No this isn't a comment on the election. But it could be.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Literary Discovery
I just found out that someone wrote a book about my childhood.
I wasn't totally sure it was about me, until I saw the title of the second chapter. My friends and I formed a little club called "The Peculiar Views." It's what little nerdlings do. We referred to our meetings as "entertainments." If was going to a meeting, I would tell my mother I was going to "entertain peculiar views."
I am not sure how they got that picture of me.
If you all will excuse me, I need to go see someone about some royalties.
I wasn't totally sure it was about me, until I saw the title of the second chapter. My friends and I formed a little club called "The Peculiar Views." It's what little nerdlings do. We referred to our meetings as "entertainments." If was going to a meeting, I would tell my mother I was going to "entertain peculiar views."
I am not sure how they got that picture of me.
If you all will excuse me, I need to go see someone about some royalties.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Well, what do you know?
Someone wrote a book
about one of my favorite cookies!
 |
| Love that cover design! |
I'll bet it's really delicious!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
A Literary Tragedy
Although everyone thought she was going to have a promising career, it wasn't meant to be.
Turns out, Hulda only had the one story in her.
Turns out, Hulda only had the one story in her.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Ask Eddie Anything: More Booth Stuff (Part 1)
I'm taking care of a bunch of tasks at once here. This is the more in depth look at the booth I promised earlier, but it also ties in with the first two questions from Ask Eddie Anything that I want to answer.
Joy said:
"Darn, can't think of a question. Love pictures of your booths so, more pictures???"
And Donna asked:
"And how much selling space do you have now?"
To start with Donna, I now have five booths, each 8x10. Four of them are set up as a pair of doubles, which is just two booths side by side.
Let's take a look. Before we do, let me give a few caveats. First, the lighting in this place is horrid for pictures. Bright overhead fluorescents bounce off the white tile floor. The glare is hideous. I don't even try to counter that when I take pics. It's just too much work.
Next, I am not a stylist or a decorator. I have no talent at this booth arranging thing. My aesthetic is more "cram it in" rather than "create cute vignettes." I'm there to sell stuff, not make pretties. Probably, if I could do the latter, I would do more of the former
BOOTH #1: THE BOOK BOOTH
There's an aisle that runs across the front of the store, and all the other aisles branch of it to run the length of the store. Between that aisle and the front wall are a few booths. This is where the book booth is. It's a single space, only 8x10.
I'm standing in the aisle, looking into the booth in this shot.
I call it the "Book Booth" for short, but that's more of a theme than a literal definition. Most everything in the booth relates to that theme, at least in my little mind. The exception is that vintage curio mirror on the right. It should be in the Furniture Booth, but there is just no room for it right now.
Things that "relate" to the theme (to me), include the note cards in the black basket and the media items on the shelf below. Those baskets are in the booth next to me. I would never put baskets in a book booth! Except for the black one that I put note cards in....
CD's, DVD's, VHS, card sets and card games on the left. I don't categorize my books, with two exceptions. One is the manga shelf under the orange tag on the right. The digest size of most manga trades means they would get lost in a box of comics and graphic novels.
I have previously admitted to my thing for school desks. The chair was one of my bulk purchases from another dealer when the Dixie store closed. I got three of those chairs, a bakers rack and a microwave cupboard from her. That one chair is all that's left. I've got school binders in the chair because I don't have any other place to put them. That's kind of a recurrent decor motif for me.
Children's books (tub on top), vintage texts, baskets of ephemera (bottom two shelves), plus a yellow step stool so that people can look in the tub on top without taking it off the shelf. The stool sold this weekend, so I need to find another one. The flower basket stands to the lower right hold small books and more note card sets.
I need to find a better arrangement for the ephemera items. Those baskets just aren't working and the whole effect is just too messy.
The wonderful thing about using tables for display is that you can stash more stuff under them. I am all for filling every. single. inch. with things to sell. After all, I am paying rent on those inches. If I could get away without leaving space for people to walk, I would. Even the shelving and displays are for sale. As a wise woman once said "NFS doesn't pay the rent." (NFS = Not for Sale)
Of course, there are comics. Would not be my space without them! I need to bring in a new box of them. One of the long boxes completely emptied out the other day. I have some magazines and other odd items mixed in with the comics.
Well, what do you know? Books in a book booth! Whodathunk? Books are very common in flea market booths, so I try really hard not to have the stuff everyone else does. You won't find the usual suspects here. No Danielle Steel or Stephen King or John Grisham. Who's going to buy them from me when they can get them from just about anyone else? You can see the empty spaces here. I need to bring some more books in. They're just in a hard to get to spot in my storage and I haven't felt like hauling all that crap out to get to them. Plus, books are heavy!
On the left under the blue tag is my other specialized area for books. You can find cookbooks, craft books, and gardening books there. Lots of people come looking for them, so I thought it was a good idea to make a section for them. It's not really a section I ever planned to have, but my mother had a lot of gardening books and someone left a huge box of cookbooks behind at Dixie, which got passed on to me.
I actually do have a third specialized area for books, but it's actually in another booth.
Text books. One of the continuing education programs gave me a bunch of surplus text books. I keep them all on this shelf, which I guess is a special book area, meaning that I don't really know what I'm talking about, even in my own booths.
Finally, my annoyance. Those big, blank, empty shelves are not in my booth. The booth next to mine put in a bunch of shelves with pegboard backing in their booth, but turned them around backwards. I'd really not have them there. If they put merch in there, I'm going to complain. I do not pay rent for people to stand in my booth and shop someone else's space.
The wrestling figure on the right is the only toy that made it into those pics, but I do keep action figures, collectible card games, and other nerd toys in this space, since the comics are also here.
BOOTHS #2 AND 3: THE FURNITURE BOOTH
Turning around from the Book Booth, you find the Furniture Booth, which I also call the Endcap Booth, because it's a double booth stretching across the end of Aisles 6 and 7.
This is the Aisle 7 side. Lots of smalls for something called the "Furniture Booth." I try to limit smalls in this booth to vintage, retro, rustic, classic, and general decor items.
This is my Asian decor section, which is on the Aisle 7 side.
Coming into the booth from the Aisle 7 side. That loveseat sold right after I took this pic, saving me from having to bitch about the fact that it's still there! It was a freebie from the Dixie move out, one of the last large items I was given. I was sooooo sick of it. Now, I get to bitch about having to fill that space. Junkers! We're never happy.
Head on view in the booth. That unfinished wood shelf is interesting. It's handmade and held together by wooden pegs, not nails or glue. I think it was some kind of history project, because there are three names written on it, along with a grade. They got a B.
