It all begins with a bid

It all started on a bit of a whim. In June of 2024, I saw a property go up for auction on all the social media sites. “Buy a piece of history” they said. “The possibilities are endless!” When I clicked through, it was a building/property that was about a mile or so from my home. 99 bedrooms. 21+ baths. 50,000+ sq ft of space on about 15 acres of woodlands. I asked my wife what she thought. She told me, “You’ll never win, but what does it hurt to put in a bid in?” So I did.

I dreamed a little. I checked in periodically to see if my bid was still the highest. As the final date of July 11th approached, I anticipated I would be outbid any day.

Oddly enough, I was on night shift that week. I had debated waking up early and going over to the final auction. However, I chose not to. I slept to my normal time of about 4pm. I woke up. I started my normal evening routine to get ready for work. Then, shortly after 5pm, my phone rang. “Unknown Caller” on the screen. I never pick those up. 30 seconds later, I get the ding of a new voicemail. As I listened, the voice came through good and clear “Hey, is this Garrett Butler? This is Joe Pyle from Joe Pyle Auctions and you’ve just won an auction! Give us a call back because we need you to sign some papers.”

The first thought through my head was “oh, sh!t”. I called my parents and told them to meet me over there. I tossed on my work clothes and packed my things. Then, I took that fateful drive that started this whole adventure. I signed all the papers. I met all the people. Shook all the hands. Sweating bullets the entire time. “What the heck did I get myself into?”

And so the story has continued to grow since then and will continue to grow. I’ve had an outpouring of support from the community. Friends and family are genuinely excited for this project and the future that it will bring. I have so many ideas. I want to do so much with this. Stick around. It’s gonna get a lot more fun around here.