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Showing posts with label antiques mall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antiques mall. Show all posts

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Hey Lady, Get Back To Work!


"Sold" is A Good Thing 
when you have an antiques booth.


Small-scale refinished cherry drop leaf table.  Sold.


 Not replacing what's been sold
with new old stuff?
Not so good.

Used to have two of these old darlings.  Both Sold.


I am guilty as charged.

Nursery chair, tray table, 19th century stand, and "smalls."
Sold.

I popped into my booth at
Somerville Center Antiques the other day.

All Sold.

I have been neglecting it lately.

Pretty much everything in this picture, except the cradle, Sold.

I didn't take a picture of the
near-empty booth. Too neglected-looking.

I've got some things in storage to haul out and polish up,
or paint, or otherwise make ready for a new life.

Like this piece:
This adorable miniature bombe chest needs a little more work before it is
booth-worthy.  It's been vacationing in my parlor;
I will miss its chubby good looks when it goes to the booth!

On Sunday, Howard and I are going to
a country auction.  In a barn.

Out in the boondocks of northern New Jersey.
Yes, there are boondocks in northern New Jersey,
and they are beautiful.



Wish us luck!  -- Cass

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ch-ch-ch-changes


Booth sales were sluggish in November.
Truth?  "Sluggish" would have been an improvement.

So why, with sluggish sales, am I on the verge
of taking a second booth at another antiques mall?


Because I'm crazy?
Yes, there is that ever-present factor.

Because I've got a really supportive husband, who likes
that being busy with antiques keeps me (mostly) out of mischief?
Well, yes.

Because I think I can better target what people might want to buy
if I split my inventory between two very different locations?
Bingo!

I am beginning to accept that I am not my own buyer!

I have a passion for American country furniture from
the 19th century (18th if I can find it!).

Pieces like this:

And this:

Sadly for my sales, American country furniture
is languishing in all too many antiques shops.
 Despite all that gorgeous patina.
These pieces have such character, and they are
part of our country's history.

But period antiques are just not hot right now,
even at bargain prices.

*******************************
What is selling?
Let me give you an example:
this little table sat for months in my booth, in its original state:

I finally brought it back home, painted it with
Old White chalk paint, and popped it back to the booth.


It sold in just a few days.

Time to change tactics, don't you think?

I have been peeking around at other antiques malls,
looking for one that would be a good fit for the American furniture.
I think I have found it.

I'll be changing the Somerville Center Antiques location
to appeal more to people just starting to furnish their homes,
rather than collectors.  My period antiques will move to . . .

I'll let you know when I sign the contract!

Yeah, I'm such a tease.  :-P  
Merry Christmas!  -- Cass

Monday, October 1, 2012

Sprucing Up

Some bits of furniture sold at That Old House's
antiques booth last week, so on Sunday
Howard and I tootled down Route 287 to
Somerville, New Jersey, to restock the booth
and jigger it around a bit.


Usually I forget to take pictures when we do this.
But this time, I remembered.
Here's how we left it:


I like to take pictures so I can look at them later,
at home, slap my forehead and say, "What was I thinking?"

Whenever I do this, one thing in particular screams out at me:
"I hate white walls."
Picture those 3 walls a nice warm soft yellow,
maybe with a pumpkin-colored back accent wall.
Old wood looks really lovely against yellow walls.

Or perhaps painted a soft dreamy sage green, or a warm gray.
Anything . . . and I mean almost anything . . . except white.
Cold and temporary looking -- that's how it strikes me now.


We added three pieces of furniture.

A pink upholstered, walnut
Empire-style slipper, or nursing, chair.

An antique cherry drop leaf table -- nice smaller size,
country style, and in great shape.  No drawer.
Sturdy wood "wings" for holding the leaves.

And the demi-lune table that I painted in August.
I kept it at home until I was happy with the finish on its top.
By the way, that left leg is not crooked.  Optical illusion.
There are a few real favorites of mine still waiting for their
forever homes, including this mahogany piecrust table:
It has the prettiest crotch veneer on its top.
And no, I'm not being naughty.
I've always loved tole trays on stands, used as
coffee or side tables.  This tray's old, with a Chinoiserie style image.
The stand would fit any size tray; it expands as needed.

I'm seriously enamored of this writing table/desk, below.
It's just so gorgeous and classic, and made by Southwood.
In fact, it's so high end that it's too high-falutin' to live with us,
and begged to be sold to a classier gang.  :-)


This pumpkin/squash tureen is kicking off my Fall offerings.
Now I need to find some more.  Gee, what a hardship!

Now the oddest thing we put in the booth on Sunday was this:
It's a wee little corner cabinet, painted an unfortunate
green and cream, and it replaces
the larger black one that used to hold so many of the "smalls."

That larger black one was not for sale, but . . .
someone bought it.  That's the antiques biz, folks.

Anyway, another dealer was moving her booth yesterday,
and didn't want the little green fellow, above,
so I got it for thirty bucks.
It's not my dream solution by any means, but it will do for now.

Happy hunting in your neck of the woods! -- Cass

Monday, November 7, 2011

In The Beginning . . . .

I began this blog probably a year ago,
thinking I would be actively selling old stuff on eBay or Etsy, or just through this blog.


But the ensuing months became busy, and full of both great sorrow -- losing my father -- and great joy -- our daughter's marriage.  That, coupled with some intensive home repairs and improvements both to That Old House in New Jersey, and our family's beach house on Long Island, ate up not just lots of my time, but also lots of my available brain cells.


Hey, I'm getting older.  My hard drive is getting low on space.


So now here it is, just two weeks before Thanksgiving week, and I am going to be opening a small booth at the Somerville Center Antiques mall.  In historic Somerville, New Jersey.


I've got some cleaning, painting, fussing, fixing, labeling, record-keeping, and just plain stuff (there's that handy word again!) to do as I get this venture underway.


I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun with this new venture.
Come along with me, as I post about setting up and getting underway.
Wish me luck.  I haven't a blessed clue what I'm doing!


Cass