You're probably noticing empty spots here and there. I took these pics after a few days of my "ain't gonna restock smalls for a while" pledge. I'm letting a lot of these bits and bobs sell down to make lots of room for more. I have bunches of smalls. I sell bunches of smalls.
Vintage toy shelf. I'm selling a lot of Fisher-Price right now.
I like to use small shelves to extend the capacity of larger shelves. Some of my pricier stuff is on this shelf.
These two shelves are sitting on a work table on wheels. I am debating wheeling that whole kaboodle over into the space where the love seat was, just to shake things up a bit. I need to ponder that some more, as I'll need to figure out what to put in this spot after the move.
That afghan seems to be photo-bombing every pic in this post!
Old metal cabinets are great for displaying magnets! I never met a small table that I could not stack.
The view down Aisle 6. More magnets on that metal cabinet. I try to catch people's eye from every possible angle.
You've gotta use ever nook and cranny! And cubby! People will look wherever there is stuff. Not all of them will, but enough do to make it worth stocking every spare inch. Letting these bits and bobs sell down allow me to shuffle stuff around to fill spots, which moves things into places where they might catch the right eye. I have been really surprised at how many of my Dixie leftovers sell as soon as I put them out. Sometimes, all it takes is a new location.
This post is running long, so I'm gonna stop here. I'll be back with the last spaces on Friday.
Joy said:
"Darn, can't think of a question. Love pictures of your booths so, more pictures???"
And Donna asked:
"And how much selling space do you have now?"
To start with Donna, I now have five booths, each 8x10. Four of them are set up as a pair of doubles, which is just two booths side by side.
Let's take a look. Before we do, let me give a few caveats. First, the lighting in this place is horrid for pictures. Bright overhead fluorescents bounce off the white tile floor. The glare is hideous. I don't even try to counter that when I take pics. It's just too much work.
Next, I am not a stylist or a decorator. I have no talent at this booth arranging thing. My aesthetic is more "cram it in" rather than "create cute vignettes." I'm there to sell stuff, not make pretties. Probably, if I could do the latter, I would do more of the former
BOOTH #1: THE BOOK BOOTH
There's an aisle that runs across the front of the store, and all the other aisles branch of it to run the length of the store. Between that aisle and the front wall are a few booths. This is where the book booth is. It's a single space, only 8x10.
I'm standing in the aisle, looking into the booth in this shot.
I call it the "Book Booth" for short, but that's more of a theme than a literal definition. Most everything in the booth relates to that theme, at least in my little mind. The exception is that vintage curio mirror on the right. It should be in the Furniture Booth, but there is just no room for it right now.
Things that "relate" to the theme (to me), include the note cards in the black basket and the media items on the shelf below. Those baskets are in the booth next to me. I would never put baskets in a book booth! Except for the black one that I put note cards in....
CD's, DVD's, VHS, card sets and card games on the left. I don't categorize my books, with two exceptions. One is the manga shelf under the orange tag on the right. The digest size of most manga trades means they would get lost in a box of comics and graphic novels.
I have previously admitted to my thing for school desks. The chair was one of my bulk purchases from another dealer when the Dixie store closed. I got three of those chairs, a bakers rack and a microwave cupboard from her. That one chair is all that's left. I've got school binders in the chair because I don't have any other place to put them. That's kind of a recurrent decor motif for me.
Children's books (tub on top), vintage texts, baskets of ephemera (bottom two shelves), plus a yellow step stool so that people can look in the tub on top without taking it off the shelf. The stool sold this weekend, so I need to find another one. The flower basket stands to the lower right hold small books and more note card sets.
I need to find a better arrangement for the ephemera items. Those baskets just aren't working and the whole effect is just too messy.
The wonderful thing about using tables for display is that you can stash more stuff under them. I am all for filling every. single. inch. with things to sell. After all, I am paying rent on those inches. If I could get away without leaving space for people to walk, I would. Even the shelving and displays are for sale. As a wise woman once said "NFS doesn't pay the rent." (NFS = Not for Sale)
Of course, there are comics. Would not be my space without them! I need to bring in a new box of them. One of the long boxes completely emptied out the other day. I have some magazines and other odd items mixed in with the comics.
Well, what do you know? Books in a book booth! Whodathunk? Books are very common in flea market booths, so I try really hard not to have the stuff everyone else does. You won't find the usual suspects here. No Danielle Steel or Stephen King or John Grisham. Who's going to buy them from me when they can get them from just about anyone else? You can see the empty spaces here. I need to bring some more books in. They're just in a hard to get to spot in my storage and I haven't felt like hauling all that crap out to get to them. Plus, books are heavy!
On the left under the blue tag is my other specialized area for books. You can find cookbooks, craft books, and gardening books there. Lots of people come looking for them, so I thought it was a good idea to make a section for them. It's not really a section I ever planned to have, but my mother had a lot of gardening books and someone left a huge box of cookbooks behind at Dixie, which got passed on to me.
I actually do have a third specialized area for books, but it's actually in another booth.
Text books. One of the continuing education programs gave me a bunch of surplus text books. I keep them all on this shelf, which I guess is a special book area, meaning that I don't really know what I'm talking about, even in my own booths.
Finally, my annoyance. Those big, blank, empty shelves are not in my booth. The booth next to mine put in a bunch of shelves with pegboard backing in their booth, but turned them around backwards. I'd really not have them there. If they put merch in there, I'm going to complain. I do not pay rent for people to stand in my booth and shop someone else's space.
The wrestling figure on the right is the only toy that made it into those pics, but I do keep action figures, collectible card games, and other nerd toys in this space, since the comics are also here.
BOOTHS #2 AND 3: THE FURNITURE BOOTH
Turning around from the Book Booth, you find the Furniture Booth, which I also call the Endcap Booth, because it's a double booth stretching across the end of Aisles 6 and 7.
This is the Aisle 7 side. Lots of smalls for something called the "Furniture Booth." I try to limit smalls in this booth to vintage, retro, rustic, classic, and general decor items.
This is my Asian decor section, which is on the Aisle 7 side.
Coming into the booth from the Aisle 7 side. That loveseat sold right after I took this pic, saving me from having to bitch about the fact that it's still there! It was a freebie from the Dixie move out, one of the last large items I was given. I was sooooo sick of it. Now, I get to bitch about having to fill that space. Junkers! We're never happy.
Head on view in the booth. That unfinished wood shelf is interesting. It's handmade and held together by wooden pegs, not nails or glue. I think it was some kind of history project, because there are three names written on it, along with a grade. They got a B.
You're probably noticing empty spots here and there. I took these pics after a few days of my "ain't gonna restock smalls for a while" pledge. I'm letting a lot of these bits and bobs sell down to make lots of room for more. I have bunches of smalls. I sell bunches of smalls.
