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.

Vintage Versus Antique in 2013

As the New Year starts--Dear Husbola and I begin to muse where our business will take us this year. One thing is sure--  People need to eat--they do not need another "sweet little painting for the powder room" so 2013 will prove to be another challenging year for selling.

I page through magazines (the ones made out of paper--how vintage!) to look for design ideas.  Do people want color--or is the belgian brown and cream still in?  Does chippy, weathered furniture excite people--or are we back to "the browns"?  Color--what color?  Retro color or harvest gold or avocado?  Or true red?  Pink like Grandma's 1960s lipstick?  Greens--are greens back?

The trends are what the particular magazine say they are.  Country Living says one thing--Veranda says another.  My British design magazines say yet another.  Southern Living yet another.  I have learned that for as many magazines as there are--the trends number the same.  What are women in their 20s looking at?  Or women in their 40's?  Are buyers really that trendy?

I don't think so.  It is expensive to paint a room or buy furniture.  We learned many years ago to keep the bones of our house neutral and then give change and pop in your rooms with accessories.  We are fortunate that the antiques business keeps us out and about all the time-we can constantly swap one thing and one thing then can go for sale.  It has kept our house fresh all these years.  Cluttered--but fresh.

One thing is for sure.  I don't think the shoppers under age 40 in our midwest market are looking for "antique" any longer.  Further,  the collectible widgets of 20 years ago are dead.  People want fairly priced items that they will live with "for awhile".  Not investment pieces.  They buy what they like--and whether it is a fine antique is not so important. 

As a dealer-I could make myself crazy figuring out what people want in 2013.  Our plan?  To continue to buy interesting items that "pop" at us.  And hopefully they will pop at one of our buyers.  So--buy what you like--don't follow the elusive "trends" and enjoy your finds.

Ooo La La Louis Vuitton Luggage

A short time ago--Dear Husbola and I attended an auction that appeared to have nothing too special on offer.  We armed ourselves with the auction list and wandered around  the sale rooms a couple of times looking for items to add to inventory.  We are doing the Northern Illinois Antique Dealer's Association show in Rockford in February--and we need unusual inventory.

The auction was ho-hum--UNTIL I spied-- stuck under a table--three fabulous pieces of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage--one very large beat up trunk and these two treasures.

Oh my.  Real Vuitton luggage--each piece has a serial number--and if you want to--you can contact the company and find out details of the original buyer.  These pieces are marked with red initials and the word Chicago.  The inside of each  has a label that indicates they were purchased at Marshall Fields.  The insides are clean and not musty and clean.  Circa 1920ish.

The patina on these cases  in something you cannot buy.  Rich burnished color to the brass fittings and the handles are warmly worn.  There are remnants of old customs stickers and travel stickers.

You just do not see these come up for auction--and certainly not in the midwest.  I rarely say to Dear Husbola "I have to have it" about anything.  There is always another neat thing that comes along.  But--I said it and I said it in boldface type "I HAVE TO HAVE IT!"

Yuppers.  We bought the two suitcases.  They were not sleepers and there was competitive bidding. No--we did not get them for a song - but they went severely under market price.

No--they will not be at the February show in Rockford.  Mais oui--they are going to live at our house for awhile.  A long while. 

Time for an Auction Escape

Dear Readers-Forgive the absence this month--as our room renovation project, otherwise knows as "the project that never ends" has been consuming us--has been taking a great deal of time.  But this morning dawns warm for December--very warm--and Dear Husbola is going to futz with his bees and daffodil planting and I am off to beautiful Lake Geneva for an auction!

Not just any auction--but an auction at a lakefront property.  They seem t have some mid century things--and they appear a bit quirky.  We love quirky--we SELL quirky.  I am quirky.  Therefore--off I go.

More to report later.  Plus--I have to tell you about the incredible 1915 circa Louis Vuitton suitcases I bought.  And a set of incredible folk art plant stands.  Good pickin's lately.

Antique Tin Ceiling Tile Patina

There are two words that strike more pure glee in an antique dealer's heart than any others.

"Original Surface".

I am no exception.  If I can buy items with their original time worn surface or patina--all the better--and they command a premium when selling them on.

This past weekend--I went to a local auction that had many architectural items in various degrees of condition.  The auction was held in a late 1800s old storefront--and a building that had been closed up since the mid 1980s.  MOTHER LODE of patina--with plenty of free dust thrown in.

I bought three types of tin ceiling tiles.  The back alley of this store had tiles, door, shutters and other bits and bobs stacked up.  My photos might not quite do all the colors justice--but you get the idea.

A little soap and water and these pieces will be perfect.  Great old paint.  Can't fake that.

From Antique Dealer to Bootlegger

I had three opportunities to change hats from "antique dealer" to " vintage bootlegger" this past week.  All three adventures were new ones for me--which makes them extra special-and a bit amusing.

#1-  A dealer/picker we know offered us the opportunity to purchase numerous oil paintings.  After repeated attempts to get together--our only option was to met at our huse, before church for us and a charity golf game for him.  So--before the sun was up--he drove his car to our house-backed it up to our vehicle--and we unloaded 20 boxes of paintings into ours.  All that was missing was me blinking a flashlight on and off--and jumping out of the bushes with a box of hooch.

#2-  There has been a run on the yard signs of Our Political Candidate of Choice--and none to be found in our area.  I went to a town 1.5 hours from here--where Our Political Candidate of Choice's Running Mate is from and located the campaign office.  It was in a quite isolated downtown area--many gray dark buildings--except for this office.  I walked down a dark hallway-wondering if I was in the right place--and stepped out into a well lit office buzzing with activity and music playing.  All that was missing was the clinking of glasses and three knocks on the door "Bugsy sent me!"

#3-  Gould's fresh apple cider is legion around these parts.

At a farm in rural Elburn Illinois, this vintage farm presses fresh cider for a few weekends each year.  No additives-no pasturization--just a medley of apples put in a huge press and gallons and gallons and gallons of crisp juice fed into vats.  We parked higgelty piggelty on the grass and walked into a rustic clapboard building and lined up.  Bring your own jug and get a 50cent discount.  Otherwise--you get to the counter--  where a smiling Pendleton plaid bedecked young woman gives you a sample of cider and asks "How many would you like?"  "Three gallons, please."    It takes a few minutes as she opens the tapper and the carmel colored liquid fills the jug.  "It takes awhile so it does not foam up" she says.  All that was missing from this adventure was the huffing and puffing copper piped still around the corner. 

Best part of the cider is--it freezes well.  Not sure if real bathtub gin freezes.

Mall Checks and Veggie Run

It was a dark and rainy day--and I needed a break.  That usually means driving a hour-ish to the malls we are in--and picking up our monthly checks.  I take the opportunity to take up some fresh inventory, reduce some prices, move around the inventory and general primping.  There is an added bonus this year.

Pearce's Vegetable Stand north of Walworth.  It is like the stands I remember in Wisconsin from my youth.  And when I learned that this one has been in place for 45 years--it IS a stand of my youth.

It only opens mid summer--and I wait for that day eagerly.  Open air and hjammed with homegrown glory.  Wagons of potatoes-eggplant-squash-sweet corn picked 10 minutes ago--and TOMATOES.  I have made several trips this summer--and I am freezing sauce like a house afire.  And YELLOW tomato sauce.  Marvelous.

Yesterday they had three flatbed wagons filled with pumpkins and gourds.  I snagged two mottled flesh pumpkins.  And a few tomatoes-