THE ONLINE SELLING EXPERIENCE VERSUS SETTING UP SHOP! THE BENEFITS, THE RISKS, THE WORK LOAD
WE STILL SELL AND BUY ON EBAY
A WHILE AGO, EBAY THREW US A NASTY CURVE, WHEN THEY CHANGED SOME OF THEIR SELLING RULES, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PRE-ESTIMATED SHIPPING CHARGES THEY INSISTED WE INCLUDE IN OUR LISTING INFORMATION……WHICH FOR US WAS A REAL HARDSHIP, FROM THE WAY WE HAD BEEN DOING THIS PREVIOUSLY. WHAT THE RULE CHANGE MEANT IN A NUTSHELL, WAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WRAP EVERY AUCTION ITEM BEFORE ACTUALLY LISTING IT ON THE SITE, SO THAT, BY WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENT, THE COST COULD BE INCLUDED IMMEDIATELY. THIS, TO OUR WAY OF THINKING, AND DOING BUSINESS DURING THE DECADE PREVIOUS, WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO, BASED ON THE FACT WE SELL A WIDE ARRAY OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, OF MANY STRANGE SIZES AND SIGNIFICANT WEIGHTS. AND SHIPPING HAS ALWAYS, FOR US AT LEAST, DEPENDED ON CUSTOMER DEMANDS. WE WOULDN'T PRE-PACKAGE OUR AUCTION ITEMS, TO BE ABLE TO OFFER EXACT SHIPPING COSTS IN ADVANCE, SIMPLY BECAUSE, OUR AVERAGE, AFTER ABOUT TEN YEARS OF BEING SELLERS, REMAINED AT BETWEEN THIRTY AND FORTY PERCENT, FOR EVERY TEN ITEMS WE PUT UP FOR AUCTION. WE SOLD FOUR ITEMS OUT OF TEN ITEMS LISTED. ROUGHLY. SOMETIMES BETTER, SOMETIMES LESSER. SO WRAPPING UP ITEMS THAT POTENTIALLY WOULDN'T SELL, JUST TO GET A CAP ON THE DIMENSIONS, AND WEIGHT, NOT TO MENTION DESTINATION, WORKED OUT TO A GENERAL WASTE OF TIME AND EFFORT. WHATEVER MONEY WE MADE ON THE FOUR OUT OF TEN ITEMS THAT SOLD, WAS USED UP IN TIME SPENT WRAPPING UP AUCTION ITEMS THAT DIDN'T SELL. IF WE HAD BEEN SELLING SMALL ITEMS, THAT COULD BE SHIPPED IN STANDARD SMALL PACKET CONTAINERS, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH EASIER. WE WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE WITH SIZES AND WEIGHTS, AND PRE-WRAPPING WAS COUNTER PRODUCTIVE IN ALMOST EVERY WAY. AS MANY OF OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS PREFERRED, THEY WOULD ASK TO PICK UP THE ITEMS THEY WON, FROM OUR GRAVENHURST BUSINESS LOCATION. SO WE WOULD HAVE WRAPPED THE ITEMS FOR NOTHING.
WHAT WE HAD BEEN DOING FROM THE BEGINNING, WAS A SIMPLE, UNCOMPLICATED, WORKABLE PROCESS OF SELLING, GETTING THE INFORMATION ON THE MAILING ADDRESS FOR THE BUYER, WRAPPING THE ITEM (SOMETIMES WITH MATERIALS REQUESTED BY THE WINNING BIDDER), AND THEN USING THE CANADA POST SHIPPING GUIDE, TO CALCULATE THE PRECISE MAILING AMOUNT TO PASS ON TO THE BUYER. WE NEVER CHARGED A HANDLING FEE, AND IDENTIFIED THIS CLEARLY TO AUCTION BIDDERS. WHEN BUYERS COMPLAINED ABOUT SHIPPING FEES WE CHARGED, WE SENT THEM TO THE CANADA POST SITE WITH THE INFORMATION WE USED, ON THE PARCEL'S SIZE AND WEIGHT, AND THEY COULD DO THE CALCULATIONS THEMSELVES. THEY LIKED THAT, BECAUSE MANY SELLERS DO ADD SUBSTANTIAL HANDLING FEES…..WHICH IN MY OPINION, IS HOW THEY ARE ABLE TO OFFER THEIR WARES SO CHEAPLY AS AN OPENING BID…..AND TO SOME DEGREE, HOW THEY CAN OFFER STANDARD SHIPPING AMOUNTS BEFORE THEY EVEN KNOW WHERE THE PACKAGE WILL BE SENT. PADDING THE HANDLING FEE CAN OFFSET SHIPPING COST SHORTFALLS. WE ALWAYS COMPLIED WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL BIDDERS, WHEN THEY WOULD ASK FOR A SHIPPING ESTIMATE, TO SEE IF IT WAS AFFORDABLE TO MAIL TO THEIR PART OF THE COUNTRY OR ACROSS THE POND. FOR SOME REASON, IT WAS DECIDED BY EBAY MANAGEMENT, TO FORCE SELLERS TO PUT SHIPPING COSTS OUT THERE, EVEN BEFORE THE ITEM FOR SALE HAD AN OPENING BID. FOR US, NOT HAVING ROUTINE SIZES TO BASE SHIPPING ON, IT BECAME A NIGHTMARE TO MEET THEIR