Vintage toy shelf. I'm selling a lot of Fisher-Price right now.
I like to use small shelves to extend the capacity of larger shelves. Some of my pricier stuff is on this shelf.
These two shelves are sitting on a work table on wheels. I am debating wheeling that whole kaboodle over into the space where the love seat was, just to shake things up a bit. I need to ponder that some more, as I'll need to figure out what to put in this spot after the move.
That afghan seems to be photo-bombing every pic in this post!
Old metal cabinets are great for displaying magnets! I never met a small table that I could not stack.
The view down Aisle 6. More magnets on that metal cabinet. I try to catch people's eye from every possible angle.
You've gotta use ever nook and cranny! And cubby! People will look wherever there is stuff. Not all of them will, but enough do to make it worth stocking every spare inch. Letting these bits and bobs sell down allow me to shuffle stuff around to fill spots, which moves things into places where they might catch the right eye. I have been really surprised at how many of my Dixie leftovers sell as soon as I put them out. Sometimes, all it takes is a new location.
This post is running long, so I'm gonna stop here. I'll be back with the last spaces on Friday.
Friday, March 27, 2015
BOOKS!
BOOKS!
MORE BOOKS!
EVEN MORE BOOKS!
STILL MORE BOOKS!
TOO MANY BOOKS!
AIIIEEEE!
WON'T SOMEONE COME AND BUY MY BOOKS TOMORROW FROM 9 TO 4? DROP ME A LINE FOR THE ADDRESS.
SORRY! HE'S NOT FOR SALE!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Is anyone still out there?
If any of you bailed on me after yesterday's pity party, I wouldn't blame you. I haven't been that self-indulgent on the blog in a long time. I'd take the post down, but that feels almost dishonest to me. Sometimes, I do selfish things, even on my blog.
Anyway, please accept my apologies. I was on a real downer over my booth sales, plus I hadn't slept well the night before, and kind of put my common sense on hold. Never blog when you're cranky.
The worst part about that post is that there were quite a few non-miserable things that I was planning to write about in that post, but I let the negativity overwhelm me.
We finally got the official copy of the wedding license last week. Unfortunately, there's an error on it. See if you can tell what it is.
Did you catch that?
I'm not sure if one can be one of the people getting married AND the judge officiating the ceremony. I'm also really sure that there was a judge in the room that day. A female judge. Without a beard.
I'm going to have to call and get that fixed. Only us.....
Speaking of the wedding, I need to send some public thank you's to Heidi in Denver and Janet in Pennsylvania for the very sweet wedding acknowledgements they sent me. It really touched both me and Keith that you all thought enough to do that. When I told Keith that I had gotten mail from a couple of blog readers, he said that I had some pretty cool people reading my blog. He doesn't know the half of it.
I threw myself into book sorting yesterday and brightened my mood considerably. I'm planning on having a yard sale/book sale on Saturday in an effort to downsize my library. There's too much of it to try and run through the booth as is without creating a HUGE backlog in my already crowded storage. My plan is to use the sale to thin it out, then split the leftovers between the booth and donations and Half-Price Books.
I got two of the book shelves in my junk room condensed down to about 3/4 of one of them. I still have two more to go. One of the remaining shelf is going to become my main tchotchke display shelf, so I can try to reign that hoard in a bit. There's just too much stuff around here!
I'm debating whether or not I want to tackle the two shelves in the living room, which I thinned down a couple of years ago. I think I might leave them, since I have about a dozen (!) tubs in the backyard shed to go through. My name is Eddie Mitchell and I am a bookhoarder lover. If you are in the area and want to browse through an eclectic range of books this weekend, come on by. Nothing vintage in this sale. No comic books or graphic novels, but PLENTY of just about anything else you can imagine, including books about comics and cartooning. I hope I have enough tables for this mess. Prices are going to be cheap too. Cheap, I tell you.
Sales are on a temporary pick up again, at least until Louisville (Thursday) and Kentucky (Sunday) play again. This store has been such a struggle for me from the beginning as far as sales go. I just didn't handle it very well when my first real momentum got derailed. Then I dragged you all along with me.
Sorry about that. Here's a little something to make up for it:
One last note, I love all your comments and notes and have gotten better at replying like a polite blogger should. For some reason, I've stopped getting email notices when a couple of you comment. I'm not sure what's going on, but please know that I'm not ignoring you. Also, there's a good handful of regular commenters without an email attached to your profile, which means I can't respond directly. I appreciate your comments too! Thanks for hanging with me!
PS to Sandy in PA: You did make me chuckle yesterday!
Anyway, please accept my apologies. I was on a real downer over my booth sales, plus I hadn't slept well the night before, and kind of put my common sense on hold. Never blog when you're cranky.
The worst part about that post is that there were quite a few non-miserable things that I was planning to write about in that post, but I let the negativity overwhelm me.
We finally got the official copy of the wedding license last week. Unfortunately, there's an error on it. See if you can tell what it is.
 |
| No. It's not that they didn't use my full name. Although I wish they had. |
Did you catch that?
I'm not sure if one can be one of the people getting married AND the judge officiating the ceremony. I'm also really sure that there was a judge in the room that day. A female judge. Without a beard.
I'm going to have to call and get that fixed. Only us.....
Speaking of the wedding, I need to send some public thank you's to Heidi in Denver and Janet in Pennsylvania for the very sweet wedding acknowledgements they sent me. It really touched both me and Keith that you all thought enough to do that. When I told Keith that I had gotten mail from a couple of blog readers, he said that I had some pretty cool people reading my blog. He doesn't know the half of it.
I threw myself into book sorting yesterday and brightened my mood considerably. I'm planning on having a yard sale/book sale on Saturday in an effort to downsize my library. There's too much of it to try and run through the booth as is without creating a HUGE backlog in my already crowded storage. My plan is to use the sale to thin it out, then split the leftovers between the booth and donations and Half-Price Books.
I got two of the book shelves in my junk room condensed down to about 3/4 of one of them. I still have two more to go. One of the remaining shelf is going to become my main tchotchke display shelf, so I can try to reign that hoard in a bit. There's just too much stuff around here!
I'm debating whether or not I want to tackle the two shelves in the living room, which I thinned down a couple of years ago. I think I might leave them, since I have about a dozen (!) tubs in the backyard shed to go through. My name is Eddie Mitchell and I am a book
Sales are on a temporary pick up again, at least until Louisville (Thursday) and Kentucky (Sunday) play again. This store has been such a struggle for me from the beginning as far as sales go. I just didn't handle it very well when my first real momentum got derailed. Then I dragged you all along with me.
