Auction at Michelle's drawing lots of interest, IRS says

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 16, 2007 | by BILL RADFORD THE GAZETTE

Next week's auction of sweet treats and equipment from Michelle Chocolatiers & Ice Cream is drawing plenty of interest, the Internal Revenue Service says.

"There have been a lot of calls," said Ernest Sell, a property appraisal and liquidation specialist with the IRS. "We have people calling for the one or two boxes of chocolates or a menu, things like that, and then we have people who are calling for the restaurant equipment."

The IRS seized the longtime downtown business -- known by locals as Michelle's -- in early May because of failure to pay taxes. The contents of the shop will be auctioned over three days, beginning Tuesday.

THE DETAILS

DAY BY DAY: Candy and memorabilia will be sold the first day, beginning at 10 a.m., at Michelle's, 122 N. Tejon St. Buyer registration begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday, items such as restaurant equipment and large appliances will be sold from four storage units at Circle Drive Self-Storage, 2515 Arlington Drive. The action returns to Michelle's on the final day, with the remainder of the store's contents, such as candy-making machinery and dishware, on the block.

HOW TO PAY: "The question I'm getting the most is do we accept checks or credit cards," Sell said. The answer: No credit cards and no personal checks. Only cash, certified or cashiers checks or money orders will be accepted. Make checks or money orders payable to the U.S. Treasury. BREAKING UP THE BUSINESS: The inventory listed at www.irsauctions. gov is divided into lots. One lot, for example, includes 41 trays of assorted chocolates and fruit slices and seven boxes of Thanksgiving chocolate turkeys. That doesn't mean you have to buy more than your sweet tooth could handle. "We're breaking them into sublots," Sell said, "so the people who want to buy one and two boxes of chocolates can certainly come and bid." WHAT TO EXPECT: If you've never been to an auction, don't be scared, Sell said. The pace, he promised, will be fairly gentle. "We want everyone to understand what we're doing." Look for the sale of the candy alone to take four to five hours, "just because of the sheer volume," he said.

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