REQUIREMENTS. WE WEREN'T PREPARED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE HAD BEEN SELLING FOR MOST OF THE PREVIOUS DECADE, AT ONE HUNDRED PERCENT APPROVAL BY THE WAY, SO WE SIMPLY BUT REGRETFULLY DROPPED THIS AS A SALES VENUE. OF COURSE, WE STILL BUY FROM EBAY AUCTIONS, BUT WE ARE WATCHFUL OF THE SHIPPING CHARGES BEFORE WE PLACE A BID. YES, WE ALWAYS CHECK THE SELLER'S FEEDBACK, AND WE WILL DEFINITELY RESEARCH THEM, COMMENT BY COMMENT, IF THEY HAVE LESS THAN A 100 PERCENT RATING. WE HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED A ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FEEDBACK, AND WE WERE PROUD OF THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT, HAVING SHIPPED THOUSANDS OF ITEMS AROUND THE GLOBE FOR A DECADE.
WE OFTEN SOLD OUR MUSKOKA COLLECTABLES ONLINE, WITH A PICK-UP OPTION FROM OUR BOYS' GRAVENHURST VINTAGE MUSIC SHOP, ON MUSKOKA ROAD. THIS WAS A GREAT COST SAVING BONUS FOR BIG PIECES THAT WOULD HAVE COST HUNDREDS TO SHIP, AND IT WAS CONVENIENT FOR MANY OF OUR BUYERS WHO HAD NEARBY COTTAGES ON THE MUSKOKA LAKES. WE HAVE SOLD HUNDREDS OF ITEMS ON EBAY THAT REQUIRED NO SHIPPING WHATSOEVER, AND THAT WAS A REAL COST ADVANTAGE ESPECIALLY FOR SUZANNE, WHO WAS THE HANDLER AND SHIPPER. I GAVE HER LOTS OF HEADACHES, WITH THE ITEMS I LISTED, LIKE CREAM SEPARATORS, AND THE MOST UNUSUAL UMBRELLA STAND YOU'VE EVER SEEN. IT WAS MADE OUT OF DOZENS OF HORSESHOES, WELDED TOGETHER, AND THERE WAS NO BOX BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE IT, (AT THE TIME), FORCING SUZANNE TO MAKE HER OWN. I WAS IN THE DOG HOUSE FOR A WEEK AFTER THAT ONE.
EBAY IS A GOOD WAY TO SELL, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO CONFORM
The reason we opted to sell via ebay, in the first place, was that our inventory at the time, represented old books and ephemera which was hard to sell locally, because of content, and easy to ship internationally. Suzanne loved these assignments which often meant stuffing envelopes, and at the very most, a five minute wrapping job on books and the occasional vintage photograph or painting. On one occasion, in the beginning of our online auction experiment, I sold twenty vintage cruise ship menus, from the 1930's, all individually, and all ending their auction time, mere minutes after the other. Suzanne thought I had run them as a grouping, or small collection. This meant hours and hours of work, dealing with all the buyers who, of course, wanted shipping costs immediately, so they could settle the account online. I did get better over the years, and spaced out our auction listings by a few hours each, but occasionally, such as with a large estate we were asked to disperse, we went through about two months of absolute craziness with ephemera listings. It's true that we made a lot of money in a short time, but the work load shaved years off our lives. It was nuts around here, and the house was a complete disaster for two months even after we were finished. There's a lot of collateral damage when you're in full scale online selling, and most of it comes down to supplies needed for shipping. We had acres of cardboard in storage in every room in the house. Suzanne could fashion a box out of single sheets of cardboard, and this is exactly what she had to do for at least half the materials we sold. Many times during this period, we had multiple buyers, who would purchase a range of items with greatly differing sizes. This would have been fine, if the buyer hadn't insisted on us shipping them all in the same box, to save on the cost of shipping separately. I'm not sure they saved any money, but they made us go through the process anyway.
