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<p>LUZERNE &#8212; Bringing order to chaos.</p><p>That&#8217;s something with which James Ford, owner of Ford Family Auctions, is well acquainted. He retired from the Pennsylvania State Police in 2014, and now he makes a living rummaging through people&#8217;s houses, looking for a rare find.</p><p>Ford Family Auctions opened for business at 414 Union St. in June 2016. The auction house stays true to its name &#8212; employees include Ford&#8217;s wife, Margie; their 12-year-old son, Aidan; Ford&#8217;s in-laws, Marge and Ed Germick; cousins and other kin.</p><p>His wife, Margie, a pharmaceutical sales rep, takes care of the financial side of the business while James focuses on finding items, conducting appraisals and serving as auctioneer.</p><p>&#8220;It really is a family affair,&#8221; said Ford, of Wyoming. The Fords also have two young ones at home &#8212; 22-month-old Jimmy and 7-month-old Maggie.</p><p>Ford, 46, basically grew up in the auction business. His late father, Thomas Ford, was the director of the state Bureau of Supplies and Surplus Operations, and the younger Ford was able to witness the sale of some interesting items over the auction block.</p><p>&#8220;It sort of got into my blood back then &#8212; that was back in the &#8217;80s,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;ve frequented auctions ever since, but as a buyer, not as a seller.&#8221;</p><p>After he retired, Ford said he began to &#8220;get bored,&#8221; and a friend in the auction business who was retiring convinced him to give it a try. He went to a school in Harrisburg to become a licensed auctioneer and found the perfect spot on Union Street to set up shop.</p><p>&#8220;After doing what I did for two decades, I didn&#8217;t want to sit behind a desk,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I wanted to do something where I would be out and interacting with people, and it&#8217;s a hunt.&#8221;</p><p>Ford said he wanted to focus on providing service to others in their time of need &#8212; something he enjoyed pursuing as an officer of the law for more than 22 years.</p><p>&#8220;For 20 years, I was out trying to make a difference,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I want to make a difference here.&#8221;</p><p>Ford said this could include helping people who have lost their loved ones by selling items to help pay for debts or funeral expenses or cleaning out homes for people and selling some items to offset the cost of the service.</p><p>&#8220;When we started off, I was very specific that I wanted to call this Ford Family Auctions, because I wanted my family involved, but I also wanted people to feel like they were being treated as (family),&#8221; he said.</p><p>Services offered include helping people when downsizing, estate auctions, cleanouts of houses, liquidations, real estate auctions, property and item appraisals and more.</p><p>Ford said he looks forward to not only finding unique items, but seeing how much they sell for at auction. He said the business is one that keeps his interest piqued at all times.</p><p>&#8220;Much like my job with the state police, no two auctions are going to be the same,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Ford was once a collector of Ford automotive signs and Pennsylvania State Police memorabilia, but overall, he said he is mostly looking for unique and rare items to sell at auction, and that notion is subjective, he said.</p><p>&#8220;Your value and my value could be different,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s what&#8217;s desirable for who&#8217;s here at the time of the auction.&#8221;</p><p>The business holds live auctions at 5 p.m. Wednesdays. Doors open at 4 p.m. for potential buyers to examine and test the items to ensure they are in working order.</p><p>Auction-goers can preview items on the site <a href="http://www.auctionzip.com/PA-Auctioneers/664129.html" target="_blank">www.auctionzip.com</a> with new items coming into the facility weekly. Ford hopes the business will enable buyers to bid online in the near future.</p><p>Those looking to sell items at auction can visit the location between noon and 2 p.m. Mondays or by appointment by calling 570-499-3889. For more information about Ford Family Auctions, visit <a href="http://www.fordfamilyauctions.com" target="_blank">www.fordfamilyauctions.com</a>.</p><p><ins>For other business stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/business" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rick Kline holds up a sign up to be auctioned off at Ford Family Auctions on Union Street in Luzerne. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL02317auction1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rick Kline holds up a sign up to be auctioned off at Ford Family Auctions on Union Street in Luzerne. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL02317auction2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ford Family Auctions owner and auctioneer James Ford calls out prices for a New York Jets football helmet. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL02317auction2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ford Family Auctions owner and auctioneer James Ford calls out prices for a New York Jets football helmet. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Retired PSP officer starts Ford Family Auctions business in Luzerne</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>LEARN MORE</strong></p><p>For more information about Ford Family Auctions, call 570-499-3889 or visit <a href="http://www.fordfamilyauctions.com" target="_blank">www.fordfamilyauctions.com</a>.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Retired PA State Police officer starts Ford Family Auctions in Luzerne