For all the trouble I had chemo week, last week has turned out to be the best "first week after chemo" I've had yet. Keith thinks the nausea pills might be a part of that. I'm down to taking one every now and then, when needed, as opposed to every four hours like clockwork.
The nausea pills don't help with the bricks, of course, but they've been manageable bricks, for the most part, instead of excessive bricks. This is a trend I hope will continue for this week. I got a lot of stuff done last week for the booths, and this weekend is JUNK SET-OUT! Free stuff just sitting everywhere for the picking! I have to be well for that.
Good news! I found my camera! It was on the floor beside my desk for some reason, under a bag of stuff that was waiting to get priced. I have got to get organized. I swear! This means no more crappy cell phone pics. My phone does okay, usually, but it's cranky and I haven't mastered the art of massaging a consistently good pic out of it yet.
It's bike riding weather and that makes me a little sad. I see all these folks on theirs and I wish I could ride mine. I'm afraid I don't have the energy for it, just yet. I took an intentional short walk the other day. I did okay for the whole walk, but crashed soon after getting home. Not quite ready for bike-riding to work yet. I don't want to go the whole summer without riding, but I may have to. Sad face.
Yard saling this weekend was so good that I have decided to go against my usual grain and do a special post about it. Look for it tomorrow. The most awesome thing is that I loaded up on booth stuff and never got halfway through the planned list. I love it when things go like that!
May has started out well as far as booth sales go. I moved a cabinet at Peddlers Mall on Friday. Thanks to Saturday's yard saling, I had a good load of large items to take to both booths. I ended up making an impromptu booth run on Sunday. Fingers crossed for good sales!
I'm still doing a lot of "drive by" quickie posts to take my mind off things. I should have stuff up all week, so keep checking in. I've been working bit by bit on some longer essays, which should be ready soon.
I have a slightly busier week than normal. The end of the year at work is next week, so there's a lot to do there. I also have to get a chest X-ray on Tuesday, just to make sure this cough I've had since the chemo started is not anything serious. Wednesday, I'm filling in for a colleague, so I've got an extra class. I just hope that the bricks stay out of my way through all this.
This Friday starts the most wonderful time of the whole Spring. It's junk set out in our neighborhood. People are already jumping the gun. Piles are springing up everywhere, but early piles usually aren't that good. I've got to stay well, because I've got to get out crap ready to set out, then get ready to pick! It's like Christmas for junkers! I'll let you know what I find. It's going to be tricky, as there are intermittent rain showers forecast all week. True junkers love the challenge!
Talk to you all later. Take care!
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Meet Windy!
This is Windy!
He's my new (to me) bike!
Isn't he cool? I love the lines. He's so sleek and awesome looking. Even the built-for-people-with-smaller-asses-than-mine seat is awesome.
He is taking a bit of getting used to, though. He's taller than my old bike, but his 17 inch frame is more appropriate for my height than the 15.5 inch frame of the old bike. It's just an adjustment to get used to sitting so high up. Right now, I'm having a little trouble getting started back up from a dead stop because pushing off from that height is a little awkward for me. I think I'll get the hang of it, though.
Windy rides really smooth. He's lightweight, so it's easy to build up some speed. And he takes hills really well. I'm enjoying the ride a lot.
I also like that he's got space on the back for carrying stuff, plus more than enough room for a couple of baskets, which will be coming soon. Windy's going to be an awesome thrifting and yard saling bike! I'm not sure if I can fit a basket on the front, but I am going to try. Another thing I really like about Windy is the kickstand. I haven't had a bike with one since I was a kid. It's so convenient!
Now, about the name. Keith's bike is called "Townie" because, well, it's a Townie. My old bike was a mountain bike, so I called it "Mountie." Windy is a Windstream. You get the idea. (If I had gotten another mountain bike, I would have called it "Re-Mountie.")
I'm betting that some of you (I'm looking at you, Roger!) immediately thought of this when you saw the name:
I have to admit that it makes a catchy riding tune to have playing in your head as you cruise along. However, I get other images, because I'm weird like that. (Besides, Windy looks a little creepy in that video. Sometimes she seems more menacing than carefree.)
This is my vision:
It's from CardCaptor Sakura, one of my favorite anime from days gone by. Did you catch that the first card is called "The Windy," I have a deck of those Clow Cards around here somewhere. Anyway, in the anime, they say "Windy" with a heavy phonetic Japanese pronunciation, so it comes out as "oooindee" which I just love. I could not find a clip of her using the card with the original sound intact, so you all could hear it. Seems everyone wants to mess around with their anime clips on the YouTubes.
Anyway, that's what I think about when it comes to the name "Windy."
Yes, I know. I'm strange.
And even though both of those Windy prototypes are female, my bike is male. It just seems more fitting, somehow.
He's my new (to me) bike!
Isn't he cool? I love the lines. He's so sleek and awesome looking. Even the built-for-people-with-smaller-asses-than-mine seat is awesome.
He is taking a bit of getting used to, though. He's taller than my old bike, but his 17 inch frame is more appropriate for my height than the 15.5 inch frame of the old bike. It's just an adjustment to get used to sitting so high up. Right now, I'm having a little trouble getting started back up from a dead stop because pushing off from that height is a little awkward for me. I think I'll get the hang of it, though.
Windy rides really smooth. He's lightweight, so it's easy to build up some speed. And he takes hills really well. I'm enjoying the ride a lot.
I also like that he's got space on the back for carrying stuff, plus more than enough room for a couple of baskets, which will be coming soon. Windy's going to be an awesome thrifting and yard saling bike! I'm not sure if I can fit a basket on the front, but I am going to try. Another thing I really like about Windy is the kickstand. I haven't had a bike with one since I was a kid. It's so convenient!
Now, about the name. Keith's bike is called "Townie" because, well, it's a Townie. My old bike was a mountain bike, so I called it "Mountie." Windy is a Windstream. You get the idea. (If I had gotten another mountain bike, I would have called it "Re-Mountie.")
I'm betting that some of you (I'm looking at you, Roger!) immediately thought of this when you saw the name:
I have to admit that it makes a catchy riding tune to have playing in your head as you cruise along. However, I get other images, because I'm weird like that. (Besides, Windy looks a little creepy in that video. Sometimes she seems more menacing than carefree.)
This is my vision:
It's from CardCaptor Sakura, one of my favorite anime from days gone by. Did you catch that the first card is called "The Windy," I have a deck of those Clow Cards around here somewhere. Anyway, in the anime, they say "Windy" with a heavy phonetic Japanese pronunciation, so it comes out as "oooindee" which I just love. I could not find a clip of her using the card with the original sound intact, so you all could hear it. Seems everyone wants to mess around with their anime clips on the YouTubes.
Anyway, that's what I think about when it comes to the name "Windy."
Yes, I know. I'm strange.
And even though both of those Windy prototypes are female, my bike is male. It just seems more fitting, somehow.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Pedal Peddling: Stuff to Consider
This is a follow-up to yesterday's post about yard saling by bicycle. You might want to read that one first. I thought there were some more technical (for lack of a better word) considerations that I would like to discuss, but didn't feel that they fit in a post about the overall adventure.
First is the obvious limits to saling by bike. I know that when I make the choice to take the bike out on a yard sale venture that I am automatically limited on two fronts: how far I can go and how much stuff I can get. We're getting to the time of the year when there are sales (and good ones) everywhere. I mean everywhere! All other things being equal (meaning no large or special sales, like a church sale), I can pretty much do just as well hitting the sales in the neighborhoods surrounding my house. This weekend, one of my favorite church sales (it's huge!) takes place, along with the city-wide sale for the area around the church. It's all the way across town, so it's definitely not a biking jaunt.
As far as limits on purchases go, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, I can benefit from having to be a bit more thoughtful and choosy when yard saling. Due to the plenty right now, I'm verging on being overstocked. It's the "feast" end of the "feast or famine" cycle. Besides, if I plan my route well, I'll be passing the house often, so I can unload (and pee) frequently, if need be.
Large items (like furniture) are quite out, of course. But, even then, I can pay for something and make arrangements to pick it up later. Which I actually did last weekend. I bought a cool vintage office chair, which went right to a booth after I picked it up, so it didn't get photographed.
I'm a regular bike rider. I consider my bike to be my primary form of transportation. I use it to go to work, run errands, thrift, and so on. So hoping on the bike to head out yard saling is not that strange an idea to me. It's pretty much a natural thing to do. Others, of course, are going to--for their own reasons--think differently about the idea. And that's okay. What I can't understand is why I 'm still fat, given that I ride my bike all the time!
One thing you do have to do when you sale on a bike is make preparations to carry the stuff you buy. I do this with my super-large backpack (which could hold a small scout troop), the baskets on the bike, and several reusable shopping bags. The bags provide good cushioning for items against the bouncing in the baskets, plus they can be easily tied on to the handlebars.
However, the more you buy and carry, the less maneuverable you become. Keith's bike, which I used over the weekend, is pretty bulky as it is, but when you load it down with a few extra bags of stuff, it becomes like steering a battleship. This cuts down on your speed and ability to steer easily. You have to take that into consideration, for safety's sake. So if you try this, be prepared to take it slow and cautious!
