Okay, so I fell off the moratorium wagon Saturday. I intended to only go to a couple of sales in a nearby neighborhood, but it turned into more than that. Thankfully, I was very limited in what I could buy. Keith was getting ready to go camping, so Mazda was full of all his stuff for that. There was some space available, but I was forced to make careful choices, which was helpful.
We were taking off when we immediately detoured to follow some signs to a sale a few streets from us. There were actually two sales there. One was kind of artsy and eclectic, with the oddest prices I've seen in a while.
Everything that was over ten dollars had matching digits. It wasn't 10 dollars, but 11. Not 20, but 22. 33. 44. 55. They were all like that, up to the dinette set that was--I'm not kidding--$333.33. It's like zeroes were forbidden. And unmatching numbers. I wanted to ask about it, but was kind of afraid to.
Next door was a dude who was, well, kind of a jerk. When I went over into his yard, he was loudly declaring to another customer: "I like to barter and haggle. That's why nothing has prices! I just can't stand the way that everyone wants to low ball me." Insert eyeroll here. The guy he was talking to picks up two pictures and asks the price. Dude says: "Let me put it this way. What do you want to pay?" Really? That's how you start your bargaining and you're surprised that you get low balled? You can't complain about it when you practically ask for it.
The potential customer says: "I don't know. Ten bucks?" Dude says: "For both? No way for that. I would need 20 for both. That's slate you know. Those are on slate." Customer points out that they're both too light to be slate. "In fact," he says, "they're on wood." Dude is grabbing them and saying that he never knew that when I'm leaving. It took me five minutes to come out of the eyeroll the whole thing induced.
We cut over a couple of streets to go get something to drink and stumbled on another sale--a big one. Every time we asked about something, the guy having the sale said it was a dollar or two. At one point he said: "Hell, this is a yard sale. It ain't K-Mart." If there had been more van space, I probably would have ended up filling it from this.
We finally ended up at a neighborhood sale that's always pretty good. The first couple of houses were kind of lame, but it picked up pretty quickly. At one house, I had a very interesting bargaining experience that I'll have to detail tomorrow, because it needs pics. At another one, another customer tried to sell me a table he had just bought. He paid three bucks and wanted me to pay ten. I laughed and turned him down. I appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit, but I'm an entrepreneur too. I would have gladly given him three for it.
At the last house, there was a HUGE plush gorilla sitting outside the garage. Keith made a comment about it as we pulled up. He stayed in the van to make a call and I went to the sale. Five minutes later, I'm walking up to Mazda with the gorilla and he's holding his head in his hands. I walked over to the van and said: "C'mon. We both knew this was going to happen." He laughed and said: "I was hoping to be wrong this time."
It ended up being a channeling kind of day. At different times, I channeled different junkers. There were several moments, though, that were pure Eddie. You'll see what I mean tomorrow when I show you the stuff.
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Monday, August 03, 2015
Monday Rambles
Let's start out with the Chiquito of the Month for August.
Look at that face! Awwwwwww............
Last week, I was working at the booth when this young hipster couple was browsing the Endcap Booth. I was tidying the Book Booth at the time. She was randomly picking up things and carrying on about them. "Look at this. It's perfect Granny Chic!" "OOOOO! I love this!" "I just love this corroded metal." When the guy with her asked if she was going to by something, she looked at him and said: "Oh No. I wouldn't buy anything here."
I had to wait two hours for Keith to get off work and get the bail money together. I'm convinced I can get the assault charges dropped once the judge hears the whole story.
Okay, so I made that last part up, but there has got to be a parallel world where Parallel Eddie gets away with it. Sigh. She really did say that. I swear.
Also, "Granny Chic"?
The next day, we were dropping off a load of larger smalls right before closing time. Keith takes Mazda to work during the week, so midweek loads go over in the evening at closing time. I park the carts by the booth and then go in the next day to put everything out. Timing is always tight when we do this. Peddlers Mall don't play when it comes to closing time.
So I'm rushing in with a cart that has two large framed pictures of Elvis, a picture of John Paul II, a picture of Paul VI, and an awesome reproduction of a papal proclamation for the early 1800's. All of the sudden another vendor gets in front of my cart, actually sticks her head in, and starts rifling through the pictures. The proclamation catches her eye. She points at it and the following dialogue ensues.
HER: What is that? What does it say?
ME: It's a papal proclamation.
HER: What?
ME: A papal proclamation.
HER: What?
