LEARNING BY IMMERSION - AND TENDING THE BAR
STUDYING THE ANTIQUE TRADE FROM ALL SIDES, AND THEN SOME
I WAS ONE OF THE VOLUNTEERS FROM THE TOWN'S HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ASSIGNED TO THE FIRST BRACEBRIDGE ANTIQUE SHOW…..AND THEN SOME, AS THE SALE BECAME AN ANNUAL EVENT. THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WAS THE BENEFICIARY OF THE THREE DAY SALE, TO HELP FUND OUR MUSEUM, KNOWN AS WOODCHESTER VILLA. THE THREE DAY SHOW AND SALE WAS HELD AT THE BRACEBRIDGE ARENA. THIS WAS BACK IN THE MID 1980'S. I WAS GIVEN TWO JOBS, OVER SEVERAL YEARS AS A VOLUNTEER. THE FIRST JOB WAS TO SERVE AS BARTENDER IN THE UPSTAIR'S LOUNGE. THE SECOND WAS TO TAKE A NIGHT-SHIFT AS SECURITY PERSONNEL. FOR THAT ONE, I SLEPT IN THE ARENA GONDOLA. I HAD THE BEST VIEW OF THE FLOOR, AND A NUMBER OF IMPROVISED WEAPONS (PLASTIC POP CONTAINERS) I COULD THROW DOWN AT THOSE STAGING AN ANTIQUE HEIST. I ALSO HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF PUCKS UP THERE, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL, UNTIL THE PERPETRATORS FIGURED OUT THAT MY ARSENAL WASN'T PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS OR THREATENING……BUT JUST A NUISANCE. I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A PHONE LINE OUT, BEING UP THERE, AND THE ONLY THING I COULD HAVE DONE, OUTSIDE OF TOSSING DOWN ASSORTED ITEMS AND GENERAL DEBRIS, WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ENGAGE THE SCOREBOARD AND THE END OF PERIOD BUZZER. OH YEA, AND I COULD HAVE MADE LENGTHY AND ANNOYING ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER THE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM. I COULD HAVE BORED THEM INTO FLEEING. OF COURSE, IF THEY HAD WANTED TO SHOOT ME, I WAS THE LITERAL SITTING DUCK WATCHMAN, WITH NO EXIT STRATEGY, ACCEPT CLIMBING THROUGH THE RAFTERS.
BOTH THESE POSITIONS, EARLY IN MY OWN FLEDGLING CAREER AS AN ANTIQUE DEALER, HELPED ME IMBED, TEMPORARILY, IN THE SET-UP AND RUNNING OF A MAJOR ANTIQUE SHOW. THE BRACEBRIDGE SALE CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, BUT HAS MOVED A FEW BLOCKS EAST TO THE AGRICULTURAL HALL INSTEAD OF THE ARENA. WHEN I TOOK MY FIRST SHIFT, OF THE WEEKEND SHOW, AS BARTENDER, A FASCINATING THING HAPPENED. MOST OF MY EVENING REGULARS, WERE VENDORS AND HELPERS. FROM THE FIRST PART OF THE SHOW, ON THURSDAY EVENING, I HAD A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO CONVERSE WITH VENDORS GETTING READY FOR THE OPENING NIGHT CROWD. WHICH OF COURSE IS THE PREMIUM TIME TO VISIT, AND ADMISSION WAS A BUCK OR TWO MORE THAN ON BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. ANTIQUE HUNTERS LIKE TO GET IN WHEN THE BEST PIECES ARE BEING SHOWCASED. THEY MIGHT COME BACK DURING THE OTHER TWO DAYS, BUT IT'S OPENING NIGHT THAT OFFERS POTENTIAL PRIZES TO THE EAGER BEAVER. MANY ANTIQUE SHOPPERS WILL THEN RETURN, LATE IN THE SHOW, AS DEALERS ARE THINKING ABOUT THE CHORE OF PACKING UP AGAIN. THIS APPARENTLY IS A GOOD TIME TO STRIKE UP A DEAL FOR A DESIRED PIECE. HAVING DONE THESE SHOWS AS VENDORS, IN LATER YEARS, I KNOW THIS DOES HAPPEN, AND WE'VE WATCHED DEALERS SWITCH QUICKLY FROM WRAPPING A PIECE OF VINTAGE GLASS TO GO BACK INTO THEIR VEHICLE, TO WRAPPING AND BAGGING IT INSTEAD FOR A LATE-IN-THE-SHOW CUSTOMER. IT NEVER HAPPENED TO US, BUT I KNOW THIS DOES ENTER INTO THE BUYER'S STRATEGY. I'VE ALSO HEARD DEALERS TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND YES, DURING MY STINT AS A BARTENDER. I HEARD A LOT OF STORIES ON THAT OCCASION, AND IT WAS A GREAT HAPPENSTANCE TUTORIAL.