Large loads also affect balance, especially on a bike like Keith's, which only has a basket on one side in the back. That huge bag really threw things off, and made the bike only able to stand on the kickstand for a few minutes before toppling over. That happened twice. Thankfully, the basket cage kept things protected from scattering and breaking. An added challenge was having all this extra stuff to throw my leg over when getting on and off. I fell over the bike one time, which was really embarrassing!
Weather issues also come into play. I wouldn't try this on an extremely hot day. Make sure you stay hydrated, regardless.
Finally, you also need to keep a careful eye on your bike and your purchases while you are shopping. There isn't always a place to chain your bike up. I didn't go to one sale on my list Saturday because I could not figure out a way to easily get my loaded bike up the hill in the front yard of the house and around to the back of the house where the sale was. I didn't want to leave it chained up to a light pole in front of the house, since it had a lot of stuff in the baskets. It just felt safer to me to bypass the sale.
Anyway, it may seem like something really weird to do, but yard saling by bike can actually be a lot of fun. Just wanted to share.
Tomorrow, you'll get the chance to meet my new bike! Can't wait to take him out saling.
First is the obvious limits to saling by bike. I know that when I make the choice to take the bike out on a yard sale venture that I am automatically limited on two fronts: how far I can go and how much stuff I can get. We're getting to the time of the year when there are sales (and good ones) everywhere. I mean everywhere! All other things being equal (meaning no large or special sales, like a church sale), I can pretty much do just as well hitting the sales in the neighborhoods surrounding my house. This weekend, one of my favorite church sales (it's huge!) takes place, along with the city-wide sale for the area around the church. It's all the way across town, so it's definitely not a biking jaunt.
As far as limits on purchases go, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, I can benefit from having to be a bit more thoughtful and choosy when yard saling. Due to the plenty right now, I'm verging on being overstocked. It's the "feast" end of the "feast or famine" cycle. Besides, if I plan my route well, I'll be passing the house often, so I can unload (and pee) frequently, if need be.
Large items (like furniture) are quite out, of course. But, even then, I can pay for something and make arrangements to pick it up later. Which I actually did last weekend. I bought a cool vintage office chair, which went right to a booth after I picked it up, so it didn't get photographed.
I'm a regular bike rider. I consider my bike to be my primary form of transportation. I use it to go to work, run errands, thrift, and so on. So hoping on the bike to head out yard saling is not that strange an idea to me. It's pretty much a natural thing to do. Others, of course, are going to--for their own reasons--think differently about the idea. And that's okay. What I can't understand is why I 'm still fat, given that I ride my bike all the time!
One thing you do have to do when you sale on a bike is make preparations to carry the stuff you buy. I do this with my super-large backpack (which could hold a small scout troop), the baskets on the bike, and several reusable shopping bags. The bags provide good cushioning for items against the bouncing in the baskets, plus they can be easily tied on to the handlebars.
However, the more you buy and carry, the less maneuverable you become. Keith's bike, which I used over the weekend, is pretty bulky as it is, but when you load it down with a few extra bags of stuff, it becomes like steering a battleship. This cuts down on your speed and ability to steer easily. You have to take that into consideration, for safety's sake. So if you try this, be prepared to take it slow and cautious!
Large loads also affect balance, especially on a bike like Keith's, which only has a basket on one side in the back. That huge bag really threw things off, and made the bike only able to stand on the kickstand for a few minutes before toppling over. That happened twice. Thankfully, the basket cage kept things protected from scattering and breaking. An added challenge was having all this extra stuff to throw my leg over when getting on and off. I fell over the bike one time, which was really embarrassing!
Weather issues also come into play. I wouldn't try this on an extremely hot day. Make sure you stay hydrated, regardless.
Finally, you also need to keep a careful eye on your bike and your purchases while you are shopping. There isn't always a place to chain your bike up. I didn't go to one sale on my list Saturday because I could not figure out a way to easily get my loaded bike up the hill in the front yard of the house and around to the back of the house where the sale was. I didn't want to leave it chained up to a light pole in front of the house, since it had a lot of stuff in the baskets. It just felt safer to me to bypass the sale.
Anyway, it may seem like something really weird to do, but yard saling by bike can actually be a lot of fun. Just wanted to share.
Tomorrow, you'll get the chance to meet my new bike! Can't wait to take him out saling.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Pedaling to Peddle
This is my bike:
This is my bike on yard sales:
Any questions?
In the interest of accuracy, I do have to admit that this is not really my bike. It's Keith's, which is better for yard saling because it has two baskets. I'm going to get a couple for my new bike and then I'll have the perfect yard sale bike! Yay!
Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for yard sales and for biking. It was clear, cool, and a little bit breezy. Ideal. So, I made up a little list and set out on my pedal journey to find stuff to peddle.
Re-selling has acquired a reputation for being a "green" form of retail enterprise. Like a lot of other claims to environmental friendliness, I believe this reputation is both overstated and misunderstood. There's a long blog post about this topic for sometime in the future, but I seriously do try to maintain some level of environmental sensitivity in what I do and how I approach my re-selling enterprises.
One of the things I do is try to plan routes on yard saling days that proceed along some sort of a path and minimize backtracking and fuel consumption. And from time to time, I take my bike out on the hunt. One time, I even set out on foot!
Another factor that worked out in favor of the bike was the presence of many sales right in my own area. I've lived in this neighborhood for a decade now, and I was on streets Saturday that I had never even heard of before. It was kind of cool.
Taking off on a bike to a sale provokes all kind of reactions from the sellers. A couple of younger guys having a sale thought it was cool, and we talked for a while about bike riding and stuff. At another sale, a woman offered me a huge of glassware and cups and such for a dollar. I had to decline and cited space reasons on the bike and she started laughing. Another woman at a different sale tried to sell me a basket. When I tried the same space line on her, she said "Hang it on that left handle bar! There's nothing on it." What else could I do?
I also stopped at a sale with a set of sisters who were willing to do whatever they needed to do to get everything I wanted on the bike. I thought that everything would work out the way it was first packaged up, but they were doubtful and so they repacked and re-wrapped and re-bagged everything until they were satisfied it would work. And it did! Nice job ladies!
There was a benefit sale that I like to go to every year, so I shopped the neighborhood for several hours and then dropped everything off at the house. The bike pic above comes from the drop off stop. I hit the benefit sale after that, but didn't pick up quite as much there. I stuffed my backpack full, but didn't use the baskets at all.
So how much can you buy when you yard sale on a bike? Well here's the haul from both trips, all spread out.
The pic did not turn out as planned and looks more cramped than I wanted. It started raining when I started taking things out of the house to photograph, so they're all stacked up on a lounge chair on the back porch, instead of artfully arranged on our backyard table, like I planned.
To make up for that, here are some close up shots:
Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Tomorrow, I'll follow up with some thoughts and considerations for yard saling while bicycling.
This is my bike on yard sales:
Any questions?
In the interest of accuracy, I do have to admit that this is not really my bike. It's Keith's, which is better for yard saling because it has two baskets. I'm going to get a couple for my new bike and then I'll have the perfect yard sale bike! Yay!
Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for yard sales and for biking. It was clear, cool, and a little bit breezy. Ideal. So, I made up a little list and set out on my pedal journey to find stuff to peddle.
Re-selling has acquired a reputation for being a "green" form of retail enterprise. Like a lot of other claims to environmental friendliness, I believe this reputation is both overstated and misunderstood. There's a long blog post about this topic for sometime in the future, but I seriously do try to maintain some level of environmental sensitivity in what I do and how I approach my re-selling enterprises.
One of the things I do is try to plan routes on yard saling days that proceed along some sort of a path and minimize backtracking and fuel consumption. And from time to time, I take my bike out on the hunt. One time, I even set out on foot!
Another factor that worked out in favor of the bike was the presence of many sales right in my own area. I've lived in this neighborhood for a decade now, and I was on streets Saturday that I had never even heard of before. It was kind of cool.
Taking off on a bike to a sale provokes all kind of reactions from the sellers. A couple of younger guys having a sale thought it was cool, and we talked for a while about bike riding and stuff. At another sale, a woman offered me a huge of glassware and cups and such for a dollar. I had to decline and cited space reasons on the bike and she started laughing. Another woman at a different sale tried to sell me a basket. When I tried the same space line on her, she said "Hang it on that left handle bar! There's nothing on it." What else could I do?
I also stopped at a sale with a set of sisters who were willing to do whatever they needed to do to get everything I wanted on the bike. I thought that everything would work out the way it was first packaged up, but they were doubtful and so they repacked and re-wrapped and re-bagged everything until they were satisfied it would work. And it did! Nice job ladies!
There was a benefit sale that I like to go to every year, so I shopped the neighborhood for several hours and then dropped everything off at the house. The bike pic above comes from the drop off stop. I hit the benefit sale after that, but didn't pick up quite as much there. I stuffed my backpack full, but didn't use the baskets at all.
So how much can you buy when you yard sale on a bike? Well here's the haul from both trips, all spread out.
The pic did not turn out as planned and looks more cramped than I wanted. It started raining when I started taking things out of the house to photograph, so they're all stacked up on a lounge chair on the back porch, instead of artfully arranged on our backyard table, like I planned.