ME: The Catholic guy. The Pope.
HER: Oh. What's it about?
ME: A religious order.
HER: What?
ME: A religious order.
HER: What?
ME: NUNS!
HER: Oh!
Her head is still in the cart and she's still going through the pictures. I am trying to hurry, but am at a total loss how to deal with her besides running her over with the cart. She finds the picture of Paul VI.
HER: Who's that?
ME: It's a Pope.
HER: Oh. Look! Elvis!
With that, I finally wrest the cart away from her and stash it in my booth. By this time they are turning the lights out.
The next day, I'm back to put everything out. A guy comes in and starts going through the comics. He asks me if I have any comics that have "iconical movies in them." That's his word. Iconical. He finds a Predator comic, but is really confused because Ah-nold isn't on the cover. I try to explain to him that there have been several Predator comics series that weren't based on the movies. (Also Alien.) He doesn't quite get it. I also tell him that it's hard for me to keep track of what sells, so if he checks the boxes, he might find what he's looking for.
A little later, he's got two comics, costing three bucks total. He asks me if he could just pay two for them. I don't negotiate prices that low, so I turn him down. He says: "Oh, so they're as marked." Um, yeah. Right then, I notice his phone. He's been looking them up on the internet! I honestly don't care if someone does crap like that, but for goodness' sake, put the dang phone up before you start bartering on prices. Sheesh!
One of these days, Keith may really have to bring the bail money. I can understand why so many dealers you run into are nasty cranks. If it weren't for drinking, I would be too. And by drinking, I mean coffee and Diet Dr Pepper.
I have a confession to make. I fell off the moratorium wagon last week. It was just a little stumble. I swear. A sign went up Thursday night announcing a yard sale right down the street from me on Friday. I like to support the neighbors, even though the sales in our area aren't always that great.
I bought some shot glasses and an interesting religious statue. I'll hold off on sharing the statue until I look a couple of things up first. I want to make sure that I am remembering some details correctly. I've got a few little religious articles I am holding on my desk for a post, so I'll throw them all together one day this week. Or next. It's cool stuff, I swear.
The glasses with the various liquor names/logos on them will be sold individually. I figure that there are fans of each kind of booze that will only want that brand. The glasses with the pool theme will stay together. I think they'll sell pretty fast. Pool and poker motifs seem to be good sellers for me.
I also went to an estate sale that was in the neighborhood. It was too close to ignore and run by one of my favorite companies. They're courteous, professional, well-organized and always have great prices. I didn't spend much there.
This tool box was for a Benzo-matic torch. It's empty, but still has the label on it. I also got a couple of small things, but I cannot seem to find them right now. Maybe later.
The big one came a little later. A few times a year, Barnes and Noble has a clearance sale. They slap red stickers on a bunch of stuff and put up signs saying that all red sticker stuff is 50% off. After a few weeks, it goes to 75%. That really thins the table down. A few more weeks, and everything is two dollars.
My strategy is always the same. Case the tables when it's 50%. Make mental notes and bide my time. Strike when it gets to 75% off, but stick to items that would be under ten bucks regular retail. Those are cheaper at 75% off than at 2 bucks. When it hits two bucks, clear the table. I know I'm going to miss out on some items, but there's always a nice selection of coffee table books, doo-dads, puzzles, games, and gift sets that are usually pretty pricey. These will become my stock of new gift ideas for the holidays.
Lots of people don't want to give secondhand for the holidays, so to avoid the sales dip, I have lots of nice shiny NIP stuff for sale. It works well for me. I get the right amount of stuff at basically wholesale prices. I can offer it much less than full retail, but still make a good profit. It's easier than working with a wholesaler. There's no minimums to order for maximum discounts. And the quality of the goods is much better.
It might have been a slip, but it's also one of the keys to my having a good holiday season. They have a couple of these clearances through the year, and I keep an eye out for them. There's one at the first of the year that's largely Christmas, but also has other stuff in it. One in the spring or summer, and sometimes one in the fall, but not always.
This time the selection was very nerd friendly.
A bevy of Batgirls. This is the original Batgirl in her original outfit with her 1970's logo on the box. I like classic versions of the characters like this, since that is what I grew up reading. Batgirl has been through a lot of changes over the years. I'm not really interested in much of them. The box even has a version of one of the classic DC Comics logos on it. Oh yeah! These are keychains made out of yarn. How cool is that?