SOME OF THE VENDORS SHOWED UP AT THE BAR, ABOUT A HALF HOUR BEFORE THE SHOW OPENED. THERE HAD BEEN A SPECIAL GET TOGETHER OF DEALERS, HOSTED BY THE SHOW ORGANIZERS, AND QUITE A FEW LAUNCHED THE THREE DAY SALE WITH A SIP OR TWO OF WINE. I DIDN'T GET TOO MUCH AT THIS POINT, BUT EVERYONE SEEMED VERY EXCITED BY THE LINE-UP OUTSIDE, OF NEW ARRIVALS, ANXIOUS TO PAY THEIR ADMISSION AND START SCOURING THE BOOTHS FOR GREAT FINDS. AS THE EVENING PROGRESSED, HAPPY VENDORS WOULD TAKE REFRESHMENT BREAKS, USUALLY AFTER A MAJOR FLURRY OF SALES. THEY TOLD ME SO. THEY TRIED TO BUY THE BARTENDER DRINKS, BUT ALL I WANTED WERE BANKABLE SALE TIPS, AS THIS WAS THE PROFESSION I WANTED TO FOLLOW IN THE FUTURE. IT WASN'T LONG, BEFORE I WAS TALKING OVER THE BAR WITH TWO, THREE, AND FOUR DEALERS AT A TIME, ALL BUZZING ABOUT THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED SALES. WHAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, HONESTLY, WAS THAT THEY WERE CHATTING ABOUT TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THEMSELVES, FROM EARLIER IN THE SHOW. ACTUALLY, WELL BEFORE THE SHOW BEGAN. I HAD TO ASK MORE ABOUT THIS, ONCE I'D WON THEIR CONFIDENCE AS A BARTENDER, WILLING TO ENTERTAIN ALL KINDS OF PERSONAL CONFESSIONALS AND ANECDOTES. THEY DID MAKE ME LAUGH. I NEVER THOUGHT ANTIQUE DEALERS WERE A FUNNY BUNCH, BUT AFTER A FEW GLASSES OF WINE, IT WAS A GOOD-HUMOR GATHERING THAT'S FOR SURE.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT PRE-SHOW SALES?" I ASKED THE GROUP OF THREE, WHO WERE QUITE CONTENT TO LET THEIR BUSINESS PARTNERS (SPOUSES) RUN THEIR BOOTHS. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT WORDING OF THE RESPONSE, BUT I MUST ADMIT TO BEING RATHER SHOCKED. I WAS NEW TO THIS STUFF YOU SEE. I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT THERE WAS A BRISK TRADE BETWEEN DEALERS BEFORE THE FIRST CUSTOMERS WERE ALLOWED INTO THE ARENA. "ISN'T THAT CHEATING?" I ENQUIRED. "I MEAN, THESE CUSTOMERS HAVE PAID A PREMIUM PRICE TO GET INTO THE SHOW, BUT SOME PIECES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SOLD IN ADVANCE." THEY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I HAD JUST FALLEN OFF THE CABBAGE TRUCK. BASICALLY, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL YOUR LIFE KID? APPARENTLY, IT'S A PRETTY COMMON THING, AND IN SOME CASES, PIECES ARE SOLD SEVERAL TIMES, FROM DEALER TO DEALER AS THEY ARRIVE AT THE SHOW, UP TO THE VERY END, WHEN THE VEHICLES ARE BEING LOADED. THE DEALER TO DEALER COMMERCE CAN BE VERY BRISK, AND I'M TOLD IT CAN BOTH ENHANCE A DEALER'S WEEKEND, AND MAKE PROFIT FROM WITHIN, EVEN IF THE THREE DAYS SALES FIGURES PROVE LACKLUSTER. SO I SERVED UP MORE DRINKS, AND WE TALKED AND TALKED ABOUT THE MINUTE DETAILS OF FOLLOWING THE SHOW CIRCUIT AROUND THE PROVINCE. THESE FOLKS KNEW EACH OTHER SO WELL, AS TO GET TOGETHER FOR LUNCHES AND DINNERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE EVENTS. I NEVER KNEW THIS. I THOUGHT DEALERS WERE CUT-THROAT, HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE, AND NARROW FOCUSED…..AND HABITUALLY ANTI-SOCIAL. I WAS MILES OFF BASE WITH THIS, AS I CAME TO FIND OUT DURING THAT WEEKEND SOCIAL OCCASION. THEY SURE STRAIGHTENED ME OUT DURING THAT BARTENDING GIG. BEST VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE EVER!