Sorry about that. Here's a little something to make up for it:
One last note, I love all your comments and notes and have gotten better at replying like a polite blogger should. For some reason, I've stopped getting email notices when a couple of you comment. I'm not sure what's going on, but please know that I'm not ignoring you. Also, there's a good handful of regular commenters without an email attached to your profile, which means I can't respond directly. I appreciate your comments too! Thanks for hanging with me!
PS to Sandy in PA: You did make me chuckle yesterday!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Things I Find
One of the fun things about buying books is seeing what you find tucked inside the pages. I think people have been sticking things between the pages of books and forgetting about them since the dawn of time. Bibles are just about the best for hidden treasures. (More on this in a minute.)
All of the items in this post were found inside books from my large church sale book buy. Talk about a never-ending source of fun and treasure. Follow me! Much awesomeness awaits!
It's a reproduction of the Gettysburg address!
When I was a kid, I had a copy of the Gettysburg address, the Declaration of Independence, and a large copy of the Constitution hanging on my bedroom wall. The Declaration and Gettysburg Address were printed on this wrinkly, yellowed parchment paper so they would look old. I also had wanted posters for the James brothers and Billy the Kid. Looking back, I'm not sure where any of them came from. I just kind of had them. but they were cool.
Do you ever make up odd little stories in your head based on things you find? Or ask questions that end up creating strange scenarios? I found these in a cookbook, and they started my mind to working.
It's no secret by now that I love religious items. I buy them, I sell them. I collect them. While my collection is exclusively Catholic in nature, I am decidedly more ecumenical in scope when I sell. Footprints in the Sand? I'll take it! Pat Roberston books on tape? I'll (hold my nose and) take 'em!
Through years of careful purchase and study, I have come to understand the true nature of the difference between Catholics and Protestants. Laying aside issues of doctrine, theology, ecclesiology, and discipline, there's a much more practical issue at hand: what they choose to save in their texts.
Thumb through any prayer book, missal, or Catholic Bible at an estate sale and you'll find tons of holy cards, prayer leaflets, and the like. I once bought a huge stack of prayer books and missals at a sale, most of which I already had, just so I could get at the cards that had been tucked between the pages. The person running that sale asked if I were a seminarian. (Ha!) That was back in my collecting (not dealing) days.
Flip through a Protestant Bible, and you might find a prayer or a pic of Jesus or some sermon notes, but you're just as likely to find someone's senior picture:
You're also likely to find Jesus in some odd places, like a cookbook:
I guess that might be appropriate. There is a lot of
praying that goes on whenever I'm in the kitchen. Oh wait. That's
cursing, not praying. Come to think of it, there's a lot of cursing
that goes on whenever I do anything, like scan these pics for this
post. I still don't know why they saved as PDF files the first time,
dangit.
Anyway, now you know the real difference. Feel free to call the Pope and let him know. Let me know if he gets back to you. In the meantime, I'll be thumbing through books, looking for more stuff!
All of the items in this post were found inside books from my large church sale book buy. Talk about a never-ending source of fun and treasure. Follow me! Much awesomeness awaits!
 |
| I don't get the greenish cast on this page. I've tried to edit it out to no avail. |
It's a reproduction of the Gettysburg address!
When I was a kid, I had a copy of the Gettysburg address, the Declaration of Independence, and a large copy of the Constitution hanging on my bedroom wall. The Declaration and Gettysburg Address were printed on this wrinkly, yellowed parchment paper so they would look old. I also had wanted posters for the James brothers and Billy the Kid. Looking back, I'm not sure where any of them came from. I just kind of had them. but they were cool.
Do you ever make up odd little stories in your head based on things you find? Or ask questions that end up creating strange scenarios? I found these in a cookbook, and they started my mind to working.
First
thought that crossed my mind? Why did they stop recording any of the
baby's stats? Did it really only take nine months for them to lose
interest in their baby's progress? Then I noticed that the immunization
record just stopped as well! I hope they were more diligent in taking
the baby for shots than they were in writing them down. I'm not even
going to get started on the fact that they never got around to putting
down any important phone numbers! They must have been new parents,
easily overwhelmed by all the responsibilities.
See what I mean? Does anyone else do that or is it just me?
By
the way, there's no need to worry about the baby. She made it to
camp-attending age, at least. I found a letter home from her in the
same book.
This is the flipside of those record pages above. Wouldn't it be fun to find that Dr Spock record in a thrift?
It's the ideal baby shower gift!
It's no secret by now that I love religious items. I buy them, I sell them. I collect them. While my collection is exclusively Catholic in nature, I am decidedly more ecumenical in scope when I sell. Footprints in the Sand? I'll take it! Pat Roberston books on tape? I'll (hold my nose and) take 'em!
Through years of careful purchase and study, I have come to understand the true nature of the difference between Catholics and Protestants. Laying aside issues of doctrine, theology, ecclesiology, and discipline, there's a much more practical issue at hand: what they choose to save in their texts.
Thumb through any prayer book, missal, or Catholic Bible at an estate sale and you'll find tons of holy cards, prayer leaflets, and the like. I once bought a huge stack of prayer books and missals at a sale, most of which I already had, just so I could get at the cards that had been tucked between the pages. The person running that sale asked if I were a seminarian. (Ha!) That was back in my collecting (not dealing) days.
Flip through a Protestant Bible, and you might find a prayer or a pic of Jesus or some sermon notes, but you're just as likely to find someone's senior picture:
 |
| This poor guy's almost 40 now, sitting around wondering how that happened! |
You're also likely to find Jesus in some odd places, like a cookbook:
 |
| Seriously. In a cookbook. |
Anyway, now you know the real difference. Feel free to call the Pope and let him know. Let me know if he gets back to you. In the meantime, I'll be thumbing through books, looking for more stuff!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday Rambles
Brrr....chilly temps have moved in. It's Fall at it's most lovely fallishness! I love it! Yes, I do.
Haven't been hitting too many sales lately or thrifts either. I'm awash in junk and desperately trying to get organized and ready to shift into Christmas mode later this week. The five extra hours I was able to add to my work schedule is having an impact on my junk schedule, and I have yet to fully adjust. It'll come in time, but I need to be more settled right now than I currently am.
I did go to the Fall Book Sale held by the library this weekend. Of course, I went on Sunday, which was box day. It was very odd this time. For starters, there were about a third fewer books than normal, and less than a quarter of the normal Sunday crowd. Not sure what that was about.
