It’s the home improvement craze that’s reframing how we think about our homes and belongings. Marie Kondo found fame teaching us all how to clean up our mess, bring order to every room in the house and only hold on to things that “spark joy.”

Every item has a history and a good place to learn about the stories of stuff is through estate sales. Ann Friedman is a journalist and co-host of the “Call You Girlfriend” podcast. As a naturally curious shopper and storyteller, she recently wrote about her love of estate sales for Curbed.

Friedman spoke with Marketplace’s Amy Scott about one particular sale that became the perfect story of shopping and fact-checking.

“It’s just a reminder to me of why I do like meeting strangers and talking to them,” said Friedman about estate sales. “The reality is always more complicated than the story you’ve told yourself about it.”

Ann Friedman, on what she learned a from a particular estate sale.