Update on Space in Antique Store

Well, it’s been awhile.   My back decided it needed to be fused, so I’ve been recovering from that. 

However, right after I got my first shelf unit rented, another one came up.  Of course I jumped right on it.  This new one is closer to the front of the store and the checkout counter, so I’m using it to sell vintage jewelry.

Now, these pictures aren’t too good, but they give an idea of my new space.  I think I’ve sold more off of it than the first shelf.

  Since I stocked it, I’ve been back several times to move items around and make it more pleasant.  If you notice, I wrapped the shelves in upholstery fabric to make it look more elegant.    In addition to jewelry, I sell porcelain items (like the little Made in Occupied Japan figurines below), reverse painted pictures, and purses.  The original shelf unit is still for all my “Junktique” items.  In fact, I haven’t been to the store in three weeks and I’m sure both shelves are in bad need of a freshening and restocking.  Luckily, before surgery, I tagged a bunch of stuff.  It’s hard to sit at the table I use to tag items (it’s actually my dining room table) .  All the bending to get them out of boxes and then placing in other boxes is rough on the back (& against doctor’s orders).        

We are still hoping for floor space.  Mom and I both have so many larger items we need to sell plus a floor space would allow more shelf space too.  There is one lady who it thinking about giving up her space and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  One end is a wall, so I would be able to hang pictures and mirrors that I have for sale.  Currently, the antique mirror I have at the shop for sale is laying flat on the floor, cushioned by material I laid down there.  Every bit of space gets utilized!

Well, off to work on some ATC cards.  I also need to think on whether or not to participate in a Journal Page swap and then I have to work on some Altered Tags for a Tag Swap.  That’s not to mention the items I need to list in my Etsy store (I re-opened www.TarnishedRose.etsy.com) and things I need to also make to sell in it.  Thank goodness I’m off work for another two weeks.  

Tomorrow, I’m going to try and get to Michael’s.  Since it’s the end of the week, the stuff that I wanted that was on 50% will probably all be gone.  I don’t want to make a painful 40 minute drive (on way) for nothing but I really need a few things.

The last month has flown by.  But, to top it off, it looks like I will be having carpal tunnel surgery in another week.  THAT will probably slow me down more than my back has.

Ah, such is life.  It’s good though.  The shelves are paying for themselves and then some and I’m hoping Etsy sales in all of Mom and my Etsy stores (we have four together & plus my personal one listed above) will increase the closer we get to Christmas.

Until later,

My New Shelf Space in the Antique Store

Yeah, tired of hearing this huh?  Well, it beats me thinking about the lower back fusion I’m having in one month!

Here is my newly stocked shelf in the antique store in Ponchatoula – Acquisitions of the Bygone.

  I know, not much to look at, but at least, it’s a start!  Top Shelf for objects that can stand on their own.

  Then, the two three inside shelves to hold those smaller items and some pictures, a hat or four!

And finally, the floor, for those HEAVY items.

AND I just found out yesterday, I now have TWO shelf units.  Yep, after spending all last weekend pricing and tagging for the first shelf, I was offered a second space and jumped on it.  SOOOOO, this weekend will be spent pricing and tagging items for it.  Since the new shelf is very close to the front desk, it will mostly contain vintage jewelry.  There will be some smalls, like porcelain figurines and maybe a large picture or two for the very top shelf, but the bulk of it will be jewelry. 

I purchased some great decorator fabric from Hobby Lobby and will use that to line the shelves of the new shelf unit.  Can’t have just plain brown board for all that nice stuff I have.  Yesterday, I also purchased several display busts, a display hand, and necklace stands at Hobby Lobby, so that store REALLY like to see me walk through the doors.

Scary thing is, now I have to read the tax code involving sole proprietorships! You should see how convoluted it is!

So, back surgery in August, out of commission for 6-8 weeks, and TWO shelf units to stock and tidy up!  Thank goodness my hubby and son are there to help (with the requisite grumbling).  The nurse said that 3-4 weeks after my surgery, I’ll be able to take short car trips, so I will at least be able to go to the shop and tell my  hubby and son where to place new items (well, hopefully I’ll be selling enough where I need new items).

Then, a short break, carpal tunnel surgery in right, then left wrist, and more directing hubby and son on what to do.  HOWEVER, hubby WAS the one that said, go ahead, get another shelf.  Bet he didn’t expect THIS to happen!

On that  note, I’ll sign off!

Life is a mirror – If you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.

I Have A Shelf Space!

It finally happened.  I am the proud renter of a shelf in an antique shop in Ponchatoula, LA! (and still on the waiting list for a floor space.

Okay, now PANIC TIME!  What do I put on it?  What do I HAVE to put on it?  Oh crap, where is everything?  I don’t even have tags for anything!  Dang, I was going to order those the other day and I forgot.  Will she let me put my business cards with my Etsy store on them as price tags?   AAAEEEEEE!