Then there was the organization of the books, or lack thereof. Typically, everything is laid out Dewey Decimal style, which makes it very easy for me to hit topics that sell well for me (like Religion and History), avoid ones that will make me buy too much for my own use (like Mystery), and ignore everything else. This time, however, there were a couple of tables of children's books, tables for Mystery, Sci Fi, and Romance, half a table of Biography, a couple tables of General Fiction, and everything else was dumped on a half dozen tables marked "Unsorted" or "Mixed."
I've never seen anything like it at this sale before. I had to slog through everything to find useable books. I still came up with my usual three boxes, but it was a lot more work than normal. I wasn't really happy about that, for sure. I'm kind of guessing (and hoping) that the act of condensing stock as things sold led to the creation of these jumbled tables. I hope it's not the wave of the future.
Speaking of books, I've been re-reading some of the John Carter, Warlord of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. There were some volumes of the series in a batch of books I bought a little while ago, and I decided to run through them before selling. It's kind of like being 12 again. I am enjoying them, although the almost 48 year old me is noticing things that the 12 year old me would have been oblivious too, like the overall datedness of the series, the stilted language and the repetitive nature of the stories. It's been good as a lark, but I don't think I could do a steady diet of it any more.
I'm crazy busy this week, but I do have posts lined up. They're a bit lighter than usual, but I'm laying the groundwork for an event of immense personal importance. You'll understand what I mean tomorrow.
Haven't been hitting too many sales lately or thrifts either. I'm awash in junk and desperately trying to get organized and ready to shift into Christmas mode later this week. The five extra hours I was able to add to my work schedule is having an impact on my junk schedule, and I have yet to fully adjust. It'll come in time, but I need to be more settled right now than I currently am.
I did go to the Fall Book Sale held by the library this weekend. Of course, I went on Sunday, which was box day. It was very odd this time. For starters, there were about a third fewer books than normal, and less than a quarter of the normal Sunday crowd. Not sure what that was about.
Then there was the organization of the books, or lack thereof. Typically, everything is laid out Dewey Decimal style, which makes it very easy for me to hit topics that sell well for me (like Religion and History), avoid ones that will make me buy too much for my own use (like Mystery), and ignore everything else. This time, however, there were a couple of tables of children's books, tables for Mystery, Sci Fi, and Romance, half a table of Biography, a couple tables of General Fiction, and everything else was dumped on a half dozen tables marked "Unsorted" or "Mixed."
I've never seen anything like it at this sale before. I had to slog through everything to find useable books. I still came up with my usual three boxes, but it was a lot more work than normal. I wasn't really happy about that, for sure. I'm kind of guessing (and hoping) that the act of condensing stock as things sold led to the creation of these jumbled tables. I hope it's not the wave of the future.
Speaking of books, I've been re-reading some of the John Carter, Warlord of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. There were some volumes of the series in a batch of books I bought a little while ago, and I decided to run through them before selling. It's kind of like being 12 again. I am enjoying them, although the almost 48 year old me is noticing things that the 12 year old me would have been oblivious too, like the overall datedness of the series, the stilted language and the repetitive nature of the stories. It's been good as a lark, but I don't think I could do a steady diet of it any more.
I'm crazy busy this week, but I do have posts lined up. They're a bit lighter than usual, but I'm laying the groundwork for an event of immense personal importance. You'll understand what I mean tomorrow.
Monday, October 01, 2012
Monday Rambles
Lots of rain last week. Some of it made things cool. Some of it made things muggy. I prefer the cool things to the muggy things.
I managed to edge my post total up to 160 last month, so I've got three months to do 40 posts and make my 200 goal for the year. It's looking more and more doable all the time.
Oh Lordy. What have I done now?
And this is only a very small part of it. I just grabbed a handful out of one of the boxes for a pic. I have five boxes of this stuff, and innumerable bags. I bought out the stock of a vendor who left and now I'm swamped with cards and nick nacks.
It's all Hallmark, though, so I'll make good money on it. Sadly, no Xmas ornaments. Still, I got this stuff mega-cheap! Some of it will have to go into storage for the appropriate holiday, so I have got to get it all sorted and priced first. It's a never-ending journey!
This is a crazy, crazy week. My Tues-Thurs afternoon gig wants me in on Mon and Wed as well, so I'll be there. Extra hours mean more dollars but less time. However, my Friday morning gig ain't happening this week, so I'll get a bit of a breather there. I've got posts slated for most of the week, so be sure to check in here.
I've been running low on books at the Peddler's Mall. My new book table was half empty, and all of those were old books that I put on it so that it wouldn't be all empty! I rectified that with a mass purchase of fifteen boxes of good stuff. I'm going to be set for a while. The best part is that I'll be able to put them out in "themes" for a while, since I have lots of books on certain topics now. I think the first theme will be hymnals.
I'm already having a pretty good run on the killer Halloween display. Several pieces have sold already, including many costumes from the tub, which makes it less obnoxiously full. I have a few last bits to put out this week and then I'll let it run.
I sold 73 dollars last Friday. Wish I could have days like that all the time. It was a bizarre combo of Halloween stuff and religious books that makes me wonder about the world. Sometimes, I like to imagine that everything I sell in a given day was bought by one person. Then I try to picture who that person is. It's an interesting game. This time around, I'm conjuring up a bizarre mix of Mother Teresa and Aleister Crowley.
I'm in a real good spot with stuff overall right now, so, other than some clearance gift items and small thrift runs, I've not done any heavy saling lately. (Except, of course, for the big buys above.) I did go to a sidewalk sale at my fave comic shop on Saturday. I'll have more to say about that later, when I've got a chance to write it all out. I do have to say right now, though, that it's been a long time since I've been a part of a nerd herd when it's converged on quarter comic boxes. Thankfully, it's like falling off a bike. You pick it up pretty quickly, once you get thrust in the middle of things.
Ever notice how good a simple veggie burger with a slice of cheese on a nice whole wheat bun with a ripe slice of tomato and some leaf lettuce and a dab of spicy mustard tastes? Mmmmmm....
And, finally, an open letter to an asshole:
Dear Asshole Who Thought It Would Be a Good Idea to Try and Rip Me Off at the Grocery While I Was in the Potty,
Do you really think I would leave my backpack in an unattended cart if it weren't empty, Dummy? Seriously. I had it there to put my damn groceries in. Asshole.
Oh yeah, Fuck You!
Love,
Me
I managed to edge my post total up to 160 last month, so I've got three months to do 40 posts and make my 200 goal for the year. It's looking more and more doable all the time.
Oh Lordy. What have I done now?
And this is only a very small part of it. I just grabbed a handful out of one of the boxes for a pic. I have five boxes of this stuff, and innumerable bags. I bought out the stock of a vendor who left and now I'm swamped with cards and nick nacks.