To make up for that, here are some close up shots:
Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Tomorrow, I'll follow up with some thoughts and considerations for yard saling while bicycling.
Monday, June 04, 2012
New Month Monday Rambles
Happy June Everyone!
Well, last week turned out to be better than the one before! Much less whiny Eddie this time around!
First off, I was able to blog throughout the week (thanks to some planning), even though I wasn't at home. The house where I pet-sit has such a lousy internet connection that I never know for sure what's going to happen. But, in looking through my draft file, I found one nearly complete post that I was able to wrap up before I left and schedule. Then, on Wednesday, I was able to get on long enough to do the Doc Watson post. That, plus my usual weekend video postings, means that I am now toppling the 2011 post record and 2008 is going to fall this week! Halfway through the year, and I'm well on the way to making this my mostest postest year, ever! Yay, me!
And the sales slump finally ended. I did make rent at both locations, and will even get a check at both! Of course, one of them won't be very big, but it beats paying out. Now, if I can just have a month with consistent sales in both locations, I'll be one happy junker. Once things got back to their usual levels at one site, I ended up with the third highest month for the year so far, which both makes me very happy and pisses me off to no end. I can't help thinking about what my month end total would have been without that low sales week. Arrgh!
So far, sales are steady at both locations. Had a killer Saturday at one spot and a surprising Sunday at the other. Of course, it's too early to think about anything or make any calls, but I am hopeful for a good June.
The weekend was busy. Hit tons of sales and made a lot of purchases. I'm going to be doing all that up in a special post tomorrow, with a follow-up on Wednesday. I hit the big library book sale yesterday for the last day 10 dollar box special and got three boxes. Just got through pricing all that this morning. There are an awful lot of drudge tasks associated with this junk thing.
I got a new (to me) bike last week. The shop looking at the back up bike told me it had a cracked frame, so there wasn't anything they could do for it. So, I ended up getting one from a new place that just opened up. It actually ended up being a no brainer for me and a totally awesome experience! There is seriously so much about this place that is awesome.
It's not only local, but it's actually in my neighborhood. There are too few businesses in this part of town. It's a new business, which is a good thing in this economy. It's also this kid who's just starting out and is pursuing his dream. You have to love that and support it!
Beyond that, he's all about putting older bikes back into use, which makes us kind of kindred spirits. Anyway, my "new" bike is totally awesome. It's a perfect bike for riding around town and has plenty of room to put a couple of baskets on for thrifting. All in all, it was a great choice at a great price and a great experience. If you're in Louisville, check out Old Bikes Belong on Preston!
I'll try to get a pic of the new wheels up in the next couple of days.
Well, last week turned out to be better than the one before! Much less whiny Eddie this time around!
First off, I was able to blog throughout the week (thanks to some planning), even though I wasn't at home. The house where I pet-sit has such a lousy internet connection that I never know for sure what's going to happen. But, in looking through my draft file, I found one nearly complete post that I was able to wrap up before I left and schedule. Then, on Wednesday, I was able to get on long enough to do the Doc Watson post. That, plus my usual weekend video postings, means that I am now toppling the 2011 post record and 2008 is going to fall this week! Halfway through the year, and I'm well on the way to making this my mostest postest year, ever! Yay, me!
And the sales slump finally ended. I did make rent at both locations, and will even get a check at both! Of course, one of them won't be very big, but it beats paying out. Now, if I can just have a month with consistent sales in both locations, I'll be one happy junker. Once things got back to their usual levels at one site, I ended up with the third highest month for the year so far, which both makes me very happy and pisses me off to no end. I can't help thinking about what my month end total would have been without that low sales week. Arrgh!
So far, sales are steady at both locations. Had a killer Saturday at one spot and a surprising Sunday at the other. Of course, it's too early to think about anything or make any calls, but I am hopeful for a good June.
The weekend was busy. Hit tons of sales and made a lot of purchases. I'm going to be doing all that up in a special post tomorrow, with a follow-up on Wednesday. I hit the big library book sale yesterday for the last day 10 dollar box special and got three boxes. Just got through pricing all that this morning. There are an awful lot of drudge tasks associated with this junk thing.
I got a new (to me) bike last week. The shop looking at the back up bike told me it had a cracked frame, so there wasn't anything they could do for it. So, I ended up getting one from a new place that just opened up. It actually ended up being a no brainer for me and a totally awesome experience! There is seriously so much about this place that is awesome.
It's not only local, but it's actually in my neighborhood. There are too few businesses in this part of town. It's a new business, which is a good thing in this economy. It's also this kid who's just starting out and is pursuing his dream. You have to love that and support it!
Beyond that, he's all about putting older bikes back into use, which makes us kind of kindred spirits. Anyway, my "new" bike is totally awesome. It's a perfect bike for riding around town and has plenty of room to put a couple of baskets on for thrifting. All in all, it was a great choice at a great price and a great experience. If you're in Louisville, check out Old Bikes Belong on Preston!
I'll try to get a pic of the new wheels up in the next couple of days.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Whiny Monday Rambles
I'm in a Junk Funk. I got the Booth Blues. I got the Low Sales, No Sales, Ain't Makin' Rent, Cryin' Shame, Down in the Dumps, Whinin', Cryin', Moanin', Blues!
Cue slide guitar here.
Okay, so I'm being melodramatic. It's something I do so well. But I'm in a bit of a slump here and I'm not coping with it well. Not well at all.
I've already talked about not making rent at one site last month. What I haven't really talked about is the fact that I almost didn't make rent the month before as well. If I hadn't had several last week furniture sales, I would have gone in the hole that month too.
Last week started off looking like the same thing was going to happen again. Can't have that. Just can't. So I went on the offensive (or is it the defensive?) ad pulled out the big guns. I rearranged the whole booth. I marked a couple of large pieces down (one sold). I slammed the hell out of Craigslist. And on Friday, I started a sale that's running until the end of the month.
I really didn't want to do the sale route. I try to keep my prices low enough that I don't have to. Any more off that cuts my margins way too thin. Besides, I had done one at the beginning of April and didn't sell a damn thing. It seems to be working this time around. I finally made rent last night. There's still a couple of days in the month, so I can still make a little money. Maybe.
Everything that I'm seeing is telling me that it's just been an overall slow period at this store, but it's so hard not to take it personally. I've had a real crisis of confidence over the whole thing. I know the late spring and early summer is a slow time in this business. In Louisville, we have to deal with Derby mania on top of everything else. I also know I wasn't the only one to not make rent in April. I know all of this, but it hasn't seemed to help my mood.
Of course, part of that problem is the fact that last week sales at the other store tanked. For most of the week (and the weekend before) I didn't do over ten bucks a day. To add insult to injury, a week ago Friday, I had a super day. Tons of sales--over 70 bucks worth. Then BAM! The floor dropped out.
One booth struggling I can deal with. One of the reasons I have two is so they can supplement each other. But when both are struggling, I start feeling like maybe I really don't know what I'm doing.
Thankfully, sales have picked up at that location again. Last night, I matched last month's total, so I'm now set to increase, which is always good. It's just that I was on a trajectory to have a killer month. A real killer month. And that's been totally derailed. There's almost no way I can do that now.
So, maybe it's not bad enough to be singing the blues now, but it was for a little while.
On top of everything else, my bike got stolen last week! From out of our back yard! Someone hopped our fence and swiped it. I'm still seeing red over that. I've got another one, but it's going to require about 200 bucks worth of work to get in running shape.
So last week pretty much goes down as not one of the best ones ever. Maybe this one will be an improvement. I'll be house sitting this week, so I'm not sure about blogging just yet. I intend to try, but those plans never work out when I'm away from home. We'll see.
Today is the second anniversary of this. I went to the big flea market over the weekend. That was something we always did either on Memorial weekend or the Fourth of July weekend. Didn't buy too much. Just kind of wandered around, checking stuff out, like she and I used to do.
On a happier note, if Blogger's counter is to be believed, I have finally matched the 2005 post count! Now for 2006 and 2011!
Cue slide guitar here.
Okay, so I'm being melodramatic. It's something I do so well. But I'm in a bit of a slump here and I'm not coping with it well. Not well at all.
I've already talked about not making rent at one site last month. What I haven't really talked about is the fact that I almost didn't make rent the month before as well. If I hadn't had several last week furniture sales, I would have gone in the hole that month too.
Last week started off looking like the same thing was going to happen again. Can't have that. Just can't. So I went on the offensive (or is it the defensive?) ad pulled out the big guns. I rearranged the whole booth. I marked a couple of large pieces down (one sold). I slammed the hell out of Craigslist. And on Friday, I started a sale that's running until the end of the month.
I really didn't want to do the sale route. I try to keep my prices low enough that I don't have to. Any more off that cuts my margins way too thin. Besides, I had done one at the beginning of April and didn't sell a damn thing. It seems to be working this time around. I finally made rent last night. There's still a couple of days in the month, so I can still make a little money. Maybe.
