Since early on in his 21 years as an auctioneer, Darren Scheets has had a dream.
That dream recently manifested physically in the form of the Scheets Building on U.S. 63 just north of Houston. The 108-foot by 44-foot gray-and-black structure will be used for sales conducted by Darren Scheets Auction Service, and will also be available for rental by private parties.
“This will provide us and our customers a lot of convenience,” Scheets said. “We’ll be able to work around our own schedule more, and people will have more time to bring things here instead of having only a day or two.”
Scheets was born and raised in Texas County, and is also in regional management with MFA Inc. and operates a cattle farm. He said he will still do more on-location auctions than those in the new facility.
“We’ll do whatever best fits the customer,” Scheets said, “but sometimes if it’s a well-known, life-long resident, it will do better at their place than it would here.”
Scheets Auctions is a family affair, as Darren’s wife, Tammy (who works full-time with the Missouri Natural Resources Conservation Service) is the clerk, his son Jake helps do the calling, his daughter-in-law, Lynsey, is the cashier, and his brother Darrell Scheets and nephew Cory Scheets work as ringmen.
After workers knocked down all the timber on the property and removed all the wood, Darrell, Jake and Cory built the handsome metal fence that surrounds the facility.
“They all encouraged this to happen,” Tammy said. “They’re really excited about it.”
“We’ve enjoyed the process,” Darren said.
The Scheets Building is outfitted with numerous tables and padded chairs, a food-serving area, restrooms and a large garage door at one end. The 12-acre tract it’s on offers plenty of parking space and lots of potential for outdoor usage.
“We can spread out and do a lot of stuff outside,” Scheets said. “We’ve got a lot of space, so we’ll figure out how to use it as we go along.”
The first event held at the facility was a large FFA gathering (with about 450 people being fed at a fish fry), and it’s already reserved for an upcoming graduation party, a wedding reception and a family reunion, as well as Scheets Auction’s annual consignment sale and an estate sale are scheduled in April.
“It began as an auction deal for us,” Scheets said, “but people kept asking about using it. It’s pretty big, and it should work well for a lot of community events.”
For more information, or to inquire about renting the building, call 417-967-6873.