Riverside Auction gets its name from the very first location of the auction, the River Falls area of Cleveland, SC. The spring of 1962 saw the first auction in the River Falls Community Building. This building is actually very near the Middle Saluda River. So now, you know how we got our name . Our current location is very near the Enoree River, and The name still fits.
My dad, W.C. Buchanan or "Buck" as everyone calls him, had the idea of his own auction after selling at other local auctions. On a Saturday night in the spring of '62 (we are not sure of the exact date), Riverside Auction was born. Dad hired a local auctioneer to actually call bids while he worked as the ring man. Mom fixed homemade hotdogs, sold drinks, crackers, etc. Mom's hotdogs were the best selling items at the auction. I was about 10 and only remember that it seemed like a big party. After 3 weeks of good auctions, the auctioneer failed to show up to auction. Dad was worried, and Mom asked him what was he going to do. Dad replied," I am going to auction!" This spring was his 44th year as an auctioneer.
Due to a great flood in the Fall of 1963, we were forced to find another location. This location was found at the ECHO VALLEY area of Cleveland. Echo valley was the name of a small theme park on the order of Ghost Town but smaller. At the end of the days of the valley, the auction was doing more business than the park.This was also the time when Antiques were the main items of the auctions.
After a brief stay in beautiful downtown Marietta SC, we landed in the old Renfrew Bleachery Company Store (north of Travelers Rest on Hwy. 276). We had many great sales of loads coming out of the "north." The weekly auctions became a fixture in Travelers Rest. Today, Travelers Rest is the home of five all, save for one, a direct result of Riverside. As a result of Abney Mills selling out, we had to quickly find a place for business. A very quick move to Berea resulted in some "smoke" problems as well as the fact we were not in TR (what the locals call Travelers Rest). We then moved to a small place on Highway 25 (now Rebecca's Antiques). We were back in Travelers Rest, but the place was just too small, and so we moved to Highway 276 at the old McDaniel Store Building. This site was dominated by a very large and old oak tree beside the building. This tree actually caused the building to lean. I believe that the tree is one of the oldest trees in SC. Three grown men can not reach around the base of the tree.
In 1993, I purchased 7 &1/2 acres of land and built the present building. In 1994, we moved to our present location of 640 Highway 25 north in Travelers Rest, SC. Four years later, the building for the mall was built. In 2007, Due to an increase in the attendence of auctions, the Auction Hall was moved into the larger mall building, and the mall building was moved into the old Auction Hall. In 2008, We are in the process of converting the Antique Mall into a single shop located in the same building as the Auction for better customer service.
In all our moves, we are a family business. Mom ran the snack bar until we had to have bookkeepers. Now, our books are on machine, and it takes 2 people. Mom used to do all the books by herself . Both brothers and the rest of my family, including uncles, aunts, and cousins, have worked as ring men, clerks, snack bar, and generally unloading the truck. Currently, I am an auctioneer, my wife runs the snacks, my son is a bookkeeper, and my Daughter is starting to come out of the snack bar to help clerk the auctions. It has been long ride from dad telling Mom "I am going to auction" to today's auctions. The ride has been long, but O' so very sweet!
---Jimmy Buchanan, Owner
---Edited and Updated by Zachary Deuerling
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