One month down...

It's the last day of November.  The new booth opened on the first day of November.  So, with nearly a whole month under my belt, it's time to assess a little.

By the way, for those of you who are missing the detailed sales breakdowns I used to do for the other booth, don't worry.  They will return.  I even have this bizarre idea that I may actually catch up with them from the point where they dropped off.  I have the data, but the spreadsheets are on the laptop that's having issues right now.  It works, but there's a problem with the jack where the power cord plugs in, so it won't charge properly and I can't turn it on.  I'll be getting that fixed in December, so I can get my record-keeping back on track.

So, how am I doing at the new place?  Not that bad, actually.  Am I totally happy with it?  No, not totally.  Am I contradicting myself?  No, not really.

When I jumped into the whole re-sale business a couple of years ago, I kept my initial goals modest.  I wanted to make my booth rent, which I have done every month.  As my sales have grown over there, I have increased my expectations.

So, with the new space, I kept my goals modest as well.  I wanted to make my rent, first and foremost.  Then, I wanted to have sales every day.  And finally, I wanted those daily sales to be in the double digits.  Let's take a look at each of those individually.

Make the rent.  No prob with this one.  Rent was made within the first few days pretty easily.  This is a very important goal to me.  After paying out for the first month, I do not want to go back into my pocket for rent again.  The space needs to cover itself.  And it's doing that.

Sales every day.  Can't say we've met this one.  I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation, mind you.  In the past year, at my other site, I've had one day where I did not have any sales at all.  Since starting up in 2009, I've had probably less than ten overall.  Daily sales, regardless of the size, decrease the pressure to have a big, killer day to make ends meet.  And everything adds up in the end.

I had three days without sales in November.  While that doesn't seem like much, when you compare one in a year with three in a month, it feels like a lot.  I'm just not that used to it.  Still, I had sales for most of the month, something like 90%.  So, I'm happy with this (if not totally happy), so I consider it to be mostly met.

Double digit days.  Now, this is where it falls down.  I've had a lot of days where I didn't some close on this one.  Again, based on my experience in my other space, I don't think this is an unreasonable goal.  However, it's also not one that I meet every day there, either.  Although, I do come a lot closer.  I've had a lot of one and two dollar days at the new space.  While it's true that it all does add up in the end, I'd like to see that number go down considerably.

I'm grateful for each and every sale I get, mind you.  But several days in a row of low sales make me start doubting myself and my abilities.  I wasn't expecting to wrestle with this much self-doubt this month.  I have to call this one not met.

So with three primary goals, I have one met, one mostly met, and one not met.  Which makes me more happy than not, even though I'm not totally happy yet.  I do believe, however, that I am on the right track.  And, I see no reason to think that I won't eventually make all my goals.

Enough about the goals, what about the bottom line?  What am I going to be getting out of this?  Well, honestly, I'd like my monthly take to be about a hundred and fifty more than I'm going to get for this month.  Nevertheless, I am getting something for all my trouble, so I'm on the right track.  I think I can make this goal, I just wish it was something I had to grow into.  Again, color me happy, but not ecstatic.

So, the question now becomes why am I not meeting all my goals?  And the answer, unfortunately, is me.  I simply was not as equipped to deal with some of the challenges I'm facing as I thought.  I've got some learning and some work to do.  I'm not afraid of either, but how well I do them is going to determine how well I do with the booth overall.  Pretty much it boils down to three things:  furniture, layout, and stock.  Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Layout.  My booth is long (18.5 feet), but narrow (5.6 feet), which creates a special set of challenges for me.  And, I'm afraid I haven't met them very well.  I knew I didn't want to line both long sides with shelves, because that would create a long, dark alley that no one would enter.  So, I've tried to keep one long side more open with lower pieces and pieces with open backs.  I was thinking that people from outside could see in the booth and be drawn in from there.

Thing is, I didn't plan it very well and I still ended up with an alley, albeit a multi-level one.  There wasn't enough space for people to enter from the long side, so they didn't.  There's always been an opening along one short side, but I think people were either missing it or only going in a few steps, but not going all the way down.  I can kind of judge this by the items which sold and where they were located in the booth.

I'm planning to address this issue by removing a few things from along the side.

Furniture.  This is a real challenge for me, simply because I'm not used to selling it.  Add that to my space challenge, and you end up with quite a pickle.  Conventional wisdom is that re-selling furniture is where you make all your money.  I believe the reality is somewhat different.