Everything that I'm seeing is telling me that it's just been an overall slow period at this store, but it's so hard not to take it personally. I've had a real crisis of confidence over the whole thing. I know the late spring and early summer is a slow time in this business. In Louisville, we have to deal with Derby mania on top of everything else. I also know I wasn't the only one to not make rent in April. I know all of this, but it hasn't seemed to help my mood.
Of course, part of that problem is the fact that last week sales at the other store tanked. For most of the week (and the weekend before) I didn't do over ten bucks a day. To add insult to injury, a week ago Friday, I had a super day. Tons of sales--over 70 bucks worth. Then BAM! The floor dropped out.
One booth struggling I can deal with. One of the reasons I have two is so they can supplement each other. But when both are struggling, I start feeling like maybe I really don't know what I'm doing.
Thankfully, sales have picked up at that location again. Last night, I matched last month's total, so I'm now set to increase, which is always good. It's just that I was on a trajectory to have a killer month. A real killer month. And that's been totally derailed. There's almost no way I can do that now.
So, maybe it's not bad enough to be singing the blues now, but it was for a little while.
On top of everything else, my bike got stolen last week! From out of our back yard! Someone hopped our fence and swiped it. I'm still seeing red over that. I've got another one, but it's going to require about 200 bucks worth of work to get in running shape.
So last week pretty much goes down as not one of the best ones ever. Maybe this one will be an improvement. I'll be house sitting this week, so I'm not sure about blogging just yet. I intend to try, but those plans never work out when I'm away from home. We'll see.
Today is the second anniversary of this. I went to the big flea market over the weekend. That was something we always did either on Memorial weekend or the Fourth of July weekend. Didn't buy too much. Just kind of wandered around, checking stuff out, like she and I used to do.
On a happier note, if Blogger's counter is to be believed, I have finally matched the 2005 post count! Now for 2006 and 2011!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday Rambles
Last week was so nice, that it was a crying shame that the only day I could ride my bike to work was Wednesday. However, since Wednesday is the only night that Keith has class that I don't have class, I took the opportunity after class to ride and ride and ride and ride! I rode to Goodwill. I rode to YesterNook. I rode to get a cup of coffee. I rode to talk to my boss. I rode to Minneapolis. Okay, maybe I'm joking on that last one. However, I seriously did not want to get off the bike.
I have this unerring knack that whenever I leave the house to walk down to the bus stop, I'm going to be a block away right as the bus is pulling away. It's a gift I've honed for the past two weeks. I'm not sure how I got to be this blessed with talent, but I'd love to pass it on to someone else. This week, I can catch the bus that runs in front of my house in the morning. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with that one.
Had a meeting last Friday to talk about my new assignment. I only have two weeks left of my current run, and the new one starts a couple of weeks after that. I'm hoping to use a little down time to get caught up on things around the house.
I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by this new gig. I'm definitely outside my usual comfort zone. But I'm excited at the same time.
I'm closing in on 2005! With less than 30 posts, I'll be past that total! Actually, I've got something like 49 drafts stored in Blogger. If I could just stop starting new posts and finish some of those that are half done, I'd be waaaaaay past that. Some of those drafts are so old, I don't have any idea what I was thinking at the time I started them. Maybe I can get some cyber-cleaning in with the house cleaning. Actually, I used one of the old ones on Saturday, so I'm already making headway.
Went to one of my favorite church sales Saturday. In fact, this one may just be my all time fave, although there is another one that comes pretty close. They always have massively massive amounts of stuff with great prices, and they always do half off at the last hour. There's always a ton of stuff left, so we don't even show up until then. We filled up the car, let me tell you.
We also dropped in on a couple of Goodwills and Half Price Books. We've got HPB coupons that start today, so we were kind of getting the lay of the land and spotting out stuff for the coupon use. I also hit their clearance racks, since I'm really low on comics. I was hoping they might have a flat or box for sale, but they didn't. I've gotten lucky with that in the past.
I did get a few good items for a buck or less, which is always nice. And I found what I'm going to use my coupon on (and it's just for me):
Image nicked from the good folks at Amazon. Which reminds me, I still have a gift card from them I need to use. Maybe it's time to treat myself?
Been a slow week at the booths. Had sales every day at one and almost every day at the other, but nothing record-breaking. We were supposed to have a special sale day at the Peddlers Mall on Saturday, but they postponed it because of the NCAA tournament games. Basketball is not a sport in these parts; it's a religious denomination. Shopping during the game would be akin to blasphemy--especially with so many local faves playing.
Sunday morning, Keith looked at me and said "Oh my God, you'll be 48 this year!" (Tell me something I don't know.) He continued "You're almost 50!" (Is there a point to this??) Then he says: "You're looking pretty good for an old man!" (Sometimes I don't know whether to throw a pillow at him or kiss him. Honestly.)
And, on that thought, I'll scoot!
I have this unerring knack that whenever I leave the house to walk down to the bus stop, I'm going to be a block away right as the bus is pulling away. It's a gift I've honed for the past two weeks. I'm not sure how I got to be this blessed with talent, but I'd love to pass it on to someone else. This week, I can catch the bus that runs in front of my house in the morning. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with that one.
Had a meeting last Friday to talk about my new assignment. I only have two weeks left of my current run, and the new one starts a couple of weeks after that. I'm hoping to use a little down time to get caught up on things around the house.
I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by this new gig. I'm definitely outside my usual comfort zone. But I'm excited at the same time.
I'm closing in on 2005! With less than 30 posts, I'll be past that total! Actually, I've got something like 49 drafts stored in Blogger. If I could just stop starting new posts and finish some of those that are half done, I'd be waaaaaay past that. Some of those drafts are so old, I don't have any idea what I was thinking at the time I started them. Maybe I can get some cyber-cleaning in with the house cleaning. Actually, I used one of the old ones on Saturday, so I'm already making headway.
Went to one of my favorite church sales Saturday. In fact, this one may just be my all time fave, although there is another one that comes pretty close. They always have massively massive amounts of stuff with great prices, and they always do half off at the last hour. There's always a ton of stuff left, so we don't even show up until then. We filled up the car, let me tell you.
We also dropped in on a couple of Goodwills and Half Price Books. We've got HPB coupons that start today, so we were kind of getting the lay of the land and spotting out stuff for the coupon use. I also hit their clearance racks, since I'm really low on comics. I was hoping they might have a flat or box for sale, but they didn't. I've gotten lucky with that in the past.
I did get a few good items for a buck or less, which is always nice. And I found what I'm going to use my coupon on (and it's just for me):
Image nicked from the good folks at Amazon. Which reminds me, I still have a gift card from them I need to use. Maybe it's time to treat myself?
Been a slow week at the booths. Had sales every day at one and almost every day at the other, but nothing record-breaking. We were supposed to have a special sale day at the Peddlers Mall on Saturday, but they postponed it because of the NCAA tournament games. Basketball is not a sport in these parts; it's a religious denomination. Shopping during the game would be akin to blasphemy--especially with so many local faves playing.
Sunday morning, Keith looked at me and said "Oh my God, you'll be 48 this year!" (Tell me something I don't know.) He continued "You're almost 50!" (Is there a point to this??) Then he says: "You're looking pretty good for an old man!" (Sometimes I don't know whether to throw a pillow at him or kiss him. Honestly.)
And, on that thought, I'll scoot!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday Rambles
Ever notice how when you ride your bike on a windy day, no matter which way you turn or which direction you go, the wind is always in your face? How is that possible?
I've been stopping at a nearby White Castle after work to grab a cup of coffee before heading home. I learned from my mother the value of a mid-afternoon cup, so I try to grab one whenever I can. It's good just to sit and unwind for a few minutes. I looked at my receipt a couple of days ago and realized they've been giving me the senior discount!
The weather is supposed to be pretty nice this week, which is good. I'm back teaching at a site that is smack dab in between three of my regular thrifts and pap's running low on smalls! Seriously, I am down to just two tubs of my winter stock. While it is a good thing to be using stock, it's still a little ways until the yard sales really kick in, so I cannot run totally out just yet.
Weather last week was a bit all over the place. Cold, windy, warm, rainy--you name it, we had it!
We made a quick run back to the old hometown on Saturday to retrieve a couple of my mother's old yearbooks and a few photos that hadn't made it our way. We ended up coming back with a truckload of furniture and have another load to go back and grab this Saturday. Just another story in the goofy tale of my family and my life as a junker. Let's just say the booths are now quite full.
Sales have been out of sight for the most part this past week. I had one of the treasured hundred dollar days at the Peddlers Mall yesterday, courtesy of a guy who knocked my comic inventory from three short boxes down to only two. He bought out all of my manga single issues, except for the large anthology titles like Shonen Jump. I am moving through stuff there at a very fast rate, hence the depletion of the winter stock.
YesterNook has been pretty good as well, if not as consistently steady. It does seem now that as soon as I get something set up and staged and holding lots of smalls, it sells. I've done much better with furniture this week and am set for a record month there. Not bad for someone that some of the others consider a flea market rat, huh?
Since I'm night teaching as well this week, I'm not riding the bike as much. It's too much to get it home and put away and still catch the bus to my evening sites. Kind of a shame, since it is so nice. Hope it holds until the weekend.
