Current & Upcoming Events

---

Online Estate Sale

Pick-up at Home in Stowe, Vt. 

The Estate of Deborah Rigby

9:00 a.m.

Saturday, January 31

In 1965 while working at the Boom Boom Room, a restaurant in Lansing, Michigan, Deborah Casterline (Rigby) met her husband to be,  George Rigby. They were married a short time later and came to Vermont to visit one of George's Culinary Institute's classmates in Montgomery, Center. It wasn't long before they fell in love with the state, found the Hob Knob Inn, and moved to Stowe where they would spend the rest of their lives. 

They owned and operated the Hob Knob for the next 38 years, with George as chef extraordinaire, and Debbie tended to so many of the other affairs involved with running an inn. Now don't be confused, the Hob Knob wasn't just another Stowe inn, it was an icon in the area known for its food and hospitality. Those who remember speak of it embodying everything grand about the Stowe ski community of that era. 

After selling the Inn in 2003, George couldn't get his love of cooking out of his system and continued working until almost the end. Deborah worked part-time at the Stowe tennis club for a bit, enjoyed her gardens regularly bringing flowers to the Stowe Library, and could often be seen biking on the Rec Path. They enjoyed traveling around Vermont together and throughout their lives on their days off could be found at the local country auctions, flea markets, and antique shops which proliferated the area at that time (many items still retain original price tags from when they were purchased 40-50 years ago). Eventually George predeceased Deb, and she passed in September of 2025.

It is hard to talk about George and Deb without mentioning their daughter, Catherine (Kasha) Rigby, who was one of the greatest skiers ever to call Stowe her home. She was featured in countless movies, on the North Face Extreme Team, skied first descents at some of the world's hardest peaks, and was called "the best female telemark skier in the known universe" by Outside Magazine. In 2024 she was skiing in Kosovo when she died in an avalanche at the age of 54. 

Our sales don't get more "Stowe" than this. Not in the big money McMansion way, but in the local way capturing people who were part of the area when it was transitioning from ski town into an iconic destination. George and Deb didn't come from wealthy backgrounds. They worked hard, loved what they did, and truly enjoyed collecting. This sale captures that passion. Because of the location of the home with limited parking, we are conducting it as a "Hybrid" sale, where items are purchased in our traditional online format, but pickup is at the Rigby Home in Stowe. We feel this best captures the best of both worlds in this situation.

If you are not familiar with how our "Stay-at-Home" sales work, please read the following​: 

HOW IT WORKS -On Saturday, January 31, at 9:00 am we will be releasing prices on the pictures below on this website. The sale will run from 9:00 am. to 5:00 pm. At 5:00 pm the sale will end and pictures will be taken down. 

-Prices will appear in the caption box under the items when we publish our website at 9:00 am Saturday morning. (As a reminder

 you may need to refresh your browser often). 

-Items will be sold to the first person who responds via email at kyle@vermontestateservices.com. There will be no holding items. All sales are final. Responses must include the item number, brief description, PRICE, buyer's name, and a contact phone number. SAMPLE: John Smith (802) 876-7120 --H-102 Lamp $50. PLEASE ONLY SEND EMAILS ON ITEMS YOU WANT TO PURCHASE. 

-Successful buyers will be sent an invoice via email. Most invoices are sent out within an hour, but earlier in the day it may be a few hours before we are able to catch up - please be patient. We do it the old-fashioned way reading every email. Occasionally invoices may end up in a spam folder, please check those often. 

-Payment Methods: Credit Card (via Square), cash, or check. All invoices will include a 3% fee to cover credit card transactions. This fee will be removed at the time of payment/pickup for those who pay with cash or check. 

-You will only be contacted if you were successful. We wish we could respond to everybody immediately, but with 800-1200 emails per sale we haven't progressed that far technologically yet. We have heard of some emails going to spam folders using the Square processing system so please check all your folders. 

-Buyers may submit more than one "commitment to purchase" on a single email. Please note: as an example - if you submit a "commitment to purchase" on five items at 9:05 am, but somebody already purchased two of the items at 9:01 am, you will get the three items that have not previously been purchased. The drawback to this method is it takes extra time, and things can go rapidly in the morning. Please do not send us a "screen shot" of the item-this takes longer to load. Likewise please do not send a list of items with only prices on a few of them-it makes it difficult on the book keepers. 

-We will make every attempt possible to remove pictures of items after they have been purchased but expect a little lag time for technical reasons, especially in the first few hours. Like we said, we do it the old fashioned way.

-Items MUST be picked up within 48 hours in Stowe, Vt. at the corner of Pike and School Street (221 School St. ). 

-Please bring your own packing material. If you buy furniture you must bring help to move the items. With an in-home pickup, items will have to be moved out of the home by the purchaser, some will need to be brought down stairs, etc. This is all the responsibility/risk of the purchaser. 

-There will be 2 pickup windows for this sale. Sunday, February 1 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Monday, February 2  from 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m. It is helpful when buyers bring a copy of their invoice. 

-Due to limited space items not picked up in this time period may incur storage fees, or be considered "forfeited" and may be donated or disposed of unless specific arrangements are made. Given the nature of this sale we have very little flexibility in our pickup windows.

-Pickup Directions: From Main St. in Stowe Village turn onto School St. Follow School approximately 1 mile to Pike St. Turn onto Pike St. Location is first drive on right. Note: The driveway can accommodate 4-5 vehicles. If more than that are present please wait in vehicle until parking is available. 

-We take a commitment to purchase seriously. In the event someone does not pick up an item they have purchased in the designated time frame, or does not pay for an item, they will not be allowed to participate in future sales, either online or onsite. 

-We will try to do our best to answer questions about items prior to the sale (we will not disclose prices). Please email or call our office at (802) 876-7120 during business hours Thursday or Friday if you have questions. We have a few windows available for in-person inspection by appointment only. Please contact us directly. 

-Measurements on art are from the outside of the frame and rounded to the nearest inch. Measurements on other items are taken at the widest possible area, for instance the outside of the molding on a cupboard. 

-We have tried to include pertinent information in the picture captions about the items, this includes what we were told about mechanical items (last time they were used, etc.). If an item says "untested" it means we believe the item is in working condition, but have not tested it. Descriptions relating to age, authenticity, and character of items are our best judgement and do not constitute a guarantee. 

-Bonus Lots: In our online format we try to emulate the on-site experience as much as possible. We know there are many people who prefer to come to a sale later in the day or check back often to see what may have been "discovered" in a hidden cabinet, or under a mattress. To simulate that experience we will add unadvertised "bonus" lots to the sale throughout the day so check back often.

-Sales Tax: Under Vermont law, as a single owner sale at the home location, there will be no sales tax for this event.

-Depending on what remains late in the day, we may decide to adjust prices on some items. We do not guarantee this and will review it on a case by case basis. If we make this decision adjusted prices will be posted. Do not submit offers. 

Our goal with on-line sales is to emulate an in-person estate sale with the convenience of only having to turn on a computer. We appreciate our customers tremendously, and ultimately want everyone to have a fun, enjoyable experience.