What can Mom bring down with her (she’s my partner in this) to put on it?  She has EVERYTHING you can think of!  We’ve got pictures, Harper Bazaar magazines, antique books, paper ephemera, antique framed pictures, antique frames, vintage & antique jewelry (got to find a small lockable cabinet for this), games, pottery, glass, etc. 

Looks like I am going to be VERY busy this weekend!

Oh HAPPY DANCE!

Life is a mirror – If you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.

Antique Booth Saga - May Be Over!

I know I am probably boring you to tears by now, but after many a talk, fuss, discussion, argument, trying to explain (this involves more than just myself), I think I have reached a decision.

 

Okay, this is what we ORIGINALLY thought about renting in the "Indoor Flea Market"  (cringe).  Remember, it is $100 a month in an untried location that just opened where the businesses before it have endured the "kiss of business death".



View of 42" Wall Space & a tiny Floor Space

 

If you notice in the picture above and the

third one below, there is a doorway.  This is

where shoppers walk into the "showroom" 

to where the booths are located.  The white

line marks the outer boundary of the space.

 

The white bookshelves shown in the second

picture would be where my shelves, etc.,

could go, but they could not be taller than 4 feet.



 



View of long side of 168" L-Shape





View of 55" short side of L-Shape & Wall Space

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, this is the small shelf space I would have (if it becomes open at the end of June) for $35 per month, in a semi-established ANTIQUE & COLLECTABLE store.  Also shown is the floor space I would aspire to.  It is the general consensus (well, two out of three of us) that the smaller shelf space would bring in more revenue than the larger even though it is a LOT smaller.  Each space has the same 10% commission.  Remember, it has location, location, location.

 



View of one shelf (I like this setup against

the wall).  See the small amount of floor space

on the right and left?





A view of another shelf arrangement









                                Floor Space I aspire to!



Now, I just hope that a shelf space becomes available, I don't get sick AGAIN, and things work out down the road where I can have a floor space like the above (but with a little more in it).  It would be nice to have a dream come true, even in a small way to start with. 

 

I'm for starting off small, then slowly but surely, getting a little bigger and a little bigger.  As I mentioned in my previous blog, my mother really wanted floor space in order to sell some of the larger items we can't really ship so we don’t sell them in our Etsy stores.   There would be room, say at the bottom of the shelf, to put some of the vintage crates she has.  However, larger isn't always better if you aren't in the correct space or if you are not sure what your constraints (family, health, full-time job, art association membership, your own creative time, etc.) might place on your ability to effectively stock and maintain a vendor booth, whether it be a shelf or floor space.  Starting small like this will help me effectively feel out my limitations and abilities at my pace, not overextend myself thereby causing anxiety and conflict, and in the end, go bottoms-up or give up out of sheer frustration.

 

So, thank you for listening to me rant, rave, or discussion, however you may see it.

 

Life is a mirror - If you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.

 

The Continuing Saga of the Antique Store Booth Rental Search

First, I have survived nasal surgery and while I'm still getting back on my feet, things are better.  I can actually breathe!  Only problem is that all that nice, fresh, air is hitting nasal passages and sinuses that haven't felt it in MONTHS, therefore headaches or just general malady occur on a daily basis.

Dilemmas, dilemmas, dilemmas.  I have now found a place in a town 30 minutes from me that known for miles and miles and miles (maybe several states) around for it's plethora of antique stores.  While it's only shelf space, I can place items on top of the shelf (it holds 1,000 pounds) and is of decent size.  It also has the tempting price of $35/month w/a 10% commission.  And, who's to say I couldn't move into a floor space if one became available there?  The negatives are 1) No floor space as of right now; 2) no wall space as of right now; 3) it's a good 30 minutes from my house.  Positives are: 1)  located in a prime location; 2) store is nice and big with lots of vendors to help bring in traffic; 3) it's billed as an "Antique & Collectible" store; 4) it's been operating almost a year (well, could be sort of a negative too); 5) price is very reasonable; & 6) I could see if it's something I could succeed at now or if I needed to wait a little while longer.  There is also the fact that several stores on that street are currently vacant BUT knowing the town, could very well be rented and leased the minute the economy turns around and I would have my foot in the door (so to speak) and be more tuned into things.

The other one closer to my home is a small upside-down L-shaped booth with a little floor space for furniture type  items (a space that is 50" deep by 88" wide), wall space, and shelf space (14' worth less the 50" deep needed for the furniture).  It's also the first booth you see upon entering the store.  However, there are some very big negatives. 1)  It's being billed as an "Indoor Flea Market" (UGH) with vendors of all ilk while 99% of my items are antique or vintage; 2) the rent is $100/month w/a 10% commission; 3) it's getting very little traffic; 4) it's not in an area conducive to this type store; and 5) somewhere around 4-5 stores have been in this location in the past year or too and all have closed up shop.  It sits between an empty home-site (the house was demolished by a tornado a few years ago) & Mini Storage Buildings.  Just on the other side is an area full of slightly shabby looking mobile homes (hey, don't get me wrong here, I lived in a mobile home myself for a while!)