A few other characters in the same style. If there had been a Wonder Woman or Batman version of there, I'd be keeping one of them for me! You can never go wrong with classic Wonder Woman or Batman. For real.
The only Marvel character at either of the BN's in town was Ghost Rider. Interesting. A Hulk in this style would have been too cute!
A squad of Supermen. These are cool. They're magnetic, so if you have other figures, you can mix and match them to make your own Franken-heroes. Fighting the urge to keep one.
TMNT keychains. Can't go wrong with TMNT.
Matees! I'd never heard of them, but they're some kind of odd looking pirates. And cute. Very cute.
Nostalgia action figures from 80's/90's movies, plus classic movie monsters. Cool. These were actually at the upper end of my ten dollar cut off point, but I knew they would not last at 75% off. The extra 10% off for Barnes and Noble members helps bring the price down to my level for this go around.
I actually got the whole Goonies crew and most of the Alien figures. Sadly, no Alien. :-(
Some other assorted stuff: pricey candles, fancy pick up sticks, etc. I made myself resist the notecard selection, as I have lots of notecards right now. They're slow sellers, so I'm not picking up any more until what I have is closer to gone.
I also got a couple of books for me. The comic covers book was not 75% off, but it was cheap, so I splurged. I'd love to scan some of these images and then try my hand at computer coloring. This is classic, cornball, cheesy stuff that I totally love! I need to do a post some day about what I go for in terms of comics.
Now all I have to do is wait a couple of weeks for the two dollar leftovers and clean up again.
There might have been a slight indiscretion on Saturday, which resulted in someone attending a few events where goods were sold in front of private dwellings. Currency might have been exchanged for a very select few of these goods. However, there is no recorded image of said goods in the back of a certain motorized conveyance, so there is no evidence of said indiscretion. Rumor has it that there might be more information and a few of those recorded images to come on a certain beloved blog in the very near future. That's the conjecture anyway. Make of it what you will.
Also, there might have been a half-price day at that estate sale on Sunday where there might have been a table of rusty tools that might have cost 50 cents each or maybe even fill a bag for five dollars. Just saying. You know how rumors get around. Don't believe a thing until you see the blog post. That's my motto.
Speculated lapses notwithstanding, I am still at least trying to lay low on the junking front. I've got some big opportunities coming up and I want to have some extra cash for them.
In September, I am going to see my brother, and he's going to take me junking, Chattanooga style. Also in September is the next Big Flea, and it's one of the shows with the awesome antique wing. In October, we're planning to do the Highway 60 sale, which goes down through western Kentucky. I had an awesome time last year and hope to do so again. Finally, November brings my birthday junking extravaganza. I'm already making my list of places I want to go.
It's going to be a kind of quiet week. I have some booth projects in mind that I want to get started on. I have figured out how to work another shelf into the Aisle Booth and I want to start getting the Endcap Booth ready for fall decor items by the end of the month. I'm starting to ponder Halloween and Christmas as well. One of the reasons I'm not doing heavy duty smalls restocking right now is to make some space for the seasonal stuff that's upcoming. That will also mean lots of new booth pics for you all. Goody!
I also want to rework the books in the religion section. There spread out over three different book shelves, just a shelf here and a shelf there. I want to get them all together.
The heat broke a little at the end of last week, and it looks like that might carry over to this week. Yay! If that does happen, I'm going to try to squeeze a day of shed work in, if I'm not too tired. I moved my yard sale back to the end of August, so I would have more time to get stuff ready.
Saturday, we'll be taking our annual trip to the cemetery. I had put that off for a couple of weeks too. Someone might end up stopping at a flea market down there in my old home town, but this is purely conjecture and rumor.
July ended up being a very good booth month for me. I think it was my best month since moving into this store. Plus, it was well over the previous two months. I'm working it a lot more, but I seem to be moving in the right direction. August is a worrying month, so I'm a little trepidatious as we go forward. We've got back to school, plus the Kentucky State Fair, both of which take a lot of attention away from those of us with booths. I did start off with a very good weekend, so I'm happy. There are five Saturdays in August, which is nice.
And with that, I'm going to take a nap. After all, you all keep telling me to rest. I'm listening I'm listening!
Look at that face! Awwwwwww............
Last week, I was working at the booth when this young hipster couple was browsing the Endcap Booth. I was tidying the Book Booth at the time. She was randomly picking up things and carrying on about them. "Look at this. It's perfect Granny Chic!" "OOOOO! I love this!" "I just love this corroded metal." When the guy with her asked if she was going to by something, she looked at him and said: "Oh No. I wouldn't buy anything here."