It is true that you can make more money on a piece of furniture than you can a typical small.  (I say typical to leave out those rare, special, collector's item pieces that aren't likely to be a part of a standard re-seller booth.)  But, you also pay a lot more for furniture.  And, it usually doesn't sell for your initial price.  Buyers are much more inclined to expect to negotiate on furniture than anything else, even if it's already a bargain.  Add this to the fact that you are much less likely to sell a piece of furniture every day than you are a small, then throw in the number of times you have to mark the piece down to get it to move.  In then end, I'm much more in favor of volume smalls as a reliable, consistent money source, with furniture as the gravy.

And yet, in spite of that, I bought into the furniture line and built it into my booth expectations.  I thought I was keeping it modest by only expecting to sell a piece or two a week, but that inflated my expectations and took my focus off of keeping the booth stocked with lots of quality smalls.  The reality is that I need to be thinking in terms of about 3 or 4 pieces a month and be prepared to not sell any for a week or more.  Furniture needs to be my guest star, but not my headliner.

I think keeping this approach will also help with my booth layout issue and keep it more open and inviting.  I'm already working along this line. 

Stock  I took a long look at my space yesterday and realized that I just did not have enough stuff in it.  One of my worries about shifting from the kind of flea market-level vendors mall setting that I'm used to into a slightly more focused shop was clutter.  I keep my other spaces jam-packed with stuff because I can get away with it.  It sells regularly and fits the setting.  I didn't think that was going to work in the new store, particularly with my layout challenges. 

Problem is, I erred on the side of caution.  It dawned on me yesterday that I had restocked the day before, only sold two pieces since, and yet the space looked half empty!  Not good.  Fortunately, this one is easier to fix.  I've got plenty of stock on hand, so more is coming!

I still think opening in a new spot was the right move to make.  I'm very happy with the store overall.  I just need to focus myself a little more to get to where I want to be.  Let's give that a try and then see where I end up next month!

'Tis the Season to be Mini!

I haven't done a lot of writing about comics here in recent days, which is kind of ironic, given that I wanted this to be a comics blog when I started.  (First bozo who says "You haven't done a lot of writing about anything in recent days, Eddie!" gets coal in their stocking!) Heck, I hardly even read them any more.  But, they will always have a find place in my heart, for sure, even if most of the ones I'm buying these days go straight to one of the booths.

Every now and then, though, I stumble on a bit of comics news that gets me really excited.  Like this tidbit from my favorite publisher Fantagraphics.  I used to love mini-comics back in the day.  I've got a huge file box full of them.  There was something kind of thrilling about shoving a buck in an envelope and waiting for a new treasure to arrive.  I found so many great artists that way--Matt Feazell, Elizabeth Watasin, Leane Franson, and so many others.  It's a real shame those days are gone.

So, I'm plumb tickled that Fanta is bringing out its own line of minis as premiums for ordering with them.  Right now, you've got to order fifty bucks to get one (or order something else by one of the creators), but maybe that will change.  Surely some will show up in the, ahem, secondhand market for not too much money.  It is only Fantagraphics after all, not something the fanboys would really want.


There's some awesome looking stuff in that lot, for sure.  More than enough to have a younger me shoving dollar bills in envelopes for a month!

Monday Rambles

Busy, busy, busy!

How busy?

Well. this is the week that was:

Monday:  Stock YesterNook. Take flyer draft for Grand Opening. Pick up Mayoral Proclamation for Grand Opening.  Hit two favorite thrifts.  Teach evening computer class.  Edit flyer draft.

Tuesday:  Take proclamation and final flyer to YesterNook.  Prep large holiday booth load for Peddler's Mall. 

Wednesday:  Spend day at Peddler's Mall.  Finish booth decorations and holiday stocking.  I already had done a lot of work, but I didn't like it, so I redid it.  I had to move some tables around, and a whole bunch of stuff.  It looks much better now.

Thursday:  Be thankful.  Cook. Eat. Clean. Work on booth stuff. 

Friday:  Black Friday!  Get up too early to go to Half Price Books and wait in line.  Did not get 100 dollar gift card (bummer).  Take care of holiday shopping at HPB.  It's nice to have a family of readers.  Go to Big Lots.  Hit a yard sale.  (Bust) Hit a couple of thrifts.  Miss out on set of Masonic glasses.  (Bummer) Go home. Eat leftovers.  Work on booth stuff.

Saturday:  Work on booth stuff all day.

Sunday:  Take another load to Peddler's Mall.  Spend afternoon there.  Hit thrift.  Come home.  Work on booth stuff.  Get ready to spend Monday at YesterNook.

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat. 

I'm laying in my winter stock of smalls, so it requires a lot of work to get it all organized.  I'm trying hard to get everything priced as it comes in the door, so there is less handling time.

