The Gilded Lillie and Rahway Auction
During the forty-seven years that Jack Barry and Emma Monaco have been business partners operating The Gilded Lillie and Rahway Auction, they have weathered economic downturns, building challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic—all while preserving a business built on trust, resilience, and long-standing relationships. They credit their enduring partnership and longevity to a business model that has continually evolved and adapted over time. Through every challenge, they have learned that maintaining a positive attitude and a cheerful outlook has helped them navigate the unexpected.
In the early years, Jack supplemented his income as a truck driver by running Saturday auctions. During her first visit to the auction, Emma, then working as a salesclerk at A&S, discovered a cache of discounted stockings. Excited by the find, she returned and when one afternoon Jack’s regular assistant failed to show up Emma volunteered to help, opening the door to a lasting partnership that would shape their professional lives.
Today, the business focuses primarily on estate sales and its secondhand shop, where shoppers might uncover unexpected treasures such as a unique collection of African art, a vintage slot machine, or everyday household items such as lamps and jewelry. Occasionally, a genuine work of art is uncovered, such as an original work by Salvador Dalí, or unusual Uranium glassware. Each item carries its own mystery, offering a glimpse into another time, and the chance for a new home for pieces that may have otherwise been discarded.
They have many stories and have joked about how not so long ago, you could roll a bowling ball down the center of Main Street and not hit a car or pedestrian. They have witnessed the changing economic face of downtown Rahway and how it has grown into a happening destination where people can find eclectic, varied dining options and a growing retail environment. Ask them about the mayor’s dunk tank that once stood in the old flea market where the parking garage now sits, or the numerous antique stores that once lined East Cherry Street. Their stories and the items they sell offer a glimpse into the people, places, and traditions that helped shape Rahway into the community it is today.