I had to wait two hours for Keith to get off work and get the bail money together. I'm convinced I can get the assault charges dropped once the judge hears the whole story.
Okay, so I made that last part up, but there has got to be a parallel world where Parallel Eddie gets away with it. Sigh. She really did say that. I swear.
Also, "Granny Chic"?
The next day, we were dropping off a load of larger smalls right before closing time. Keith takes Mazda to work during the week, so midweek loads go over in the evening at closing time. I park the carts by the booth and then go in the next day to put everything out. Timing is always tight when we do this. Peddlers Mall don't play when it comes to closing time.
So I'm rushing in with a cart that has two large framed pictures of Elvis, a picture of John Paul II, a picture of Paul VI, and an awesome reproduction of a papal proclamation for the early 1800's. All of the sudden another vendor gets in front of my cart, actually sticks her head in, and starts rifling through the pictures. The proclamation catches her eye. She points at it and the following dialogue ensues.
HER: What is that? What does it say?
ME: It's a papal proclamation.
HER: What?
ME: A papal proclamation.
HER: What?
ME: The Catholic guy. The Pope.
HER: Oh. What's it about?
ME: A religious order.
HER: What?
ME: A religious order.
HER: What?
ME: NUNS!
HER: Oh!
Her head is still in the cart and she's still going through the pictures. I am trying to hurry, but am at a total loss how to deal with her besides running her over with the cart. She finds the picture of Paul VI.
HER: Who's that?
ME: It's a Pope.
HER: Oh. Look! Elvis!
With that, I finally wrest the cart away from her and stash it in my booth. By this time they are turning the lights out.
The next day, I'm back to put everything out. A guy comes in and starts going through the comics. He asks me if I have any comics that have "iconical movies in them." That's his word. Iconical. He finds a Predator comic, but is really confused because Ah-nold isn't on the cover. I try to explain to him that there have been several Predator comics series that weren't based on the movies. (Also Alien.) He doesn't quite get it. I also tell him that it's hard for me to keep track of what sells, so if he checks the boxes, he might find what he's looking for.
A little later, he's got two comics, costing three bucks total. He asks me if he could just pay two for them. I don't negotiate prices that low, so I turn him down. He says: "Oh, so they're as marked." Um, yeah. Right then, I notice his phone. He's been looking them up on the internet! I honestly don't care if someone does crap like that, but for goodness' sake, put the dang phone up before you start bartering on prices. Sheesh!
One of these days, Keith may really have to bring the bail money. I can understand why so many dealers you run into are nasty cranks. If it weren't for drinking, I would be too. And by drinking, I mean coffee and Diet Dr Pepper.
I have a confession to make. I fell off the moratorium wagon last week. It was just a little stumble. I swear. A sign went up Thursday night announcing a yard sale right down the street from me on Friday. I like to support the neighbors, even though the sales in our area aren't always that great.
I bought some shot glasses and an interesting religious statue. I'll hold off on sharing the statue until I look a couple of things up first. I want to make sure that I am remembering some details correctly. I've got a few little religious articles I am holding on my desk for a post, so I'll throw them all together one day this week. Or next. It's cool stuff, I swear.
The glasses with the various liquor names/logos on them will be sold individually. I figure that there are fans of each kind of booze that will only want that brand. The glasses with the pool theme will stay together. I think they'll sell pretty fast. Pool and poker motifs seem to be good sellers for me.
I also went to an estate sale that was in the neighborhood. It was too close to ignore and run by one of my favorite companies. They're courteous, professional, well-organized and always have great prices. I didn't spend much there.
This tool box was for a Benzo-matic torch. It's empty, but still has the label on it. I also got a couple of small things, but I cannot seem to find them right now. Maybe later.
The big one came a little later. A few times a year, Barnes and Noble has a clearance sale. They slap red stickers on a bunch of stuff and put up signs saying that all red sticker stuff is 50% off. After a few weeks, it goes to 75%. That really thins the table down. A few more weeks, and everything is two dollars.
My strategy is always the same. Case the tables when it's 50%. Make mental notes and bide my time. Strike when it gets to 75% off, but stick to items that would be under ten bucks regular retail. Those are cheaper at 75% off than at 2 bucks. When it hits two bucks, clear the table. I know I'm going to miss out on some items, but there's always a nice selection of coffee table books, doo-dads, puzzles, games, and gift sets that are usually pretty pricey. These will become my stock of new gift ideas for the holidays.