Sales were pretty good last week.  I sold a dresser and a vanity chair at YesterNook, and easily matched that amount in smalls at Peddler's.  I move a ton of smalls through Peddler's.  I had a strong smalls day at YesterNook too, which surprised me.  It was the first time that had happened.  I'm moving a lot of vintage Christmas there.

I realized while riding my bike last week that a person riding a bike is soooooo much closer to the fresh-smushed possum guts in the streets!  Yuck!

I also saw the first Salvation Army bell-ringer of the season at the grocery the other day.  I got to wondering if the prevalence of people using debit/credit cards to shop was causing lower takes in the kettles.  There are lots of times I come out of a store anymore and I don't have any change because I never went in with cash!

Some more cyber-cleaning:  The Popdose Guide to Patti Griffin.  It's a little too fawning, perhaps, which is a bit unusual for a Popdose guide, but it does provide some good background into her career.

And finally, wow!  Just, wow!

It's Coming!

It's Small Business Saturday!

I think the idea, encouraging folks to remember the little guys during this busy shopping time, is a good one, although seeing the Amex logo plastered all over everything does make me a little queasy.  While it is good to see one of the big corporations realizing that small businesses do have something to contribute to the overall economic health of the country, it also seems to me that if anything should be a grassroots movement, Small Business Saturday should.

 

I've been having some thoughts about consumption lately, thanks to Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day, the Occupy movement and the like.  Small Business Saturday plays into that as well, but now is not the time to share anything.  It needs to gestate a bit more first.

So, in the meantime, while you're out there looking for stuff:  remember the little guys!  I'm a part of two different small business shops, you know.

Post Tofurkey Day Music

It's Black Friday. I'm off waiting in line at Half Price Books trying to get a free 100 dollar gift card. One of these years, it will be mine! Regardless, I'll get most of my gift-shopping done right there and pick up a few things for the booth.

Needless to say, I'm on a blogging break today, so have some vintage Nanci Griffith. I'll be back tomorrow. Same blog-time. Same blog-channel.




It wasn't until after Katrina that I realized how many musical artists I like had some sort of tie to the Gulf, either through their music or their heritage. For more than a year afterward, it seemed like every Americana artist we saw either had a story or a song that related to New Orleans, the Gulf of Mexico or hurricanes. I kind of have to wonder if Nanci sings this song with the same sense of abandon any more?



I totally love this song, but my fave part of the video is the Norwegian subtitles when she is talking!



Back from the days when her record label was trying to make her into a country star, replete with all the stereotypes. I have a feeling this may be the only country song ever recorded that mentions the Mormon church.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was going to do one of those traditional "what I'm thankful for" essays here. but I'm not really that kind of guy.  Nothing against doing that, but it comes off as forced when I try it.  I honestly believe that, if you read my blog posts throughout the year, you pretty much know who and what I'm thankful for.

So, anyway, we're off not eating turkey, but still feasting nonetheless.  Go green bean casserole!

 

So let me leave you with a thought to ponder this fine day:

Why does this pic of Eric Bana come up in a Google image search for funny turkey pictures?

 

I mean, really?  Just look at the man.  "Funny turkey" is the last thing that comes to my mind, let me tell you!  At least I can understand why this one pops up!

See you all tomorrow!  Don't eat too much!  (Yeah, right!) Travel safely!  And may your teams win the games!

Your Reading Assignment for Today

I've been trying to clean up my cyber-life lately--finishing projects, deleting old drafts, clearing out emails--stuff like that.  It was in this context that I found a link to an old Emmylou story that I set aside to read at my leisure and never got around to doing.  (Leisure?  What's that?)   I love uncovering hidden gems.  I really do.

After reading it, I'm more in love with her than I was before.  I didn't even think that was possible!  It's quite possibly the most in-depth and personal look at her life I've ever read.  The whole thing is so sweet, it almost makes you want to cry.  Check it out.

My favorite part:  That she was named after her grandmother.  My mom once told me that she was so sure I was going to be a boy that she hadn't even picked out any girl's names.  She'd been calling me "Eddie" for nine months!  She told me that if she'd been wrong, she would have had to pick something on the spot like Sara Dorine.  Sara is a name she always liked.  Dorine was my grandmother's name.

My second favorite part:  The Abraham Lincoln quote.

Here's the lady herself with the late Charlie Louvin:

And then there was the time Emmylou Harris sang a classic Hank Williams tune

'Nuff said!

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:

BIG CAT HAIRBALLS!

YesterNook--The Outside!