It's all Hallmark, though, so I'll make good money on it. Sadly, no Xmas ornaments. Still, I got this stuff mega-cheap! Some of it will have to go into storage for the appropriate holiday, so I have got to get it all sorted and priced first. It's a never-ending journey!
This is a crazy, crazy week. My Tues-Thurs afternoon gig wants me in on Mon and Wed as well, so I'll be there. Extra hours mean more dollars but less time. However, my Friday morning gig ain't happening this week, so I'll get a bit of a breather there. I've got posts slated for most of the week, so be sure to check in here.
I've been running low on books at the Peddler's Mall. My new book table was half empty, and all of those were old books that I put on it so that it wouldn't be all empty! I rectified that with a mass purchase of fifteen boxes of good stuff. I'm going to be set for a while. The best part is that I'll be able to put them out in "themes" for a while, since I have lots of books on certain topics now. I think the first theme will be hymnals.
I'm already having a pretty good run on the killer Halloween display. Several pieces have sold already, including many costumes from the tub, which makes it less obnoxiously full. I have a few last bits to put out this week and then I'll let it run.
I sold 73 dollars last Friday. Wish I could have days like that all the time. It was a bizarre combo of Halloween stuff and religious books that makes me wonder about the world. Sometimes, I like to imagine that everything I sell in a given day was bought by one person. Then I try to picture who that person is. It's an interesting game. This time around, I'm conjuring up a bizarre mix of Mother Teresa and Aleister Crowley.
I'm in a real good spot with stuff overall right now, so, other than some clearance gift items and small thrift runs, I've not done any heavy saling lately. (Except, of course, for the big buys above.) I did go to a sidewalk sale at my fave comic shop on Saturday. I'll have more to say about that later, when I've got a chance to write it all out. I do have to say right now, though, that it's been a long time since I've been a part of a nerd herd when it's converged on quarter comic boxes. Thankfully, it's like falling off a bike. You pick it up pretty quickly, once you get thrust in the middle of things.
Ever notice how good a simple veggie burger with a slice of cheese on a nice whole wheat bun with a ripe slice of tomato and some leaf lettuce and a dab of spicy mustard tastes? Mmmmmm....
And, finally, an open letter to an asshole:
Dear Asshole Who Thought It Would Be a Good Idea to Try and Rip Me Off at the Grocery While I Was in the Potty,
Do you really think I would leave my backpack in an unattended cart if it weren't empty, Dummy? Seriously. I had it there to put my damn groceries in. Asshole.
Oh yeah, Fuck You!
Love,
Me
Monday, September 24, 2012
Monday Rambles
Fall has certainly fallen in this part of the world. We've had wonderfully cool-ish, fall-ish temperatures for several days now. I am in heaven! I live for this time of year. Not too cold. Not too hot. I just love it! Too bad it only lasts for a little while.
I spent the weekend cat-sitting, so I didn't really get out and do any yard sales. I decided to spend some time reading instead. Actually, I've been doing a lot of that lately. I can take one bus right from my front door to the latest incarnation of my work gig and back again, so I have a lot of time for reading.
If you are a whodunnit fan, I highly recommend MC Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series for its warmth, wit, and clever plotting. Unfortunately, her Agatha Raisin series is an acquired taste that I have yet ti acquire. Another favorite is anything by the wonderful Sharyn McCrumb. The mysteries usually turn out to be incidental to the overall plot, but her stories are so fabulously hilarious and delightful that I really don't mind at all. Currently, I'm elbow-deep in Luis Miguel Rocha's The Last Pope. I've not quite warmed to it just yet. I think after this one, I'm going to shift gears back into some manga or graphic novels. I've got a little stack that I want to burn through and get to a booth.
Sales have been nice lately. The fall bounce is in full swing. I like that! I did have a couple of lag days last week, but things picked right back up. I'm heading to the Peddlers Mall today to set up this year's killer Halloween display, just as soon as I dig all the stuff out of the shed. I've sold most of the Halloween/Fall stuff that I've already set out already, so it's time to go all out. I'm going to try and remember to both take the camera to get some pics and then to actually take them. It seems so simple, but I screw it up so often.
I hope some of you are checking into the YesterNook blog. I'm updating on Tuesday and Friday over there.
I spent the weekend cat-sitting, so I didn't really get out and do any yard sales. I decided to spend some time reading instead. Actually, I've been doing a lot of that lately. I can take one bus right from my front door to the latest incarnation of my work gig and back again, so I have a lot of time for reading.
If you are a whodunnit fan, I highly recommend MC Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series for its warmth, wit, and clever plotting. Unfortunately, her Agatha Raisin series is an acquired taste that I have yet ti acquire. Another favorite is anything by the wonderful Sharyn McCrumb. The mysteries usually turn out to be incidental to the overall plot, but her stories are so fabulously hilarious and delightful that I really don't mind at all. Currently, I'm elbow-deep in Luis Miguel Rocha's The Last Pope. I've not quite warmed to it just yet. I think after this one, I'm going to shift gears back into some manga or graphic novels. I've got a little stack that I want to burn through and get to a booth.
Sales have been nice lately. The fall bounce is in full swing. I like that! I did have a couple of lag days last week, but things picked right back up. I'm heading to the Peddlers Mall today to set up this year's killer Halloween display, just as soon as I dig all the stuff out of the shed. I've sold most of the Halloween/Fall stuff that I've already set out already, so it's time to go all out. I'm going to try and remember to both take the camera to get some pics and then to actually take them. It seems so simple, but I screw it up so often.
I hope some of you are checking into the YesterNook blog. I'm updating on Tuesday and Friday over there.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wanna know why I love what I do?
Because you never know what you're gonna find when you step into Goodwill.
Seriously. Gotta love it! You just gotta!
I'll put this one in a booth and try to pass it on to someone who, um, has more need for it than I do.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
This Is How We Do It: Big Book Sale Edition
This is another part of the "This is How We Do It" series. As always, these are my own reflections and thoughts about various aspects of junking and re-selling. Your opinion my differ and your mileage may vary. That's totally fine. In fact, if they do, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. You can find other posts in this series by using the "How We Do It" label.
So, the big, big, BIG library book sale was a few weeks ago, and the last day found me wandering among the tables filling up boxes of books, when it occurred to me that this might make a good topic for a post.
When I started re-selling, one of the things I really wanted to sell was books, largely because:
A) I love books and
B) I have a lot of them
I started small, with just a few here and there and tried to concentrate mainly on things that I had read out of my own stash that I wasn't planning to keep. I pick up a lot cheap at yard sales and figured I could pass those along cheaply as well.