Lots of people don't want to give secondhand for the holidays, so to avoid the sales dip, I have lots of nice shiny NIP stuff for sale. It works well for me. I get the right amount of stuff at basically wholesale prices. I can offer it much less than full retail, but still make a good profit. It's easier than working with a wholesaler. There's no minimums to order for maximum discounts. And the quality of the goods is much better.
It might have been a slip, but it's also one of the keys to my having a good holiday season. They have a couple of these clearances through the year, and I keep an eye out for them. There's one at the first of the year that's largely Christmas, but also has other stuff in it. One in the spring or summer, and sometimes one in the fall, but not always.
This time the selection was very nerd friendly.
 |
| Are you a chick who fell in from outer space? |
A bevy of Batgirls. This is the original Batgirl in her original outfit with her 1970's logo on the box. I like classic versions of the characters like this, since that is what I grew up reading. Batgirl has been through a lot of changes over the years. I'm not really interested in much of them. The box even has a version of one of the classic DC Comics logos on it. Oh yeah! These are keychains made out of yarn. How cool is that?
A few other characters in the same style. If there had been a Wonder Woman or Batman version of there, I'd be keeping one of them for me! You can never go wrong with classic Wonder Woman or Batman. For real.
 |
| I am vengeance! |
The only Marvel character at either of the BN's in town was Ghost Rider. Interesting. A Hulk in this style would have been too cute!
 |
| Up, up, and away! |
A squad of Supermen. These are cool. They're magnetic, so if you have other figures, you can mix and match them to make your own Franken-heroes. Fighting the urge to keep one.
 |
| Cow-a-bunga! |
TMNT keychains. Can't go wrong with TMNT.
 |
| Ahoy! |
Matees! I'd never heard of them, but they're some kind of odd looking pirates. And cute. Very cute.
 |
| Unfortunately, the Pulp Fiction figure doesn't dance. |
Nostalgia action figures from 80's/90's movies, plus classic movie monsters. Cool. These were actually at the upper end of my ten dollar cut off point, but I knew they would not last at 75% off. The extra 10% off for Barnes and Noble members helps bring the price down to my level for this go around.
I actually got the whole Goonies crew and most of the Alien figures. Sadly, no Alien. :-(
Some other assorted stuff: pricey candles, fancy pick up sticks, etc. I made myself resist the notecard selection, as I have lots of notecards right now. They're slow sellers, so I'm not picking up any more until what I have is closer to gone.
I also got a couple of books for me. The comic covers book was not 75% off, but it was cheap, so I splurged. I'd love to scan some of these images and then try my hand at computer coloring. This is classic, cornball, cheesy stuff that I totally love! I need to do a post some day about what I go for in terms of comics.
Now all I have to do is wait a couple of weeks for the two dollar leftovers and clean up again.
There might have been a slight indiscretion on Saturday, which resulted in someone attending a few events where goods were sold in front of private dwellings. Currency might have been exchanged for a very select few of these goods. However, there is no recorded image of said goods in the back of a certain motorized conveyance, so there is no evidence of said indiscretion. Rumor has it that there might be more information and a few of those recorded images to come on a certain beloved blog in the very near future. That's the conjecture anyway. Make of it what you will.
Also, there might have been a half-price day at that estate sale on Sunday where there might have been a table of rusty tools that might have cost 50 cents each or maybe even fill a bag for five dollars. Just saying. You know how rumors get around. Don't believe a thing until you see the blog post. That's my motto.
Speculated lapses notwithstanding, I am still at least trying to lay low on the junking front. I've got some big opportunities coming up and I want to have some extra cash for them.
In September, I am going to see my brother, and he's going to take me junking, Chattanooga style. Also in September is the next Big Flea, and it's one of the shows with the awesome antique wing. In October, we're planning to do the Highway 60 sale, which goes down through western Kentucky. I had an awesome time last year and hope to do so again. Finally, November brings my birthday junking extravaganza. I'm already making my list of places I want to go.
It's going to be a kind of quiet week. I have some booth projects in mind that I want to get started on. I have figured out how to work another shelf into the Aisle Booth and I want to start getting the Endcap Booth ready for fall decor items by the end of the month. I'm starting to ponder Halloween and Christmas as well. One of the reasons I'm not doing heavy duty smalls restocking right now is to make some space for the seasonal stuff that's upcoming. That will also mean lots of new booth pics for you all. Goody!