TRADE BETWEEN DEALERS IS COMMONPLACE AND AN EXAMPLE OF MATERIAL NETWORKING
What a few of the dealers explained, later in the evening…..because they could see I was perplexed, is that they often attend shows, bringing with them specific items they know associate dealers will want for their own collections or for sale in their own booths. They already know the dealers who are going to attend the event, and what items may be used as trade bait, or desired by specialist vendors with dolls, glass, pine, primitives, and the list goes on and on. So it is good business, to bring these items along, just in case a neighbor dealer, wishes to have the item you've hauled to the show, to enhance their booth….and to consolidate inventory; instead of a vendor who sells primitive pine, and mounted fish, selling a Victorian doll carriage, for instance, it is more fiscally sensible to pass this opportunity to purchase, at a dealer price, to the specialist at the show who offers dolls, cradles and carriages as routine inventory. There are many other cases, where antique and collectible items are traded and sold, dealer to dealer, which often makes only a marginal difference to price. But it can. I learned that this does happen, where a dealer will sell a piece to another vendor, and the price will be gently increased. This is usually the case, when a generalist dealer offers something to a specialist vendor, who for example, knows glass more thoroughly than the dealer who brought the piece as part of their inventory. I've heard urban legends, of a particular antique, selling three times, vendor to vendor, before the sale was open to the public. I don't know what the policy is about this at other shows, but I know that ones we've participated in, had no set-down rules that dealers couldn't transfer inventory between themselves at their heart's content. This may make some antique hunters, who go to these shows, a little discontent, but really, when you think about it, there's nothing wrong with this bit of pre-sale jockeying for position. The rule is, you don't sell anything to a visitor, who gets in early during show set-up. Even as a volunteer, we had a huge problem with people trying to get in to the arena, while dealers were arriving, who were trying to sell their antiques…..and get some free appraisals. This was frowned upon by organizers, so we were asked to monitor the doors, and escort interlopers out of the building. If dealers made purchases, and sold some of their own items to the public, before the start of the show, it would have had to be outside the building, where organizers had no authority to stop the transactions. I watched many purchases being made, and some dealers didn't like the fact we were trying to get those people to leave the building. I was just doing my job, not setting down any policing agenda.