I've been stopping at a nearby White Castle after work to grab a cup of coffee before heading home. I learned from my mother the value of a mid-afternoon cup, so I try to grab one whenever I can. It's good just to sit and unwind for a few minutes. I looked at my receipt a couple of days ago and realized they've been giving me the senior discount!
The weather is supposed to be pretty nice this week, which is good. I'm back teaching at a site that is smack dab in between three of my regular thrifts and pap's running low on smalls! Seriously, I am down to just two tubs of my winter stock. While it is a good thing to be using stock, it's still a little ways until the yard sales really kick in, so I cannot run totally out just yet.
Weather last week was a bit all over the place. Cold, windy, warm, rainy--you name it, we had it!
We made a quick run back to the old hometown on Saturday to retrieve a couple of my mother's old yearbooks and a few photos that hadn't made it our way. We ended up coming back with a truckload of furniture and have another load to go back and grab this Saturday. Just another story in the goofy tale of my family and my life as a junker. Let's just say the booths are now quite full.
Sales have been out of sight for the most part this past week. I had one of the treasured hundred dollar days at the Peddlers Mall yesterday, courtesy of a guy who knocked my comic inventory from three short boxes down to only two. He bought out all of my manga single issues, except for the large anthology titles like Shonen Jump. I am moving through stuff there at a very fast rate, hence the depletion of the winter stock.
YesterNook has been pretty good as well, if not as consistently steady. It does seem now that as soon as I get something set up and staged and holding lots of smalls, it sells. I've done much better with furniture this week and am set for a record month there. Not bad for someone that some of the others consider a flea market rat, huh?
Since I'm night teaching as well this week, I'm not riding the bike as much. It's too much to get it home and put away and still catch the bus to my evening sites. Kind of a shame, since it is so nice. Hope it holds until the weekend.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Monday Rambles
Lots going on last week, for sure!
First off, the weather. There's an old joke that if you don't like the weather in Louisville, wait fifteen minutes and it will change. On Tuesday, that was true.
When Keith was leaving for work at 7, he said "Oh! Snow!" when he opened the door. I was thinking he meant a dusting, but when I went to the window to look a little while later, there were a couple of inches on the ground. The roads and the sidewalks were clear, though, and it had stopped snowing.
When I left for work at 10, I grabbed my heavy gloves and one of Keith's winter coats. It was on the back of a chair and easier to get to than mine. I thought the jacket that I'd been weraing most of the winter would not be warm enough. I put on my hat and headed out.
Since it had stopped snowing and the pavements were clear, I decided to ride the bike. It was misting, but not raining and it didn't really seem that slick. I had discovered the day before that my back brakes were going out, so I just took it slow and steady. I quickly discovered that, while Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were perfect, my hat was too lightweight and my ears were cold.
I got to work about 10:45--the ride took longer than normal because I was going slower. I ate my lunch, got ready for class, had class until 2:30, and stepped out into warmer temps and no mist and also no snow anywhere to be seen. None whatsoever. Everything had still been covered when I went in.
It was warmer, but not balmy. Now Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were too hot, but my lightweight hat was perfect. Go fig.
I got a call Monday about the next evolution of the part-time gig (PTG). The current source of most of my hours is grant-funded, and that grant ends next month, which means that hours will too. I can't say much about the next part just yet, since I don't have all the deets yet. I'm heading to a training next week to find out all about it. In the meantime, my evening classes are starting soon and I've had a call from one of my private clients about some more classes. I think I'm going to be okay.
Did I really just say "deets"? Note to self: you're not seventeen.
Keith and I went to a newish tapas-style Asian vegetarian restaurant for Valentine's Day. The woman who started it is responsible for the menus at two of our other favorite places in town, so we were curious. It was seven different kinds of AWESOME! A tad too pricey to be a regular dining stop, but just right for a special occasion. Pure exponential yumminess.
Last Friday's post was # 700, by the way. I made it! Woo Hoo! Where's my cake? For the record, I've now passed post totals for 2003, 2004 and 2009, and it's not even March yet! Could this be the year I get 200 blogs posted? I need to pad this puppy with some more videos!
We took my bike to the shop Tuesday night to get it tuned up. It's been needing it for a while, but with the brake problems I've been having, it seemed like the time to take it in had arrived. So, I had to ride Keith's bike for a while, which is quite a shift for me. My bike is a Wahoo. His is a Townie Electra. It's like going from your zippy little sportscar to your grandfather's big ole Pontiac.
On the one hand, it's so relaxing to drive. You sit way back and get a lot of push from your legs without a lot of stress on them. There's no pressure on your back either. It really is quite fun. On the other hand, it's bigger and heavier than my bike. Plus, it has only one handle bar brake, for the front wheel. You back pedal for the rear brake, like a kids bike. Starting up from a stop takes me a little longer, due to the difference in size and weight. And it has a much wider turning radius.
Other than that, it's really fun to ride. It doesn't really take me any longer to get to work. I kind of feel like some sort of royalty all laid back like that when I ride it. Kind of like I'm in the Rose Court at the Rose Bowl Parade or something. I've had to fight the urge to start waving at people and shouting "Hellooooo!" in my best Hyacinth Bucket impression. I just know that as soon as I start doing that something like this is going to happen to me:
Or this:
(Isn't Patricia Routledge a hoot? Just love her! That second clip is my favorite from the whole series, by the way.)
This week is going to be pretty nuts. My evening classes start back, so I'm out three nights a week and Keith is out three nights a week. And they're not the same nights! Not sure how two booths are going to fit into this at all.
Sales were pretty brisk at both spots last week, after a lull at YesterNook. Saturday, I dropped some small furniture off there, then bought a desk to take to the Peddler's Mall. Dropped it off there, and got a shelf to take back to YesterNook. And in between, got my bike out of the shop!
It really needed the work, too. I didn't get a tune up last year, so I needed several things replaced/updated. It cost a little more than I initially thought it would, but it's worth it. That bike is my primary weekday transportation. It rides like a completely new machine!
By the way, Happy Early Ash Wednesday. (Is that said?) And Happy Mardi Gras! And Happy National Pancake Week! Which is fitting, given that tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday!
And, on a final note: when did Van Halen get so old?
First off, the weather. There's an old joke that if you don't like the weather in Louisville, wait fifteen minutes and it will change. On Tuesday, that was true.
When Keith was leaving for work at 7, he said "Oh! Snow!" when he opened the door. I was thinking he meant a dusting, but when I went to the window to look a little while later, there were a couple of inches on the ground. The roads and the sidewalks were clear, though, and it had stopped snowing.
When I left for work at 10, I grabbed my heavy gloves and one of Keith's winter coats. It was on the back of a chair and easier to get to than mine. I thought the jacket that I'd been weraing most of the winter would not be warm enough. I put on my hat and headed out.
Since it had stopped snowing and the pavements were clear, I decided to ride the bike. It was misting, but not raining and it didn't really seem that slick. I had discovered the day before that my back brakes were going out, so I just took it slow and steady. I quickly discovered that, while Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were perfect, my hat was too lightweight and my ears were cold.
I got to work about 10:45--the ride took longer than normal because I was going slower. I ate my lunch, got ready for class, had class until 2:30, and stepped out into warmer temps and no mist and also no snow anywhere to be seen. None whatsoever. Everything had still been covered when I went in.
It was warmer, but not balmy. Now Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were too hot, but my lightweight hat was perfect. Go fig.
I got a call Monday about the next evolution of the part-time gig (PTG). The current source of most of my hours is grant-funded, and that grant ends next month, which means that hours will too. I can't say much about the next part just yet, since I don't have all the deets yet. I'm heading to a training next week to find out all about it. In the meantime, my evening classes are starting soon and I've had a call from one of my private clients about some more classes. I think I'm going to be okay.
Did I really just say "deets"? Note to self: you're not seventeen.
Keith and I went to a newish tapas-style Asian vegetarian restaurant for Valentine's Day. The woman who started it is responsible for the menus at two of our other favorite places in town, so we were curious. It was seven different kinds of AWESOME! A tad too pricey to be a regular dining stop, but just right for a special occasion. Pure exponential yumminess.
Last Friday's post was # 700, by the way. I made it! Woo Hoo! Where's my cake? For the record, I've now passed post totals for 2003, 2004 and 2009, and it's not even March yet! Could this be the year I get 200 blogs posted? I need to pad this puppy with some more videos!
We took my bike to the shop Tuesday night to get it tuned up. It's been needing it for a while, but with the brake problems I've been having, it seemed like the time to take it in had arrived. So, I had to ride Keith's bike for a while, which is quite a shift for me. My bike is a Wahoo. His is a Townie Electra. It's like going from your zippy little sportscar to your grandfather's big ole Pontiac.
On the one hand, it's so relaxing to drive. You sit way back and get a lot of push from your legs without a lot of stress on them. There's no pressure on your back either. It really is quite fun. On the other hand, it's bigger and heavier than my bike. Plus, it has only one handle bar brake, for the front wheel. You back pedal for the rear brake, like a kids bike. Starting up from a stop takes me a little longer, due to the difference in size and weight. And it has a much wider turning radius.