I didn't get any outside shots at YesterNook the other night, becaue it was dark.   But I wanted to complete the experience, so I popped over there on my way to work on Friday and snapped a few.  I think the outside of the building adds so much to the whole experience.

I may have mentioned before that the building used to be a funeral home.  In fact, my booth is in one of the former funeral chapels.  At some point the family that owned it provided housing for mortuary students and interns on the second floor.  Lots of people from the neighborhood have been coming in and sharing little bits of the history with Patti, the owner.  Some have even given her pictures of the way the area looked back then.  It's kind of cool the response that the place has gotten.

When you see it from outside, it's pretty obvious that is used to be a funeral home.  It really couldn't be anything else, I don't think.  But I also think some of those obvious funeral home features really do lend themselves to its new life as a seconhand place.

Take a look and see what you think.  Do be aware, however, that I make no claim to be a photographer.  It was early, and I was in a hurry.  The sun was in the totally wrong place for a couple of those shots.  I've cleaned them up a bit, but I also make no claim to be a photo editor.  I know how to push the buttons in Picasa, but that's all.  I'm also doing this on my own, not on behalf of the shop, so please don't mistake the quality of my efforts here as a reflection on anything but my abilities or lack thereof.  (Hell, you can even see my bike in one of the shots, because I was too dorky to notice it was there!)

First up, the sign.

A side view of the building.  Kind of screams "Funeral Home!" doesn't it?

View of the front from across the street.  Can't you just see chairs and chests and things lined up here on the porch, enticing customers in?

This covering may have provided shelter from elements for mourners at one time, but now it does the same for vendors unloading merchandise.  It goes quite a ways back, too.  Several folks at once can unload their stuff and take it in, remaining happy and dry in the process.

It takes quite a bit of garage space for hearses and such, huh?  Eventually, this will be the YesterNook rough room.

This ramp used to help wheel caskets out to the hearses.  Now it helps wheel furniture in and out of the building.  That door is almost right behind my booth, so it's been a real help for us already!

You've seen the inside and the outside now.  So, check out the Facebook page for hours and such, then come on down!  Tell 'em Eddie-torial Comments sent you and buy something from Booth 62!  (That's mine!)

Meet YesterNook!

Like I've mentioned a time or two now, I've just taken space in a second store, YesterNook, which is located in the historic Germantown/Schnitzelburg area of Louisville, not too terribly far from my house.

One of the many things I love about the building is the architecture.  There are so many awesome features, that at times I find myself looking at them, instead of at all the wonderful merch!  It just looks and feels so right for this to be a place where secondhand goods, especially a lot of vintage items, are sold.  It's warm and cozy, which makes you want to stay a while, then buy something to take a little of that feeling home.

So, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of those features for you all here.  Maybe it will inspire you to make the trek to Louisville and check it out!

Note to any YesterNook vendors who see this:  I wasn't really intending to spotlight any one booth or item, but I couldn't help but catch some things in my pics.  We have stuff everywhere, you know!  So, don't feel slighted if your booth isn't featured here.  Also, if you do see your space/stuff here and would prefer that it not be shown, let me know and I'll be glad to take the pic down.

One of the things you can't help noticing are all the arches.  I just love the arches!  They frame everything so nicely and kind of draw you through to the next space.

Arches.

Double arches.  (The left one goes to my space.  The right one goes to the cashier stand.)

Triple arches.

And then there are the wonderful hardwood floors.  The upstairs is all wood.

And there are spots downstairs as well, particularly in front of the cash register.

I think the old counter, plus the hardwood flooring there gives it a real nostalgic feel.

In some spots, there are these cute little windows that let you peek from one room into the next.

One even has glass in it!

And, then there are all the wonderful spaces!  There are rooms...

within rooms....

within rooms!  Seriously, we just toured three rooms, each one leading you to the next.

Practically every time you come into a space, you get a little tease of what's to come.  Those little peeks keep pulling you through, making sure you see everything.

I hope you're intrigued by what you saw.  A lot of work went into getting the building ready to open.  It looks even more awesome in person.  Why don't you stop by for a tour?  Or maybe, to buy something?

I've got this waiting for you in my space!

C'mon!  You know you want to!

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!

Emmy on my Mind

I found this one in my drafts when I found yesterday's post. It seemed to fit the mood as a perfect follow-up, so here it is.

Tomorrow, I promise, much less angst and maudlinity.* (It's the new Eddie-torial Comments! Now, one-third less maudlin!)

I've always loved it when Emmylou does more folk-oriented tunes. There's a real sense of bittersweet sadness in this one that just gets me, you know? And, it's one of the few times that you can kind of hear the Joan Baez influence that permeated her pre-Gram Parsons music.



