Transitions

There comes a time when you just have to make changes. Change is good.

Midwinter is a good time for antique dealers to take stock of their stock.  We have completed a room renovation at our house--and the garage has been the storage for everything that "belongs someplace else but can't be there right now."  I thought of posting a picture--but then thought better of it.  If you saw the garage--you would be sending our name in to one of those pathetic hoarder shows.  Really you would.

I have taken stock of our stock.  Our inventory right now has many looks.  Too many looks.

I run around alot.  We are in three retail shops--and none of them is close to home.  The closest is 1.25 hours away and the farthest is 2.5 hours away.  Working at keeping stock fresh, filling holes and just general moving merchandise around the booths takes a great deal of time.  For the most part--I enjoy that work.

Anymore--not so much.  It is not an age thing--or an interest thing--or a money thing.  It is a focus thing.

Each of the shops we are in has a different clientele and takes different merchandise.  As we are out buying--we always ask "Is this a Walworth thing or a Delavan thing or a Madison/Odana thing?"

So--while you just may have read of our excitement last summer at opening a large booth in Delavan--we are shutting that  space down at the end of this month.  Transitions are sad--and the shop is a friendly, easy going place in a charming well traveled downtown.  But we need to fine tune our focus.  While Dear Husbola preaches correctly about diversification in other areas of our life--we will be fine tuning and focusing our buying for the remaining two shops and shows.

Change is good--change causes us to evaluate what works and what doesn't.  Three shops does not work for us anymore.  One thing I am sure of--our customers will be the winners.  And the garage will have a fresh look too.