A lot of the ephemera involved materials that required an international audience, such as turn of the century letters sent from a missionary family in China; First World War, and Second World War letters home, and military sanctioned Christmas greetings, that needed the much wider exposure, of an online auction to get the attention of an audience specifically in paper heritage. In a store setting, these materials would have sat in showcases for years on end. This has always been the advantage to us, because we are pretty good at coming up with ephemera, suited to an international audience of collectors. Often times, in the cycle of our own business, we come upon items that are odd sizes, heavy, awkward, and hard to package easily. We just couldn't justify wrapping them before they could be sold at auction, due to time restraints and the potential waste of packing materials which could have been ruined, after being cut and taped to suit one of these odd shaped pieces…….and then have it not sell, forcing us to scavenge the packaging for other parcel construction. We were spending far too much time on packing and unpacking, and while this might have been fine for sellers, offering standard size materials, needing typically small packets, our ability to conform and what was available out on the antique hustings, didn't mesh with ongoing selling through online auctions. Many sellers had similar complaints, back then, and quite a few quit at the same time as the new rules prevailed.
We have considered selling on ebay again, but only on a "pick-up" basis……with no shipping or handling involved. This would work handsomely with Muskoka related collectables, as is our specialty. I'd break Suzanne's heart honestly, if I started listing like a madman, as I once was famous……auctioning off huge and heavy paintings, that required packing skills of an art conservator. She's a pretty good sport about this stuff, but that ten year haul, while teaching during the day, was too much to continue…..especially with more obstacles being placed in the way. If Suzanne had been retired and this was the route we had both selected, instead of opening a small shop, with our boys, then we would have fashioned a more industrial approach to item handling and shipping, than we had been able to get away with, in our fledgling years.
As for online buying, we do it all the time, and our success rate, getting exactly what we paid for from sellers, is also steady at one hundred percent. It pays to buy according to the seller's track record and feedback score.
Thanks for joining me today. I'll take a closer look at online selling in coming blogs, just in case you feel in the mood to go international with your collectables. We'll let you in on a few trade secrets on how to buy and sell with confidence……and make good buys instead of those "oops, I bought a fake" moments. Please visit again.
ANTIQUES, IMMERSION, AND BOOK LEARNING - NO SHORTCUTS
UNDERSTANDING ANTIQUES AND THEIR VALUES REQUIRES A LOT MORE THAN A PRICE GUIDE
WE'VE JUST RETURNED FROM A NOT-SO-REGULAR-ANYMORE SUNDAY ANTIQUE HUNT, WITH SONS ANDREW AND ROBERT. THEY'VE BEEN SO BUSY RECENTLY, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF WORK TO DO AROUND THE HOMESTEAD, SUCH THAT OUR TRADITIONAL SUNDAY ADVENTURES HAVE BEEN GREATLY PARED DOWN TO ONCE A MONTH, IF THAT ANYMORE. IT WAS SUCH A FABULOUS DAY TO MOTOR ABOUT, SO WE HEADED SOUTH TO ORILLIA, WHERE THERE ARE A HALF DOZEN SECOND HAND PLACES WE CHECK OUT…..FOR ANTIQUES AND FOR VINTAGE GUITARS. I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE DID OKAY, AND THE FINDINGS WILL MORE THAN PAY FOR GAS, LUNCH, AND THERE STILL BE A PROFIT IF EVERYTHING SELLS….TO REINVEST THE NEXT TIME A GOOD DEAL PRESENTS. THE BOYS GOT THREE ELECTRIC GUITARS AND TWO ACOUSTIC, ONE BEING A FIXER-UPPER. THEY GOT SOME RECORDS AND ANDREW GOT A LOVELY LITTLE UKELE TO REFURBISH. I FOUND THREE NICE LITTLE PAINTINGS FOR A TINY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TWO BEING FROM THE EARLY 1900'S, THE OTHER, A WELL EXECUTED SIGNED OIL, OF A WINTER SCENE, THAT LOOKS A LITTLE LIKE THE BOG OVER HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW. SUZANNE STRUCK OUT TODAY, BUT ON THE WAY TO ORILLIA AND BACK, SHE FINISHED UP A CUSTOM ORDER OF WINTER CARNIVAL MITTS, FOR THE LEAD SINGER OF THE GROUP, "PRESSURE POINT," TO GO WITH THE SCARF SHE MADE LAST WEEK. IT'S FOR A VIDEO TO BE USED IN THEIR NEW VIDEO FOR THE WINTER CARNIVAL-THEMED SONG, NOW RECORDED AND GETTING POLISHED FOR THE FEBRUARY EVENT.