*I made that one up.

Still Miss Someone

Found this one tucked in my Blogger drafts. Kind of fits my mood a little lately. I've been badly wanting to call Mom and talk to her about the new booth. She'd get a real kick out of it. This was the second birthday without a card from either parent. Some parts of getting older really suck.

There must be something about Fall that makes one think of lost loved ones. I think that must be why the All Hallow's/All Souls/All Saints/Dia de los Muertos traditions developed around this time of year.

We've had to turn the heat on a couple of times lately due to some chilly nights. Bennie always used to perk up when that happened. She'd wake up, sniff the air with her little nose twitching and make a beeline for a vent to lay on.

Fall is just not the same any more.

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!

Jack-FREAKING-Pot!

Okay, so I actually said another word that starts with "F." You get the picture. I'm trying to have just a modicum of class here.

It was one of those unexpected kinds of finds that you can really only stumble upon.  If you could plan to encounter stuff like this, we'd all be rolling in treasure and cool finds.

A couple of days before my birthday, I wandered  into one of the local Goodwills and saw this:

Isn't it just 70's-tastic?

I can't figure out which I love more, the tile inlay or the built in book rack.  It was priced low enough that I knew I could get it and resell it.  They had two other pieces from the same set of furniture, but the tiles were either broken or missing on them.

I wanted, wanted, wanted, wanted it!  However, I was on my bike at the time, so I had no way to get it home.  They only hold furniture for 24 hours there, and I knew I couldn't be back with the truck in that time.  So, I reluctantly bid it farewell, with a silent prayer to the junking gods that it might still be there on my birthday.

Well, that GW was our second stop last Friday, and I discovered that the pieces with the broken tiles were gone, but the end table wasn't!  Oh joy!

Even better, it had friends. 

Again, all priced super-cheap!

There was also a desk--solid wood with a cracked ice top.  I know.  Who does that?  It looked way cool.  But no pic, because....it's already sold!  For enough to almost pay for everything I got at GW that day!

I got some other small stuff too--a luggage rack, some vintage dishes, some art work.  I filled up the back of my little truck for forty bucks!  I ended up having to go to both booths and put stuff out right away.

Finding one piece of decent furniture at Goodwill is hard enough to do sometimes.  Finding an affordable piece that you can turn a profit on is even harder.  Finding several is unheard of.  The junking gods heard my prayers and they gave me a birthday gift!

Happy Birthday to me!

You know what?

I am an alright guy!



And doesn't "alright" look like it couldn't possibly be spelled correclty?  No wonder I usually just use "all right"!

Wasn't Todd a cutie back in the day?

Hell yeah!

A political thought...

This past Tuesday, for the first time in my adult life, I abstained from voting in a major race.  I just could not in good conscience bring myself to vote for the Democratic candidate, and the Republican was simply not an acceptable choice.  (But, then again, they usually aren't.)

Now, I've had cases where the Dem was not at all who I wanted as the party candidate, but I've been able to hold my nose and vote anyway.  Not this time.  Just. Could. Not. Do. It.  No way. No shape. No form. No how.

Even the old "You have to vote to keep the other guy out" argument couldn't work with me this time.  And given the nature of the other guy, that's saying something!  The polls were lopsided enough against him that I felt I had some cover this time, but I'm still not sure I could have voted, even if it had been neck and neck.  Yes, it was just that bad.

So I took my ballot and wrote "Abstain" as a write-in for that particular race.  I hope to never have to do it again.

Speaking of politics, someone on a non-political forum the other day made the comment that next year's election was going to be the "most important in our lives."  Now, I tend to agree with that, though not for the same reasons.

Still, it got me to thinking....

Shouldn't every election be considered the "most important in our lives"?

Or coming at it from another angle, given the number of recent elections that have been declared to be the "most important in our lives," why does it seem that when elections were about actually governing--you know working together, achieving compromise, finding solutions--we had fewer of these "most important" elections.

It's only with the advent of the deeply-entrenched partisan mindset on one side of the aisle when everything became about taking the whole battlefield that all of a sudden every election is the "most important" one.

It's something to think about.

And, on a different note, the church where I vote hosts wrestling matches for one of the small-time conferences.  There was a match scheduled for Wednesday night, so the ring was already set up in the gym where the voting booths are on Tuesday.   I never voted with a wrestling ring before.  Interesting.

This one's dedicated to Chiquito!

Why?  Because he is so strange!



You know, there is more than enough video of the girls in their heyday floating around, that it's a crying shame none of it is available on DVD! Someone must do something about this!