's Santa operations to the downtown Richmond Thalhimer's store, accompanied Santa. He would not say who was actually paying for the chair.
"But it's not coming out of Santa's pocket," he said.
Hardy said Thalhimer's "is the most logical place" to relocate Santa. "It will mean over 100,000 people downtown between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve."
The change still must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Also sold at auction were 513 chairs used in Miller & Rhoads' Tea Room restaurant. The first chairs went for as much as $155. By the time the final chair was sold, the price was down to $3.
by CNB