I also want to rework the books in the religion section. There spread out over three different book shelves, just a shelf here and a shelf there. I want to get them all together.
The heat broke a little at the end of last week, and it looks like that might carry over to this week. Yay! If that does happen, I'm going to try to squeeze a day of shed work in, if I'm not too tired. I moved my yard sale back to the end of August, so I would have more time to get stuff ready.
Saturday, we'll be taking our annual trip to the cemetery. I had put that off for a couple of weeks too. Someone might end up stopping at a flea market down there in my old home town, but this is purely conjecture and rumor.
July ended up being a very good booth month for me. I think it was my best month since moving into this store. Plus, it was well over the previous two months. I'm working it a lot more, but I seem to be moving in the right direction. August is a worrying month, so I'm a little trepidatious as we go forward. We've got back to school, plus the Kentucky State Fair, both of which take a lot of attention away from those of us with booths. I did start off with a very good weekend, so I'm happy. There are five Saturdays in August, which is nice.
And with that, I'm going to take a nap. After all, you all keep telling me to rest. I'm listening I'm listening!
Sunday, August 02, 2015
Button, Button. Who's got the Button? (Part VI)
With this one, we say "good bye" to my wonderful bag of vintage buttons.
I wanted to highlight one more set of awesome designs.
Also a few crests.
Hope you all enjoyed looking at a few cool buttons. I've had more fun with these buttons than I have with any other recent find. I hope you all did too.
Let's see what wonders the junk gods have to throw my way now.
I wanted to highlight one more set of awesome designs.
 |
| I just love that heart at the bottom! |
Also a few crests.
 |
| Lots of metal buttons have crests on them. |
Hope you all enjoyed looking at a few cool buttons. I've had more fun with these buttons than I have with any other recent find. I hope you all did too.
Let's see what wonders the junk gods have to throw my way now.
Saturday, August 01, 2015
Retro Y'all!
In between their folk-rock era and the dawn of disco, there was this kind of forgotten classic. I always thought Barry did the falsetto parts at the end, but I was wrong.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Ask Eddie Anythng: Booth Business (Part 2)
BOOTHS 4&5: THE AISLE BOOTH
Moving down Aisle 6 from the Endcap Booth and passing two not very well-tended spaces on the right will bring you to my final double spot, which I refer to as the "Aisle Booth" because, well, it's on the aisle.
This is the view coming down the aisle. This booth starts with those pink bears and runs to the brown bookcase in the distance. I hate having that pole right there, but there's nothing I can do about it. I have almost knocked that fire extinguisher off that pole more than once.
Here is a more head on view into the booth.
This is kind of my catchall booth for stuff that doesn't work in the other spots. It's also my spot for the oddball and eclectic. It's also my problem child. I'm just not happy with this space right now. You'll see why in a minute.
This is the home for my religious section, which includes religious books and media. I would love to work one more shelf in here for religious stuff, but I can't think of a way to do it without violating the laws of time and space and causing the universe to implode. I'd hate to end up floating in the timeless, spaceless quantum void and have one of you drift by and say: "Way to go. You just had to try and put one more shelf in there, didn't you?"
I have a few pieces of small furniture in this booth, mainly overflow from the Endcap Booth. I am toying with the idea of grabbing a bunch of chairs and such out of storage and going whole hog with them in here. Can you really have too much small furniture? Maybe I could put more religious items on the small furniture, thus eliminating the need for another shelf! Huzzah! The universe is saved! I am a hero once again!
This is also my spot for kid-sized furniture and large toys. And non-vintage, non-nerd toys in general. Toys are fun, but, man, are they a lot of work. Kids are messy.
And I have a nice selection of barware. I must have a regular crew of drinkers and smokers that shop from me, because I sell a lot of this stuff.
I hate this shelf. It has out lived its usefulness and, frankly, was never that useful to begin with. I bought it from another vendor in a panic when I was moving in this store, because all of my other shelves were in use in Dixie. It's too deep and awkward to display stuff, plus it's clunky and ugly and just gets on my nerves! I need to come up with a plan to get rid of and replace it. Sigh.