When I took the second of my four spaces at the Peddlers Mall, I decided to focus on books and media in that spot. It's gone on to become an important part of my set-up. I sell something out of that spot pretty much every day--usually several somethings. This means I need to keep it stocked with fresh stuff constantly. I can't do it solely out of my own personal stash any more, although that still contributes a small percentage of each weekly restock. (I do read several things a week, after all.) So, I have to buy titles specifically for resale.
Yard sales, bookstore markdowns, and the like provide can provide a healthy source of stock, but the real bang for your buck comes from large sales like the library sale. But, if you're not careful, you can end up with a lot of duds, instead of things that will fly off your shelves. When I was shopping the library sale, I tried to think about the principles that guide me when I'm choosing titles to buy. I'd like to share a few of them here. Some of these principles probably also apply to smaller scale purchases, as well.
Go on Box Day. Most large scale sales will have a discount day on the last day when you can buy by the bag or box for a set price. As far as bang for your buck goes, this is the way to go. For the price of three or four books during the regular-price days, you can walk out with a box full of dozens. Yes, you might miss something special, but there will still be plenty left to choose from. It's hard for a large-scale sale to get completely picked over. I recently went to the last day of a benefit sale that had run for a week and had no problem filling up two boxes of stuff. Plus, the crowds don't seem to be as bad on box days, although that may be a misconception. You will have deal with other dealers, though, but the scanners will have come and gone by that point.
Scanners Suck. I have nothing against bar-code scanner apps for smart phones and other gadgets. I have one myself and use it. I have a great dislike for the people who use them as if they were the be-all and end-all to reselling. Honestly, if you aren't prepared to actually do the work to learn something along the way, you'll never amount to much as a reseller. My scanner confirms my choices. It doesn't make them for me.
Be Discriminating. It's tempting to just start scooping stuff up on Box Day, but if you do that you'll most likely end up with a whole bunch of unsellable crap. I do see dealers walking through filling up box after box and stacking them up, but these are high volume sellers who have the space to sell and store their stuff. Try to play like them and you'll drown. It's okay to be choosy.
Know Your Audience. I have a good picture in my head of the people who shop at both locations where I have booths. If you spend some time hanging out in your mall and pay attention, you'll develop one too. I make sure that a good portion of what I'm picking up is stuff that those shoppers will want to buy and read. It's important to remember that you are not the customer who's shopping in your space, and if you aim only for stuff that you personally like, you'll close off part of your audience.
Know What's Going On. Trends can be a trap, but if you are careful about it and don't overdo it, you can use them to your advantage. There seems to be an interest in vintage craft books right now, so I always make sure to pick a few up when I find them. As long as you are choosy and pick higher quality items, you won't set stuck with a bunch of unsellable stuff when the trend cools off.
Avoid Traps. Last year's bestsellers. Harlequins. Cliched, overexposed authors. Every time I hear someone tell me that books don't sell, this is the kind of stuff I see in their inventory. No one is going to by a copy of that Dan Brown book from you. Everyone that wanted to read it got it when it was new. I once bought three boxes of books at an auction. There was a lot of good stuff in them, but I also ended up with something like 29 Harlequin romances. I was going to donate them, but at the last minute changed my mind and put them in the booth. It took months to sell them! I got so sick of looking at them. Never again.
Ex-Library is a No-No. Even though it's a library sale, I tend to stay away from books that were actually a part of the library's circulating stacks. No one wants to buy something that's covered in stamps and labels. And the condition can be quite ratty.
Condition Matters. You want to have a rep for selling good quality stuff, so put good quality stuff in your box. It's okay to be choosy. You'll still fill up a box or two. I promise.
Hit the Media Table. I know it's the digital age, but there are always people who are slow to convert or who never convert. I can still sell cassettes and 8-tracks! (Not that I'm going to be investing in a ton of either, mind you. Just a few interesting ones here and there.) Because more and more people are opting for digital delivery and storage options, it means that items like CD's and DVD's are still available on Box Day. I have a nice little niche for both in my spaces.
Have a Limit in Mind. With bulk buying, there is always a temptation to go overboard and buy more than you need. While having a small backstock can be a good idea, you have to remember that items sitting around in a box don't make you any money. I go in with a pre-set limit in mind (usually 3-5 boxes) and stick with it. Set your limit based on your needs at the moment. If you have been selling a lot of books recently, then you may need a higher limit. If you have boxes waiting to go to the booth, it may need to be smaller. Regardless, set it and stick with it!
Create Niches for Yourself. Look around your mall and see what kind of books others are offering. Unless you can feel like you can do it in a way that attracts shoppers' attention, avoid the kinds of things everyone else is doing. Believe it or not, you can cater to the folks who shop at your mall and still be different from everyone else, since, chances are, your competition hasn't really put a lot of thought into their books. You can also create niches for yourself that build an audience and make you stand out.
Avoid the Children's Section. This is just a personal preference, but those tables are always crowded and the books are usually all pretty rough from circulation. With a limited amount of time, and a wide array of choices, I just feel mine is better spent elsewhere.
Watch Your Stash! If you're going to buy more than one box, you're probably going to have to start setting them somewhere so you can keep shopping. Unless you're the Incredible Hulk, lugging around boxes full of books can impede the process. Typically, on box day, it's understood that the boxes stacked along the walls are off-limits, so that shoppers can place their stashes there, but there's always a clueless newbie that comes along and start rooting. Unless you plan ahead and bring your own sign or marker to id your boxes, plan on keeping an eye on them. I've had to (politely) run off folks at just about every sale.
Pack. Sort. Repeat. You'll make better use of your time if you do your deliberations all at once. If something looks interesting to me, I'll throw it in a box and keep going. Then, when I've got several boxes full, I'll sit down and start seriously going through everything. This is the time to give every book the third degree: Can I sell this? At which spot? Who would want to buy it? Carefully thumb through things and make sure that they are in sellable shape. And start packing your boxes deliberately, You want to get as much in each box as possible to maximize your spending power. (And don't forget your limit!)
Re-browse. I always check back over tables that I've already visited, because stuff is always getting added, even on the last day. When I find that I've gone through the entire place and not added anything to my pile, then it's time to sit and deliberate.
Avoid Temptation. If you are a book-lover, you can allow yourself a title or two as a reward for spending all your time being a wise buisnessperson, but keep your true purpose in mind. You are there to find things to sell, not build your own library. The vast majority of items in your boxes should be earmarked for a booth.
So, the big, big, BIG library book sale was a few weeks ago, and the last day found me wandering among the tables filling up boxes of books, when it occurred to me that this might make a good topic for a post.