Other than that, it's really fun to ride. It doesn't really take me any longer to get to work. I kind of feel like some sort of royalty all laid back like that when I ride it. Kind of like I'm in the Rose Court at the Rose Bowl Parade or something. I've had to fight the urge to start waving at people and shouting "Hellooooo!" in my best Hyacinth Bucket impression. I just know that as soon as I start doing that something like this is going to happen to me:
Or this:
(Isn't Patricia Routledge a hoot? Just love her! That second clip is my favorite from the whole series, by the way.)
This week is going to be pretty nuts. My evening classes start back, so I'm out three nights a week and Keith is out three nights a week. And they're not the same nights! Not sure how two booths are going to fit into this at all.
Sales were pretty brisk at both spots last week, after a lull at YesterNook. Saturday, I dropped some small furniture off there, then bought a desk to take to the Peddler's Mall. Dropped it off there, and got a shelf to take back to YesterNook. And in between, got my bike out of the shop!
It really needed the work, too. I didn't get a tune up last year, so I needed several things replaced/updated. It cost a little more than I initially thought it would, but it's worth it. That bike is my primary weekday transportation. It rides like a completely new machine!
By the way, Happy Early Ash Wednesday. (Is that said?) And Happy Mardi Gras! And Happy National Pancake Week! Which is fitting, given that tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday!
And, on a final note: when did Van Halen get so old?
Monday, February 06, 2012
Monday Rambles
It was so nice last week, I rode my bike to class every day. Hard to believe it's just now February.
I did notice something while I was riding, though. This class was downtown, and the street I take to get there is always really busy. Really busy. But, once you get downtown, a couple of the cross streets ever have traffic on them. We're talking major cross streets in downtown and no traffic. How does that happen?
Anyway, I'm teaching at a site further out this week, but I'm still going to ride as much as I can. I just need to leave home earlier.
So, with this post, I have now exceeded my output for all of 2004! Watch out 2003, you're next! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should hit 700 posts sometime next week. It's only taken almost 10 years to get there.
It was a good week for thrifting. Found some cheap vintage Tupperware and yet more graphic novels at Goodwill. I also found a popover pan in someone's curbside recycling on the way home from that Goodwill trip. I was riding by on my bike, saw it, and thought "There is no way that's a metal popover pan. It's got to be a plastic planter set or something." So I turned the bike around and YES! it was the real deal. A trip home and some warm soapy water later, and it's on its way to the booth. You cannot plan these opportunities, but you have to take advantage of them when they (ahem!) pop up.
There has been an awful lot of stuff appearing on curbs of late, too. Most of it is total crap, which is not surprising. It is odd to see this much stuff when we're still four months away from our next curbside junk pick up period.
I just wish I knew what to do about the flood of Annalee dolls (ugly, creepy things that they are--sorry Shara!) that have hit all three branches of my favorite thrift. I've bought everything I feel comfortable getting, but there's a lot left. And everything I took to YesterNook has already sold out!
I'm just waaaaay out of my depth here and the prices (which may actually be quite reasonable) are more than I'm willing to pay when I'm waaaaay out of my depth. I'm taking a "wait and see" approach, since this is a thrift that has monthly half off sales. We'll see what happens.
Yard Sale Queen has a tutorial on removing price tags without damaging items.
Belated get well wishes and thoughts for continued recovery to Ms. Jackie of Ms. Jackie's Junque. She had a rough time over the holidays. I'm glad you're back on your feet and blogging and boothing again! You should see the photos of her booths. She can foof like nobody's business.
I'm always a little jealous of folks who can throw together these displays that look effortless. Most of mine feel very labored and overworked. Here's another one. And, of course, the aforementioned Shara.
By the way, that big doll house from last week? Gone! Sold! Outta there! I was actually at the booth working when it happened, to boot. I carried it out to the car for the woman that bought it. My uncle was there too, and he told me later that the woman who bought it came there with the intent of buying it. She already knew it was there and she wanted to get it. Score another hit for Craigslist!
I also sold a set of candlestick holders that had been there so long it was giving me the blues. It is amazing how an item can go from "Gee, this is so cool that I can't wait to put it out and see it in my booth with all the other wonderful merchandise" to "Geez, is this damn thing ever going to sell???" to "What was I thinking when I bought that?" to "I'm going to be buried with it. I just know it!" So, I've been doing the happy dance, needless to say.
Good, good sales at both sites lately. I like tax season. Of course, now that I'm selling furniture, I almost can't keep up with it! I don't have a good place to store a couple of larger items in reserve. I tried keeping them at one booth for the other one, but they sell when you do that. Sometimes, my reserve sold out before the items I was reserving the reserve to replace did and then those items sold and there was no reserve! This junk stuff is waaaaay more complicated than it looks, folks!
The weather has been so nice lately that I'm a little surprised that there haven't been any honest-to-god yard sales. You know, the kind actually in the yard? With cheap stuff? Don't people know that there is a world of yard sale junkies out there going through withdrawal and jonesing for a fix who would gladly storm a yard and buy every last damn thing in it, just for the general principle of going to a sale in the dead of winter? C'mon people!
Instead what we've been having are indoor benefit sales that promise the moon and then turn out to be really lame. Seriously, if you're trying to raise money for a beloved cause, wouldn't you want to make sure that you had enough items for sale to actually, I don't know, raise some money?
Pardon me. Lack of good sales makes me grumpy.
One last boothing note, and I'll be gone. The Peddlers Mall that I am in (and only that site) is reducing space rent to $99 monthly for an 8x10 space. (Starting next month, existing vendors get the reduction, which is exciting to me!) The price will be good through all of 2012, so if you've ever wanted to give this junking thing a try and you're in the Louisville area, this is a good time to do it. Contact info at the link. (And if you are interested, but don't know how to get started, I'll be doing several "how to" posts about selling in a vendor mall over the next few weeks. There's never been a better time to get started.)
I did notice something while I was riding, though. This class was downtown, and the street I take to get there is always really busy. Really busy. But, once you get downtown, a couple of the cross streets ever have traffic on them. We're talking major cross streets in downtown and no traffic. How does that happen?
Anyway, I'm teaching at a site further out this week, but I'm still going to ride as much as I can. I just need to leave home earlier.
So, with this post, I have now exceeded my output for all of 2004! Watch out 2003, you're next! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should hit 700 posts sometime next week. It's only taken almost 10 years to get there.
It was a good week for thrifting. Found some cheap vintage Tupperware and yet more graphic novels at Goodwill. I also found a popover pan in someone's curbside recycling on the way home from that Goodwill trip. I was riding by on my bike, saw it, and thought "There is no way that's a metal popover pan. It's got to be a plastic planter set or something." So I turned the bike around and YES! it was the real deal. A trip home and some warm soapy water later, and it's on its way to the booth. You cannot plan these opportunities, but you have to take advantage of them when they (ahem!) pop up.
There has been an awful lot of stuff appearing on curbs of late, too. Most of it is total crap, which is not surprising. It is odd to see this much stuff when we're still four months away from our next curbside junk pick up period.
I just wish I knew what to do about the flood of Annalee dolls (ugly, creepy things that they are--sorry Shara!) that have hit all three branches of my favorite thrift. I've bought everything I feel comfortable getting, but there's a lot left. And everything I took to YesterNook has already sold out!
I'm just waaaaay out of my depth here and the prices (which may actually be quite reasonable) are more than I'm willing to pay when I'm waaaaay out of my depth. I'm taking a "wait and see" approach, since this is a thrift that has monthly half off sales. We'll see what happens.
Yard Sale Queen has a tutorial on removing price tags without damaging items.
Belated get well wishes and thoughts for continued recovery to Ms. Jackie of Ms. Jackie's Junque. She had a rough time over the holidays. I'm glad you're back on your feet and blogging and boothing again! You should see the photos of her booths. She can foof like nobody's business.
I'm always a little jealous of folks who can throw together these displays that look effortless. Most of mine feel very labored and overworked. Here's another one. And, of course, the aforementioned Shara.
By the way, that big doll house from last week? Gone! Sold! Outta there! I was actually at the booth working when it happened, to boot. I carried it out to the car for the woman that bought it. My uncle was there too, and he told me later that the woman who bought it came there with the intent of buying it. She already knew it was there and she wanted to get it. Score another hit for Craigslist!
I also sold a set of candlestick holders that had been there so long it was giving me the blues. It is amazing how an item can go from "Gee, this is so cool that I can't wait to put it out and see it in my booth with all the other wonderful merchandise" to "Geez, is this damn thing ever going to sell???" to "What was I thinking when I bought that?" to "I'm going to be buried with it. I just know it!" So, I've been doing the happy dance, needless to say.
Good, good sales at both sites lately. I like tax season. Of course, now that I'm selling furniture, I almost can't keep up with it! I don't have a good place to store a couple of larger items in reserve. I tried keeping them at one booth for the other one, but they sell when you do that. Sometimes, my reserve sold out before the items I was reserving the reserve to replace did and then those items sold and there was no reserve! This junk stuff is waaaaay more complicated than it looks, folks!