Now we come to the problem in this space. These shelves. Well not the shelves, per se, but what's on them. I need for it to be other stuff, but I have a hard and fast rule that nothing comes home from the booth. The only things I will pull are either broken or seasonal holiday stuff. Everything else stays until it sells or rots away. I just move it from booth to booth and spot to spot until that happens. I refer to all my bottom shelves as "purgatory" as that's where stuff ends up sitting after I give up on
I know this is bad retail strategy, but I sell enough on a daily basis that my booth is constantly changing, purgatory shelves notwithstanding. I'm just honestly too lazy to want to schlep stuff home. Every couple of years, I will pull a bunch of the shelf sitters and either donate them or do a bulk sale to another vendor, but nothing's coming back with me.
Where did all this stuff on these shelves come from? Remember a while back when I mentioned that I had bought out a vendor who was leaving? This is part of that stuff. Some of it is the lower quality end of the lot. When you buy a whole booth, you get it all, even the warts and turnip rinds. (Do turnips have rinds?)
I wasn't really intending to buy this woman out. We were negotiating a deal for her shelves, which I liked because of their size. I was moving a bunch of shelves to the Endcap Booth, and these would make good replacements. All of a sudden, she makes this ridiculously low offer for the shelves plus all her stuff. And the rest is history.
There was a lot of good stuff in her space: Fenton, Louisville Stoneware, Hadley, ByBee, Boyd's Bears, a couple of Longabergers, plus a ton of Asian decor. The good stuff went into the Endcap Booth and is selling pretty well for me. I've made my money back on the deal in just a few weeks.
It's just that there's now a lot of this stuff to deal with. Combs. Bibs. Shoes. Hair accessories. Vegetable peelers. There's nothing wrong with any of that stuff or with the people who sell it. It's just not me, and it's taking up space that I want to use for other stuff.
The toys and glass on the white shelves I kind of like, except for the fact that the toys keep falling off the shelves if you look at them sideways. And there's way too much of the glass. We're talking like a metric shit ton of glassware. I'm not kidding.
There are DOZENS of these divided relish dishes! Who serves that much relish, besides maybe the Queen of England. Oh wait, she doesn't serve relish because it makes her gassy. Don't ask me how I know this.
It's that way with every glass piece. Instead of one or two, there are many multiples. The glass was one of the reasons I got the booth, but I seriously underestimated how much of it there was. Some of this stuff has got to go.
Since I've made my money back, I'm starting to mark this stuff down. Way down. There is enough of it that I'll still make a killer profit on the sheer bulk of the stuff. Hopefully, that will move this stuff out fast!
Whatever is left at the end of the month will go in my yard sale. I will be doing a one time only violation of the "no pulling items" rule and yanking any of this that is left and selling it even cheaper. Anything left after that will be donated. Hopefully, there will be very little for the yard sale.
The good stuff will stay full price and stay in the Endcap Booth.
I guess that wraps up the whole booth tour thing, and also our first Ask Eddie Anything. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to swing through these parts any time. I'll be glad to help you fill up a cart.
Moving down Aisle 6 from the Endcap Booth and passing two not very well-tended spaces on the right will bring you to my final double spot, which I refer to as the "Aisle Booth" because, well, it's on the aisle.
This is the view coming down the aisle. This booth starts with those pink bears and runs to the brown bookcase in the distance. I hate having that pole right there, but there's nothing I can do about it. I have almost knocked that fire extinguisher off that pole more than once.
Here is a more head on view into the booth.
This is kind of my catchall booth for stuff that doesn't work in the other spots. It's also my spot for the oddball and eclectic. It's also my problem child. I'm just not happy with this space right now. You'll see why in a minute.
This is the home for my religious section, which includes religious books and media. I would love to work one more shelf in here for religious stuff, but I can't think of a way to do it without violating the laws of time and space and causing the universe to implode. I'd hate to end up floating in the timeless, spaceless quantum void and have one of you drift by and say: "Way to go. You just had to try and put one more shelf in there, didn't you?"
 |
| I promise there is a chair under all that crap. |
I have a few pieces of small furniture in this booth, mainly overflow from the Endcap Booth. I am toying with the idea of grabbing a bunch of chairs and such out of storage and going whole hog with them in here. Can you really have too much small furniture? Maybe I could put more religious items on the small furniture, thus eliminating the need for another shelf! Huzzah! The universe is saved! I am a hero once again!
This is also my spot for kid-sized furniture and large toys. And non-vintage, non-nerd toys in general. Toys are fun, but, man, are they a lot of work. Kids are messy.