Up at the bar, the better the commerce, the more they enjoyed their wine and beer……or so it seemed. As any bartender can attest, sooner or later, you're going to be sworn to secrecy, when a patron wants to share a big story with the guy polishing the glassware. As I had confessed to being a part-time antique dealer at that time, and I was generous with the portions (which is of course against the law), they took me under their collective wing, and explained many intricacies of the profession, I didn't know and wouldn't have even expected. They were very careful not to give me too much information, especially about mark-ups, but on more than one occasion, the celebration and "the rounds" they purchased, indicated clearly, that they had made a large, large profit, from the price they had originally payed to acquire whatever it was that just sold. I was happy for them, but even more thrilled when they'd let me in on some of their trade secrets, which was different for each of the vendors, and some of their marketing strategies…..which during this show, was hitting the mark hour after hour. I was curious most of all, if these vendors operated shops as well as being traveling vendors across the province. "What are you crazy," one dealer barked. "I would never go back to sitting in as shop all day, watching my life slip through the hour glass." This bloke had found the antique show circuit perfect for his, and his wife's retirement. "A shop is just a ball and chain, my friend," he chortled. "We like traveling and the shows take us all over the place…..Quebec, the Maritimes, and the United States." Seeing as Suzanne and I were considering opening a shop up, in the near future, this wasn't the advice I had anticipated. I knew what he meant, and respected it, but nonetheless, it was the first time I'd heard this disdain for operating an antique shop.
I got a lot of buying tips, and hunting and gathering advice, and some really amazing collecting stories as part of the tutorial that evening. I was very grateful. They sure seemed like a happy bunch, and it was obvious the traveling, loading, unloading, and living like vagabonds appealed to their sense of freedom and desire for liberation from the work they had been involved in, prior to becoming antique dealers. Some had shops before they decided to change direction, but most of those I talked with, that evening, were retired from other professions they'd been involved in for much of their lives. The antique aspect had been a sideline during this time, which was stepped up to a more serious pre-occupation after their careers ended. This was the manifestation of longterm retirement planning, and it was obvious for most of those I met, that the antique profession was also very lucrative to those who knew what they were doing. I was a greenhorn, even though, by this time, I'd already had involvement in a family antique shop, in Bracebridge, and had carried on buying and selling old stuff, after the business was closed….due to other opportunities popping up that were even more lucrative. My parents moved north to Parry Sound, where my father became a partner in a lumber yard, and I began working as a news editor for a small publication in West Muskoka. I was still an antique dealer at heart. We would open another shop in a few years.
My other volunteer position, as an overnight security guard, allowed me to browse all the vendor booths, with nary a soul stepping on my shoes, or bumping into me as I studied the inventory in the beautifully appointed showcases. I took my time, and saw everything I wanted to see, and additionally, studied prices being asked for the wide array of antiques and collectibles. I sat up in the gondola later, looking down on the acre of amazing heirloom pieces, and I knew this was what I wanted to do as a companion profession to writing. There was an excitement attached to the trade, I couldn't explain. It wasn't necessary to dissect my feelings. It was enough to know, that being surrounded by antiques, old glass, oil lamps (my favorite collectible in those years) crockery, primitive pine, and amazing art work, made me happy. Real happy. And it didn't take a glass of wine to make me feel this way, or to get excited about going down to see the show in progress. In fact, Suzanne and I bought quite a few things over that amazing weekend. We've been to many hundreds of shows ever since. I still see, from time to time, some of the vendors I met way back in the 1980's……when I poured them that celebratory beverage, upon the completion of another successful transaction on the arena floor. Hey, it's not always this light and lively, and there are a lot of frustrations and slow business venues, to contend with, but overall, it seems the kind of profession when the peaks always seem to be more powerful and compensating, than the valleys are low and discouraging. As a dealer for all these years, I can confirm this as true. It's now our retirement business, and yes, we've been known to sip a little wine, when we've had a good day as well.
Some of the show vendors would probably still laugh at me for deciding to open a formal shop, versus tagging along with them on the show circuit. Maybe I'm just too lazy and hate living out of suitcases, and the back of the van. I've done that, and truth be known, I'm a status quo stickler, and our main street location is a case in point.
Bless you for dropping by for a visit. It gets awfully quiet at this keyboard, and outside of the cats scratching themselves, and the dog gnawing on a bone, I can start feeling alone in cyberspace. So it's always pleasant to know that I've got company……I just can't see you for this bright light in front. Thanks again for returning day after day to read what this old writer has to offer. Please come back any time to visit.
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