The weather has been so nice lately that I'm a little surprised that there haven't been any honest-to-god yard sales. You know, the kind actually in the yard? With cheap stuff? Don't people know that there is a world of yard sale junkies out there going through withdrawal and jonesing for a fix who would gladly storm a yard and buy every last damn thing in it, just for the general principle of going to a sale in the dead of winter? C'mon people!
Instead what we've been having are indoor benefit sales that promise the moon and then turn out to be really lame. Seriously, if you're trying to raise money for a beloved cause, wouldn't you want to make sure that you had enough items for sale to actually, I don't know, raise some money?
Pardon me. Lack of good sales makes me grumpy.
One last boothing note, and I'll be gone. The Peddlers Mall that I am in (and only that site) is reducing space rent to $99 monthly for an 8x10 space. (Starting next month, existing vendors get the reduction, which is exciting to me!) The price will be good through all of 2012, so if you've ever wanted to give this junking thing a try and you're in the Louisville area, this is a good time to do it. Contact info at the link. (And if you are interested, but don't know how to get started, I'll be doing several "how to" posts about selling in a vendor mall over the next few weeks. There's never been a better time to get started.)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Monday Rambles
Well, I'm free this week, mostly. Still got night classes a couple of nights, but the days are free. Good thing too. Did you know Thanksgiving is this week?? Even though it's just going to be me and Keith for dinner, there's a lot to do. We're big guys. We like to eat.
It's going to be hellasciously busy around here this week, so I might lapse into low content (video) mode for a day or two. Don't worry. I'm still alive--just have too many irons in the fire. I'll throw in a "real" post if I can and then update you on all the goings-on next Monday. Deal?
Junk picking didn't last too long last week. It started raining Monday night and rained all day Tuesday. That pretty much killed the set outs. You don't want it after it's gotten wet. (Although, I have violated that rule from time to time.) But there'll be another set-out week in May 2012! Start counting the days now!
There's nothing sadder in my mind than coming across a box of totally soaked books sitting in the rain.
At least it was a warm rain. I hate to be cold and wet. It's bad enough to ride the bike in the rain without freezing too. I had too many commitments on Tuesday that were time sensitive enough that I couldn't use the bus. Thankfully, it wasn't pouring.
And then on Wednesday, the rain turned cold, then stopped, but left the cold behind. Feels like winter's on the way now. Makes me long for some hot chocolate and a fire place.
I did find a couple of kid-sized plastic chairs in a pile on Wednesday, that were salvageable, despite the rain. Let's hear it for plastic!
Okay, maybe let's not go that far, but I do love kid-sized furniture and will grab it to sell every chance I get and all I had to do to save the chairs was wipe them off, so it was a kind of win for me.
We hit Half-Price Books last week during their coupon days. Since it was a part of my rather extended birthday celebrations, I actually bought a few things for myself, which is unusual these days. I'm so much more focused on stock for the booth and on downsizing what is in the house.
I also got a lot of stock there too. I love their clearance shelves. I sell lots of comics and graphic novels at the booth and Half-Price Books is a good source of good, cheap, sell-able material. It helps that my mall is way across town from either HPB, so they're not competing with me. I can almost always find something hiding in their boxes of dime and quarter comics. And I've pulled quite a few books, games, and other items over to the booth and sold them as well. Business or pleasure, it's a great place to shop!
One of the things I got for myself (with a fifty percent off coupon, of course) was the all-in-one edition of Jeff Smith's Bone, one of my favorite comic series of all times. I'd been telling myself for years that I was going to complete my set of the Bone hardcovers, but as time goes by, I seem to become less and less likely to do that. Plus, this puppy takes up a lot less space on my bookshelf. I sold my single issues a long time ago. Now, I can sell the hc volumes I've got as well. I just need to find a free weekend to shut out the world and read this sucker.
Here's some musical food for thought about woman in country music. Normally any mention of Taylor Swift gives me the hives, but I thought this was a good piece. It's also nice to see something about the history of women in country that looks beyond the "usual suspects"--i.e. Tammy, Loretta, Dolly. I love them all, but there was and is so much more out there.
And here's a good article on Gram Parsons' classic Grievous Angel that's pretty good, even if it doesn't include the obligatory Emmylou reference. I didn't think that was allowed!
And, finally, here's a thought for a Monday:
It's going to be hellasciously busy around here this week, so I might lapse into low content (video) mode for a day or two. Don't worry. I'm still alive--just have too many irons in the fire. I'll throw in a "real" post if I can and then update you on all the goings-on next Monday. Deal?
Junk picking didn't last too long last week. It started raining Monday night and rained all day Tuesday. That pretty much killed the set outs. You don't want it after it's gotten wet. (Although, I have violated that rule from time to time.) But there'll be another set-out week in May 2012! Start counting the days now!
There's nothing sadder in my mind than coming across a box of totally soaked books sitting in the rain.
At least it was a warm rain. I hate to be cold and wet. It's bad enough to ride the bike in the rain without freezing too. I had too many commitments on Tuesday that were time sensitive enough that I couldn't use the bus. Thankfully, it wasn't pouring.
And then on Wednesday, the rain turned cold, then stopped, but left the cold behind. Feels like winter's on the way now. Makes me long for some hot chocolate and a fire place.
I did find a couple of kid-sized plastic chairs in a pile on Wednesday, that were salvageable, despite the rain. Let's hear it for plastic!
Okay, maybe let's not go that far, but I do love kid-sized furniture and will grab it to sell every chance I get and all I had to do to save the chairs was wipe them off, so it was a kind of win for me.
We hit Half-Price Books last week during their coupon days. Since it was a part of my rather extended birthday celebrations, I actually bought a few things for myself, which is unusual these days. I'm so much more focused on stock for the booth and on downsizing what is in the house.
I also got a lot of stock there too. I love their clearance shelves. I sell lots of comics and graphic novels at the booth and Half-Price Books is a good source of good, cheap, sell-able material. It helps that my mall is way across town from either HPB, so they're not competing with me. I can almost always find something hiding in their boxes of dime and quarter comics. And I've pulled quite a few books, games, and other items over to the booth and sold them as well. Business or pleasure, it's a great place to shop!
One of the things I got for myself (with a fifty percent off coupon, of course) was the all-in-one edition of Jeff Smith's Bone, one of my favorite comic series of all times. I'd been telling myself for years that I was going to complete my set of the Bone hardcovers, but as time goes by, I seem to become less and less likely to do that. Plus, this puppy takes up a lot less space on my bookshelf. I sold my single issues a long time ago. Now, I can sell the hc volumes I've got as well. I just need to find a free weekend to shut out the world and read this sucker.
Here's some musical food for thought about woman in country music. Normally any mention of Taylor Swift gives me the hives, but I thought this was a good piece. It's also nice to see something about the history of women in country that looks beyond the "usual suspects"--i.e. Tammy, Loretta, Dolly. I love them all, but there was and is so much more out there.
And here's a good article on Gram Parsons' classic Grievous Angel that's pretty good, even if it doesn't include the obligatory Emmylou reference. I didn't think that was allowed!
And, finally, here's a thought for a Monday:
BIG CAT HAIRBALLS!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Brothers of the Pick
I taught three classes on Monday, two during the day and one at night. My day classes are close enough to home that I can walk or ride my bike, which I usually do. I walked on Monday, so that I could catch the bus to the evening class without having to hassle with getting the bike on and off the bus. Plus, Keith does a class at the same school on Mondays, so we ride home together.
Anyway, I was walking through the neighborhood, zig zagging between piles of junk set-outs looking for treasure on my way to work. The entire area between my house and that center where I teach is a part of this week's pick up, so there was a lot to see. Or not a lot to see, depending on your perspective.
Didn't find much, except for an amazing Mid-Century Modern headboard that was too large to take with me and that I knew would not be there that evening. Oh well. I didn't have space for it at either booth at the moment anyway.
I've kind of learned that I have to be a little philosophical about missed opportunities and then let them go. After a couple of years in this business, I can say that I know a few things for sure:
1. There's always going to be junk out there somewhere.
2. Some of it you'll get.
3. Some you won't, for a variety of reasons.
4. You can't be everywhere.
5. Similarly, you can't get everything.
6. There's no use fretting over things you don't get because (back to number 1).
I can't spend all my time stressing about what I didn't get. There's too much else out there to find.
Anyway, as I was walking along, I noticed a man in front of me with a plastic bags who was also looking through the piles. I was kind of intrigued, since you don't see too many pickers on foot (other than me, of course). Sometimes folks will poke in a pile they're passing out of idle curiosity, but there was a deliberateness to this guy. He was definitely picking.
I watched him for a few minutes, then I realized what he was doing. He was looking for cans!
For the past few months, I've been pondering various aspects of this re-sell enterprise. You've got those who craft things to put on Etsy using older materials that they've bought/found. You've got those who set up at flea markets. You've got the eBayers. You've got your people with booths. You've got people who sell gold. You've got your scrappers. But I hadn't ever thought about the can collectors in that context before.
But it fits! They go out. They hunt, usually in all kinds of weather. If they're lucky, they find something. And then, maybe, they'll make a little (very little) money for their efforts. Sounds like what I do. And what all of the above do.
Our hunting grounds may be different. What we're looking for may be different. But, in the end what we're all trying to do is make a little cash off of things that others were getting rid of.