When I started re-selling, one of the things I really wanted to sell was books, largely because:
A) I love books and
B) I have a lot of them
I started small, with just a few here and there and tried to concentrate mainly on things that I had read out of my own stash that I wasn't planning to keep. I pick up a lot cheap at yard sales and figured I could pass those along cheaply as well.
When I took the second of my four spaces at the Peddlers Mall, I decided to focus on books and media in that spot. It's gone on to become an important part of my set-up. I sell something out of that spot pretty much every day--usually several somethings. This means I need to keep it stocked with fresh stuff constantly. I can't do it solely out of my own personal stash any more, although that still contributes a small percentage of each weekly restock. (I do read several things a week, after all.) So, I have to buy titles specifically for resale.
Yard sales, bookstore markdowns, and the like provide can provide a healthy source of stock, but the real bang for your buck comes from large sales like the library sale. But, if you're not careful, you can end up with a lot of duds, instead of things that will fly off your shelves. When I was shopping the library sale, I tried to think about the principles that guide me when I'm choosing titles to buy. I'd like to share a few of them here. Some of these principles probably also apply to smaller scale purchases, as well.
Go on Box Day. Most large scale sales will have a discount day on the last day when you can buy by the bag or box for a set price. As far as bang for your buck goes, this is the way to go. For the price of three or four books during the regular-price days, you can walk out with a box full of dozens. Yes, you might miss something special, but there will still be plenty left to choose from. It's hard for a large-scale sale to get completely picked over. I recently went to the last day of a benefit sale that had run for a week and had no problem filling up two boxes of stuff. Plus, the crowds don't seem to be as bad on box days, although that may be a misconception. You will have deal with other dealers, though, but the scanners will have come and gone by that point.
Scanners Suck. I have nothing against bar-code scanner apps for smart phones and other gadgets. I have one myself and use it. I have a great dislike for the people who use them as if they were the be-all and end-all to reselling. Honestly, if you aren't prepared to actually do the work to learn something along the way, you'll never amount to much as a reseller. My scanner confirms my choices. It doesn't make them for me.
Be Discriminating. It's tempting to just start scooping stuff up on Box Day, but if you do that you'll most likely end up with a whole bunch of unsellable crap. I do see dealers walking through filling up box after box and stacking them up, but these are high volume sellers who have the space to sell and store their stuff. Try to play like them and you'll drown. It's okay to be choosy.
Know Your Audience. I have a good picture in my head of the people who shop at both locations where I have booths. If you spend some time hanging out in your mall and pay attention, you'll develop one too. I make sure that a good portion of what I'm picking up is stuff that those shoppers will want to buy and read. It's important to remember that you are not the customer who's shopping in your space, and if you aim only for stuff that you personally like, you'll close off part of your audience.
Know What's Going On. Trends can be a trap, but if you are careful about it and don't overdo it, you can use them to your advantage. There seems to be an interest in vintage craft books right now, so I always make sure to pick a few up when I find them. As long as you are choosy and pick higher quality items, you won't set stuck with a bunch of unsellable stuff when the trend cools off.
Avoid Traps. Last year's bestsellers. Harlequins. Cliched, overexposed authors. Every time I hear someone tell me that books don't sell, this is the kind of stuff I see in their inventory. No one is going to by a copy of that Dan Brown book from you. Everyone that wanted to read it got it when it was new. I once bought three boxes of books at an auction. There was a lot of good stuff in them, but I also ended up with something like 29 Harlequin romances. I was going to donate them, but at the last minute changed my mind and put them in the booth. It took months to sell them! I got so sick of looking at them. Never again.
Ex-Library is a No-No. Even though it's a library sale, I tend to stay away from books that were actually a part of the library's circulating stacks. No one wants to buy something that's covered in stamps and labels. And the condition can be quite ratty.
Condition Matters. You want to have a rep for selling good quality stuff, so put good quality stuff in your box. It's okay to be choosy. You'll still fill up a box or two. I promise.
Hit the Media Table. I know it's the digital age, but there are always people who are slow to convert or who never convert. I can still sell cassettes and 8-tracks! (Not that I'm going to be investing in a ton of either, mind you. Just a few interesting ones here and there.) Because more and more people are opting for digital delivery and storage options, it means that items like CD's and DVD's are still available on Box Day. I have a nice little niche for both in my spaces.
Have a Limit in Mind. With bulk buying, there is always a temptation to go overboard and buy more than you need. While having a small backstock can be a good idea, you have to remember that items sitting around in a box don't make you any money. I go in with a pre-set limit in mind (usually 3-5 boxes) and stick with it. Set your limit based on your needs at the moment. If you have been selling a lot of books recently, then you may need a higher limit. If you have boxes waiting to go to the booth, it may need to be smaller. Regardless, set it and stick with it!
Create Niches for Yourself. Look around your mall and see what kind of books others are offering. Unless you can feel like you can do it in a way that attracts shoppers' attention, avoid the kinds of things everyone else is doing. Believe it or not, you can cater to the folks who shop at your mall and still be different from everyone else, since, chances are, your competition hasn't really put a lot of thought into their books. You can also create niches for yourself that build an audience and make you stand out.
Avoid the Children's Section. This is just a personal preference, but those tables are always crowded and the books are usually all pretty rough from circulation. With a limited amount of time, and a wide array of choices, I just feel mine is better spent elsewhere.
Watch Your Stash! If you're going to buy more than one box, you're probably going to have to start setting them somewhere so you can keep shopping. Unless you're the Incredible Hulk, lugging around boxes full of books can impede the process. Typically, on box day, it's understood that the boxes stacked along the walls are off-limits, so that shoppers can place their stashes there, but there's always a clueless newbie that comes along and start rooting. Unless you plan ahead and bring your own sign or marker to id your boxes, plan on keeping an eye on them. I've had to (politely) run off folks at just about every sale.
Pack. Sort. Repeat. You'll make better use of your time if you do your deliberations all at once. If something looks interesting to me, I'll throw it in a box and keep going. Then, when I've got several boxes full, I'll sit down and start seriously going through everything. This is the time to give every book the third degree: Can I sell this? At which spot? Who would want to buy it? Carefully thumb through things and make sure that they are in sellable shape. And start packing your boxes deliberately, You want to get as much in each box as possible to maximize your spending power. (And don't forget your limit!)
Re-browse. I always check back over tables that I've already visited, because stuff is always getting added, even on the last day. When I find that I've gone through the entire place and not added anything to my pile, then it's time to sit and deliberate.
Avoid Temptation. If you are a book-lover, you can allow yourself a title or two as a reward for spending all your time being a wise buisnessperson, but keep your true purpose in mind. You are there to find things to sell, not build your own library. The vast majority of items in your boxes should be earmarked for a booth.
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!
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