So now I am back to square one trying to figure out what to do.  Mom prefers floor space for the few bigger items that we have (I may be wheedle a foot somewhere else in the store where I could stick one larger item at a time - I'm a good wheedler!) and we need a place for a lockable cabinet in which to store the more valuable and/or small items I will have.  Of course, I haven't even started negotiations with the lady that has the shelf space.  Who knows what may come of that.

AHA the picture just arrived of the shelf space.  More later~

Life is a mirror - if you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.

Countdown to Surgery

Well, not much longer and I will finally be able to breathe correctly again.  In one week, I will be having surgery on a deviated septum and some other nasal blockages that has kept me from breathing correctly.

Only one little problem.......I had to stop taking my Celebrex.  I have severe pain, from carpal tunnel in both wrists to arthritis in my back where I had surgery this past November.  Sooooo, I'm waiting for the pain to really hit.  Currently, it's confined to ring finger & pinky on my left hand and my lower back near my surgical scar.  It will slowly begin creeping up and down both arms, into my neck (from my neck fusion) then down my back and onto my legs.  The only thing I can take is Lortab, so will have to start on it as soon as the pain gets unbearable.  Since I just stopped the Celebrex last night, I have a least today before the pain really hits, maybe even tomorrow.  We shall see.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get what I can done at work AND trying to get necessary stuff related to my Etsy stores and possible booth rental all together.  I have a PILE of stuff on my dining room table to go through and sort into saleable now, fixable, or supply use; not to mention stuff I personally collect that needs to be put in my new display cabinet.  Hubby really hates it when I obscure the dining table!

Then, there are two estate sales to attend this weekend along with an Art Association meeting I have to attend.  May only make one estate sale, but hubby gets to be my chauffeur.  Without a doubt, by this weekend I will be on Lortab and I will not drive when I take it.  Very unsafe.

Then, the pain REALLY starts.  The doctor warned my that my surgery aftermath will be painful, but as long as she gives me really good pain killers to take, I'll be fine.  I've survived a neck fusion, knee surgery, back surgery, migraines, and chronic pain, so I feel I can handle this.  I hope a day or two after surgery, I will at least be able to function enough to start sorting stuff again. 

Guess I need to run.  Lunch time is close and I need to go outside to clear my head.  Apparently, I am allergic to something in my office and about 5 minutes after sitting down at my desk, I get light-headed which continues to worsen until it hits vertigo stage before I leave for the day.  If I leave my office for just a few minutes, all that starts to clear.  I'm having the custodial company that cleans really give my office a GOOD cleaning while I'm out.  This only started happening recently, so something has changed.  Probably not cleaning it or vacuuming it like they should.

Got to run.  Maybe I'll have good stuff to talk about and show y'all soon.

Life is a mirror-if you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.

Lab Results, Clueless Doctors, a New Etsy Store, and Who Knows What Else

Since I feel decent today, thought I'd right a short bit on some things. 

First, if you EVER have blood work done, make sure you get a copy.  I found out I have extremely low blood sodium which was contributing to my p-off attitude and migraines as well as my general feeling of miserableness AND that I'm slightly anemic.  Did the doctor or lab tell me this?  Nope! I got my results, Googled them, and found out.  THEN I started calling doctors.  And don't let them shrug it off with "it's just because of the medication you are on" like one of mine did.  An example is my Hyponatremia (low blood sodium).  Look that stuff up and the problems are scary.  Mine is easy to fix; I just eat salted/salty foods instead of avoiding salt (I have high blood pressure, go figure).  Also, I needed to be on iron.  When I called my other doctor with the results, her immediate response was, "I'm calling an iron supplement in now".  See the difference?  Now a third doctor I see knows my medication wasn't directly causing my irritability and witchiness after calling her.  So, I have to monitor my blood sodium.

I'm preparing for surgery on the 14th.  Maybe after that, I'll be able to breathe, the pressure in my head will be gone, and there will be no more sinus infections.  A deviated septum and trapped air pockets are a pain!  Of course, I've been told that after surgery, they will be MORE of a pain for a while.  Of course, that is what pain medication is for, right?

Tomorrow and Saturday is the HUMONGOUS estate sale my mom is headed to for us.  She has a list a mile long, and the auctioneer and his wife have orders from me to make sure she doesn't miss bidding on anything I would like (Mom is ready to strangle me for that).  Plus, we have a friend that will be whispering in her ear to buy this or buy that.  Mom has NO CHANCE of getting out of there without being totally broke!  Aren't I just horrible?  HEE HEE HEE.

Oh, if you are interested in old books and records, my mother and I opened a new Etsy store, www.BookandAlbumCorner.Etsy.com. We are still in the process of getting it stocked, but there are a few old books up.


Guess I need to get back to work while I feel like working.  A migraine could hit me at any minute and I feel the pressure in my nose already building.  That's the funny thing about blocked nasal passages, no air and lots and lots of pressure.  No wonder I also have trouble walking, talking, and breathing at the same time!  Back to the grind.

Life is a mirror - if you frown at it, it frowns back; If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.