And I have a nice selection of barware. I must have a regular crew of drinkers and smokers that shop from me, because I sell a lot of this stuff.
 |
| I am talking about that rack in the background here |
I hate this shelf. It has out lived its usefulness and, frankly, was never that useful to begin with. I bought it from another vendor in a panic when I was moving in this store, because all of my other shelves were in use in Dixie. It's too deep and awkward to display stuff, plus it's clunky and ugly and just gets on my nerves! I need to come up with a plan to get rid of and replace it. Sigh.
Now we come to the problem in this space. These shelves. Well not the shelves, per se, but what's on them. I need for it to be other stuff, but I have a hard and fast rule that nothing comes home from the booth. The only things I will pull are either broken or seasonal holiday stuff. Everything else stays until it sells or rots away. I just move it from booth to booth and spot to spot until that happens. I refer to all my bottom shelves as "purgatory" as that's where stuff ends up sitting after I give up on
I know this is bad retail strategy, but I sell enough on a daily basis that my booth is constantly changing, purgatory shelves notwithstanding. I'm just honestly too lazy to want to schlep stuff home. Every couple of years, I will pull a bunch of the shelf sitters and either donate them or do a bulk sale to another vendor, but nothing's coming back with me.
Where did all this stuff on these shelves come from? Remember a while back when I mentioned that I had bought out a vendor who was leaving? This is part of that stuff. Some of it is the lower quality end of the lot. When you buy a whole booth, you get it all, even the warts and turnip rinds. (Do turnips have rinds?)
I wasn't really intending to buy this woman out. We were negotiating a deal for her shelves, which I liked because of their size. I was moving a bunch of shelves to the Endcap Booth, and these would make good replacements. All of a sudden, she makes this ridiculously low offer for the shelves plus all her stuff. And the rest is history.
There was a lot of good stuff in her space: Fenton, Louisville Stoneware, Hadley, ByBee, Boyd's Bears, a couple of Longabergers, plus a ton of Asian decor. The good stuff went into the Endcap Booth and is selling pretty well for me. I've made my money back on the deal in just a few weeks.
It's just that there's now a lot of this stuff to deal with. Combs. Bibs. Shoes. Hair accessories. Vegetable peelers. There's nothing wrong with any of that stuff or with the people who sell it. It's just not me, and it's taking up space that I want to use for other stuff.
The toys and glass on the white shelves I kind of like, except for the fact that the toys keep falling off the shelves if you look at them sideways. And there's way too much of the glass. We're talking like a metric shit ton of glassware. I'm not kidding.
There are DOZENS of these divided relish dishes! Who serves that much relish, besides maybe the Queen of England. Oh wait, she doesn't serve relish because it makes her gassy. Don't ask me how I know this.
It's that way with every glass piece. Instead of one or two, there are many multiples. The glass was one of the reasons I got the booth, but I seriously underestimated how much of it there was. Some of this stuff has got to go.
Since I've made my money back, I'm starting to mark this stuff down. Way down. There is enough of it that I'll still make a killer profit on the sheer bulk of the stuff. Hopefully, that will move this stuff out fast!
Whatever is left at the end of the month will go in my yard sale. I will be doing a one time only violation of the "no pulling items" rule and yanking any of this that is left and selling it even cheaper. Anything left after that will be donated. Hopefully, there will be very little for the yard sale.
The good stuff will stay full price and stay in the Endcap Booth.
 |
| I use every inch of space in this booth too. Everything builds up! |
I guess that wraps up the whole booth tour thing, and also our first Ask Eddie Anything. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to swing through these parts any time. I'll be glad to help you fill up a cart.
 |
| Let us pray! |
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Button, Button. Who's got the Button? (Part V)
Hearken ye...
to the conclusion of the tale from the Button Pile!
After the play, everyone went outside to look at the sky.
 |
| This is turning into a fairy tale! |
A carriage...
pulled by a ram...
 |
| Insert moose noise here. |
and a moose came up the driveway.
A cowboy...
 |
| Howdy! |
and an Indian chief got out.
They sang...
 |
| Fa la la |
 |
| King Tut! |
Egyptian folk songs....
 |
| Twinkle twinkle little star... |
told horoscopes...
 |
| Yeee-haw! |
and did rodeo tricks for everyone.
Afterwards, they all went bowling....
 |
| Strike! |
 |
| Net! |
and played tennis...
 |
| Here comes Suzy Snowflake! |
until it started to snow.
 |
| Shooosh! |
Then they went skiing!
Everyone had so much fun that they decided to stay on the moon. If you look really closely on a clear night you can see them all, laughing and having fun.
And everyone lived happily ever after!
THE END!
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.
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