Bill Martin estate sale draws community to Church Hill: 'Someone the entire city loved'

RICHMOND, Va. — Friends, neighbors and admirers of Bill Martin gathered Saturday at his Church Hill home for an estate sale that offered one last chance to hold a piece of the beloved Valentine Museum director close.

Martin served as the Valentine's executive director for 32 years before his death in December, when he was struck and killed by a driver. All proceeds from the sale benefit the Valentine Museum.

Jennifer Rector, owner of Great Estates, was tasked with transitioning the possessions inside Martin's Adams Double House to new hands. She said the moment carried a weight that went beyond a typical estate sale.

"We give a home a swan song and, in this case, we had the added benefit of doing it for someone the entire city loved," Rector said.

For those who knew Martin, the items inside his home reflected the man himself — carefully chosen and deeply personal.

"I guess the word is eclectic. There are so many things of different periods, of different styles," Kevin White, Martin's neighbor, said. "There are so many folks who really value things that Bill valued."

Virginia McDonald, a friend of Martin's, said she felt compelled to attend even knowing no purchase could fill the void left by his death.

"I had to come one last time. I don't think there is anything I could buy at this estate sale that would bring him back," McDonald said.

WATCH: Remembering Bill Martin's 3 decades of history at The Valentine

John Fryer, another friend of Martin's, said the sale offered something beyond the items themselves.

"It gives us an opportunity to walk through the doors of a home of someone who was a huge part of the community," Fryer said.

For Fryer, it was a simple, hand-hewn hammer that hit closest to home.

"If you look at this hammer, it's hand-hewn, so someone has carved it to fit a hand and maybe it was carved specifically to fit Bill's hand," Fryer said. "It's as personal as can be, so it's like shaking his hand every time I use this hammer."

Rector said the experience left a lasting impression on everyone who walked through the door, whether they left with something or not.

"Even if they didn't leave with a possession, they left with a memory," Rector said.

Not every piece found its way to a new home. The new owners of Martin's house chose to keep one item exactly where it has always been.

"The new couple that bought this home — the one thing they purchased was Bill's grandmother's painting that hung over the mantle, and it will always hang over the mantle because the new kids want to keep a piece of Bill in this house forever," Rector said.

The money raised from the sale will go directly to the Valentine Museum, a fitting tribute according to those who knew Martin best.

"The Valentine Museum was his great love and even after he's gone, he's proving that," Rector said.

White said the outpouring of community support reflected everything Martin stood for.

"It speaks to what he values and what this community values, and that's loving Richmond and making Richmond important. I think he would approve," White said.