I know some very snooty people with booths who will take great offense at being lumped in with the homeless guys and their carts of cans. I love it!
Anyway, I was walking through the neighborhood, zig zagging between piles of junk set-outs looking for treasure on my way to work. The entire area between my house and that center where I teach is a part of this week's pick up, so there was a lot to see. Or not a lot to see, depending on your perspective.
Didn't find much, except for an amazing Mid-Century Modern headboard that was too large to take with me and that I knew would not be there that evening. Oh well. I didn't have space for it at either booth at the moment anyway.
I've kind of learned that I have to be a little philosophical about missed opportunities and then let them go. After a couple of years in this business, I can say that I know a few things for sure:
1. There's always going to be junk out there somewhere.
2. Some of it you'll get.
3. Some you won't, for a variety of reasons.
4. You can't be everywhere.
5. Similarly, you can't get everything.
6. There's no use fretting over things you don't get because (back to number 1).
I can't spend all my time stressing about what I didn't get. There's too much else out there to find.
Anyway, as I was walking along, I noticed a man in front of me with a plastic bags who was also looking through the piles. I was kind of intrigued, since you don't see too many pickers on foot (other than me, of course). Sometimes folks will poke in a pile they're passing out of idle curiosity, but there was a deliberateness to this guy. He was definitely picking.
I watched him for a few minutes, then I realized what he was doing. He was looking for cans!
For the past few months, I've been pondering various aspects of this re-sell enterprise. You've got those who craft things to put on Etsy using older materials that they've bought/found. You've got those who set up at flea markets. You've got the eBayers. You've got your people with booths. You've got people who sell gold. You've got your scrappers. But I hadn't ever thought about the can collectors in that context before.
But it fits! They go out. They hunt, usually in all kinds of weather. If they're lucky, they find something. And then, maybe, they'll make a little (very little) money for their efforts. Sounds like what I do. And what all of the above do.
Our hunting grounds may be different. What we're looking for may be different. But, in the end what we're all trying to do is make a little cash off of things that others were getting rid of.
I know some very snooty people with booths who will take great offense at being lumped in with the homeless guys and their carts of cans. I love it!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Monday Rambles
You know, it's amazing how much faster you can go on a bike when the tires are all aired up and the seat is at the right height. I've been riding for years with my seat too low because I couldn't deal with not having my feet flat on the ground when I was stopped. I was also afraid of having to ride way hunched over and hurting my back. A couple of weeks ago, though, I let myself get talked into raising the seat and it makes such a difference. And I have less knee pain too. Plus, all the things I was afraid of turned out to be non-issues.
The agency I teach for screwed up last week and advertised my morning class as a four day class, instead of a five, which meant that I ended up with a free morning on Friday. It was nice, because it gave me time to do some other things around the house.
It's junk set out week in the neighborhood! A couple of times a year, residents can set out large objects that are too much for regular trash pick up to handle. It's a good time to be a junker, as long as you're persistent! More curb-shopping goes on during these times than one can easily imagine.
You are actually supposed to set out the Friday-Saturday-Sunday before your week. We had some broken down planters and yard stuff that I really wanted GONE. And now they are sitting at the curb, waiting for Public Works, the pickers or the scrappers, whoever gets there first. All the metal stuff has already been grabbed by the scrappers. There wasn't really that much. Of the rest, I can't imagine we'll get picked too heavily, but you never know.
It's good to have that job done, because I missed the set out in May. It's kind of like making an offering at the curb, so the junking gods will treat you kindly. They've been good to me recently, so I wanted to be good back.
Now, even though you're not supposed to start setting out until 5 p.m. on Friday the weekend before your pick up week, the reality is that people jump the gun all over the place. Piles have been popping up here and there all week, and I've been digging through them. It's been mostly real crap. The early stuff never yields too much.
But, on Friday morning, we did find a nice dresser and a cute end table. The end table needs some finishing work, but I can sell it as a project-in-the-making. It's still really sweet and has some great tiles on it. And free is always good, huh?
The dresser had a paint smear on it that came right off, but was in otherwise great shape and went right to YesterNook. I'm still nervous about dealing with anything that big, so we'll see what happens.
The coolest part of the whole deal had to be the guy who was hauling stuff out of the house to the curb, who first told us to "take all we wanted." And then started coming out and offering us stuff. We got a wireless router tossed into the deal. Quite a change from my last round of curb picking!
I also found a 1953 copy of Morals and Dogma, a bunch of vintage booklets and pamphlets, plus some fun smalls and a few other books.
No matter how long you do it, there's just no way to get ready for the highs and lows of the junk business. I'd been having a killer week at both spots--sold a desk on Monday at the Peddlers Mall, a coffee table on Tuesday at YesterNook, plus more large items at PM--when, BLAM! It hits! The lull. The low. The crash. The burn. Wednesday brought no sales at YN and only .59 at PM. Oh the humanity! And then the rest of the week at PM was killer! You just never know. On the one hand, it makes me totally nuts. On the other hand, it's one of the things I love about the whole crazy business!
I updated my profile, if you hadn't noticed. Nothing drastic. I just adjusted the age thing so I don't have to update every year. I still have some time to be a "late-forty-something!" And I finally changed the cats from two to three. It's been a year now. Sigh. (Every time I go back to look for the link to that post, I start crying. I may never get over this one.)
This is the last week for one of the part-time gigs. I won't have any work from them until probably February. On the one hand, that's a long period without one of my regular sources of income. On the other hands, that's also a long period of time to work on some projects that I've got going on. More word on these later.
How did it get to be so late in November already? Wasn't it just my birthday, which comes at the beginning of the month? Sheesh! I've still got holiday stuff to dig out for both booths, plus outerwear to consign and sell. And, next week--as in the week that comes right after this one--is Thanksgiving!
I'd better get rolling, so have a video of a big cat yawning in slo-mo. Seems appropriate for a Monday, no?
Later!
The agency I teach for screwed up last week and advertised my morning class as a four day class, instead of a five, which meant that I ended up with a free morning on Friday. It was nice, because it gave me time to do some other things around the house.
It's junk set out week in the neighborhood! A couple of times a year, residents can set out large objects that are too much for regular trash pick up to handle. It's a good time to be a junker, as long as you're persistent! More curb-shopping goes on during these times than one can easily imagine.
You are actually supposed to set out the Friday-Saturday-Sunday before your week. We had some broken down planters and yard stuff that I really wanted GONE. And now they are sitting at the curb, waiting for Public Works, the pickers or the scrappers, whoever gets there first. All the metal stuff has already been grabbed by the scrappers. There wasn't really that much. Of the rest, I can't imagine we'll get picked too heavily, but you never know.
It's good to have that job done, because I missed the set out in May. It's kind of like making an offering at the curb, so the junking gods will treat you kindly. They've been good to me recently, so I wanted to be good back.
Now, even though you're not supposed to start setting out until 5 p.m. on Friday the weekend before your pick up week, the reality is that people jump the gun all over the place. Piles have been popping up here and there all week, and I've been digging through them. It's been mostly real crap. The early stuff never yields too much.
But, on Friday morning, we did find a nice dresser and a cute end table. The end table needs some finishing work, but I can sell it as a project-in-the-making. It's still really sweet and has some great tiles on it. And free is always good, huh?
The dresser had a paint smear on it that came right off, but was in otherwise great shape and went right to YesterNook. I'm still nervous about dealing with anything that big, so we'll see what happens.
The coolest part of the whole deal had to be the guy who was hauling stuff out of the house to the curb, who first told us to "take all we wanted." And then started coming out and offering us stuff. We got a wireless router tossed into the deal. Quite a change from my last round of curb picking!
I also found a 1953 copy of Morals and Dogma, a bunch of vintage booklets and pamphlets, plus some fun smalls and a few other books.
No matter how long you do it, there's just no way to get ready for the highs and lows of the junk business. I'd been having a killer week at both spots--sold a desk on Monday at the Peddlers Mall, a coffee table on Tuesday at YesterNook, plus more large items at PM--when, BLAM! It hits! The lull. The low. The crash. The burn. Wednesday brought no sales at YN and only .59 at PM. Oh the humanity! And then the rest of the week at PM was killer! You just never know. On the one hand, it makes me totally nuts. On the other hand, it's one of the things I love about the whole crazy business!
I updated my profile, if you hadn't noticed. Nothing drastic. I just adjusted the age thing so I don't have to update every year. I still have some time to be a "late-forty-something!" And I finally changed the cats from two to three. It's been a year now. Sigh. (Every time I go back to look for the link to that post, I start crying. I may never get over this one.)
This is the last week for one of the part-time gigs. I won't have any work from them until probably February. On the one hand, that's a long period without one of my regular sources of income. On the other hands, that's also a long period of time to work on some projects that I've got going on. More word on these later.
How did it get to be so late in November already? Wasn't it just my birthday, which comes at the beginning of the month? Sheesh! I've still got holiday stuff to dig out for both booths, plus outerwear to consign and sell. And, next week--as in the week that comes right after this one--is Thanksgiving!
I'd better get rolling, so have a video of a big cat yawning in slo-mo. Seems appropriate for a Monday, no?
Later!
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