Skip to content
Leland Little, second from left, and his staff celebrated breaking round for the new home of Leland Little Auctions & Estate Sales Ltd. in Hillsborough, N.C., in September.

Leland Little breaks ground on new custom-designed auction facility

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Leland Little, second from left, and his staff celebrated breaking round for the new home of Leland Little Auctions & Estate Sales Ltd. in Hillsborough, N.C., in September.
Leland Little, second from left, and his staff celebrated breaking round for the new home of Leland Little Auctions & Estate Sales Ltd. in Hillsborough, N.C., in September.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Little Auctions & Estates Sales Ltd. will celebrate their 10th anniversary next year in a new state-of-the-art auction facility that is currently under construction.

The new facility is being built on a 2 1/2-acre site on the corner of State Highway 86 and Cornerstone Court, 15 miles northwest of Durham. “It’s still in Hillsborough proper, but we’ll have the convenience of being right off I-85,” said company owner Leland Little. For the past 10 years the company has been operating in an older commercial building at 246 S. Nash St. close to downtown Hillsborough.

The new building will have 10,000 square feet of space. “This will double the size of our gallery and provide a comfortable space for our customers,” said Little, noting that the saleroom will seat 250 to 300 people.

Little anticipates moving into the new building in April and celebrating a gala opening with a two-day cataloged antiques and art auction at the end of June.

Within 12 to 24 months Little plans to expand the facility to 15,000 square feet. The new building will house offices, a foyer, saleroom, photography studio, café area and warehouse.

In addition to conventional and track lighting, the building will be equipped with solar tube lighting that collects and disperses daylight throughout the building.

Another major feature of the building is its cast-concrete walls. “It’s a very secure system and will offer a greater security for our consignors,” said Little.

Gulf Rim Café, a favorite local eatery, will continue to provide food service for Little’s auctions. A local chocolatier will continue to offer desserts.

Little Auctions & Estates Sales presents two-day cataloged auctions the last weekend of each quarter, March, June, September and December. One to three estate treasure auctions are conducted each month. Specialized collector auctions are held as collections become available.

“None of this would be possible without my competent and qualified team of auction professionals,” said Little, adding that he is proud to remain a part of the historic Hillsborough community.

For more information go to the Web site www.llauctions.com, e-mail info@llauctions.com or phone 919-644-1243.