I HATE COMING BACK HOME, AFTER ONE OF THESE OUTINGS, WITHOUT A PRETTY FAIR LOAD ONBOARD. IT WASN'T THE BEST ANTIQUE HUNT, BUT IT WAS PROFITABLE. I'VE INCLUDED THREE IMAGES OF THE SMALL PAINTINGS FOUND TODAY, THE WINTER SCENE COSTING ABOUT $18, THE MOONLIT CAMP SCENE, (CIRCA 1930'S) $14.00, AND THE PASTEL LAKE-SCENE WITH BUILDING, WAS $7.00. EACH IS WORTH QUITE A BIT MORE BUT THIS WILL TAKE A CLOSER INSPECTION, AND SOME RESEARCH ON THE ARTIST(S).
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT…..IT WAS LIKE CURRIE TRAVELS OF MANY YEARS AGO, THAT ALWAYS PUT NATURE, A MOTOR TRIP, ADVENTURE, OPPORTUNITY, BLUE SKIES, STOPS ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND GOOD FOOD INTO AN ENJOYABLE AFTERNOON ODYSSEY. SUZANNE AND I HAVE BEEN DOING MOST OF THE OUTINGS OURSELVES THESE DAYS, BECAUSE THE WORK IN THE SHOP, FOR THE BOYS, (GRAVENHURST MUSIC STORE), HAS BEEN TAKING UP A LOT MORE TIME……WHICH MEANS THEY'RE BUSY……AND THE ONLY THING THAT'S WRONG WITH THAT……THERE'S LESS TIME TO HIT THE ROAD, AND FIND INVENTORY IN THE MOST CURIOUS OF PLACES. I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THESE CURIOUS PLACES, IN FUTURE BLOGS.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR KNOWLEDGE AS A DEALER /COLLECTOR
HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, I HAVE PROBABLY ACCUMULATED ABOUT A THOUSAND BOOKS ON VARIOUS TYPES OF ANTIQUES, FROM FURNITURE, GLASS, OIL LAMPS, CHINA, SILVER, PEWTER, AGRICULTURAL AND CARPENTRY ANTIQUES, AND IT WOULD TAKE ME AN HOUR TO LIST EVEN A TENTH OF WHAT WE HAVE FOR REFERENCE. WE USE THEM A LOT. ALWAYS HAVE. ADD ONTO THIS, ABOUT THIRTY YEARS IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, ABOUT TWENTY-TWO FOR SUZANNE, AND WITH THIS EDUCATION BY FULL, AND UNCOMPROMISING IMMERSION, WE CAN STILL ADMIT……..GEEZ, WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS AT ALL. AS WE HAVE REMAINED GENERALIST DEALERS, FOR ALL THESE YEARS, WE'VE HAD TO BE UP TO SPEED ON ABOUT A BAZILLION DIFFERENT ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, THAT LITERALLY STRETCH FROM HORIZON TO HORIZON, AND SOME WOULD SAY……WELL BEYOND. IT IS ESPECIALLY SO, WHEN SOMEONE HANDS YOU SOME CRAZY LOOKING THING FROM BABYLON, OR SOME OTHER LOST OR FOUND CITY, AND NOTHING YOU HAVE SHORT OF A TRIP TO THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM IS GOING TO HELP WITH IDENTIFICATION. I DON'T BOTHER TOO MUCH WITH PRICE GUIDES, BUT I DO HAVE SOME FOR GUIDANCE……BUT NOT FOR AFFIRMATION OF VALUES. WE USE THE COMPUTER EXTENSIVELY NOWADAYS, AND IT HAS CERTAINLY HELPED A HUNDRED PERCENT, OVER THE OLD DAYS, WHEN BOOKS AND FIELD EXPERIENCE, WERE THE MOST CONVENIENT AND AVAILABLE TOOLS FOR RESEARCH. NOW WE CAN CROSS REFERENCE A HUNDRED DIFFERENT WAYS, TO FIND PARALLELS, AND VALUATIONS, WITHOUT READING TWENTY BOOKS. IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN TOSS OUT THE HARD COPY RESEARCH AIDS, BUT THEY DON'T GET THE SAME WORK-OUT THEY USED TO, BACK BEFORE WE COMPUTERIZED OUR ENTERPRISE IN THE LATE 1990'S.
ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, I CAME TO A SORT OF PERSONAL CROSSROADS WITH ANTIQUES……THE WAY WE HAD BEEN COLLECTING, BUYING AND SELLING. LIKE THE OLD BALL PLAYER, WHO STARTS THINKING ABOUT RETIRING THE BEAT-UP OLD GLOVE AND CLEETS, AND HANGING UP THE HAT ONCE AND FOR ALL. I STARTED TO SHIFT MORE TOWARD THE MUSIC END OF THINGS BECAUSE IT WAS WHAT THE BOYS NEEDED, TO FILL THEIR RETAIL ENTERPRISE IN THAT FIRST TOUGH YEAR OF MAINSTREET BUSINESS. THE COMPETITION FOR THE BEST PIECES OF PINE AND GLASS, ART AND CHINA, MADE IT TOUGHER THAN EVER TO BUY FOR RE-SALE. A LOT OF SECOND HAND AND THRIFT SHOPS GOOSED THEIR PRICES, AND ON TOP OF THAT, THERE WERE DEALERS COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK. THE SUCCESSES OF ON-LINE AUCTIONS, LIKE EBAY, CREATED A WHOLE NEW BREED OF WHAT WERE CALLED, IN THE OLD DAYS, "ATTIC DEALERS," WHICH MEANT THEY DEALT WITH ANTIQUES BUT NOT FROM A PROPER STORE. THEY MIGHT BE CONSIGNORS AT LOCAL ANTIQUES SHOPS, OR RENTERS OF BOOTH SPACE AT REGIONAL ANTIQUE MALLS. AT THIS TIME THERE WAS A REAL SURGE IN OUR AREA, OF ANTIQUE-LOVERS GOING ONLINE TO SELL THEIR BIG FINDS. AS WE WERE ALSO DOING EBAY, AND SELLING AT VARIOUS SALES IN THE SUMMER SEASON, WE WERE VERY MUCH OF THE "ATTIC" GROUP, AND DOING VERY WELL. JUST NOT FINDING WHAT WE USED TO BE ABLE, WHEN THERE WERE ONLY TEN OR SO KNOWN, AND ACTIVE DEALERS, BELONGING TO LOCAL SHOPS. AT THIS ROBERT JOHNSON INSPIRED "CROSSROADS," I FOUND A WAY TO MEND THE SPIRIT, REPAIR THE GLOVE AND CLEETS, AND KEEP THE BALL-CAP ON FOR A FEW MORE INNINGS. INSPIRATION CAME FROM A MOST UNLIKELY SOURCE.
WITH A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE JAMMED INTO OUR NOGGINS, WE FELT STUPID BEING UNABLE TO OUT-PERFORM OUR COMPETITION. I DID FIND MYSELF SAYING, FROM TIME TO TIME, "AH, LET'S JUST FORGET GOING OUT TODAY……IT'S TOO LATE IN THE DAY…..ALL THE GOOD STUFF WILL BE GONE ANYWAY." I'D BE MAD AT THE BOYS FOR HAVING THIS KIND OF ATTITUDE, SO I DID FEEL SOMETHING WAS WRONG IN THE INDUSTRY I'D BEEN EMPLOYED FOR SO LONG. SO WHAT SNAPPED ME OUT OF MY FUNK? WHAT GAVE ME A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON COLLECTING, AND THE CREATIVE USE OF ANTIQUES IN A MODERN SETTING?
ONE NAME. ONE TELEVISION SHOW. A LOT OF BOOKS ABOUT ENTERTAINING, COOKING AND DECORATING. IF YOU GUESSED MARTHA STEWART, BULLY FOR YOU! AT ABOUT MY LOWEST POINT IN THE FIELD OF ANTIQUES, MARTHA STEWART'S AFTERNOON TELEVISION SHOW, AND HER ASSORTED BOOKS…..SUCH AS THE BLOCKBUSTER SUCCESS, "ENTERTAINING," AMONGST DOZENS OF OTHERS, GAVE ME MANY NEW IDEAS ABOUT MY INTERESTS IN OLD STUFF…..AND HOW TO MARKET VINTAGE MATERIALS TO HOME DECORATORS. I'D BEEN A PURIST ANTIQUE DEALER FROM THE BEGINNING, AND MY UNWILLINGNESS TO CHANGE DIRECTION, ADOPT NEW APPROACHES, AND THINK, AS THEY SAY "OUTSIDE THE ANTIQUE BOX," ALMOST COST ME A FUTURE IN THE BUSINESS. I WAS LETHARGIC EVEN ON YARD SALE SATURDAYS. SUZANNE WAS STARTING TO WORRY I WAS GETTING TOO OLD FOR HER! CRIPES, I HAD TO PROVE I WASN'T THE PROVERBIAL ONE TRICK PONY. SO ALONG CAME MARTHA STEWART, AND HER INTERESTING APPROACH TO THE INCORPORATION OF ANTIQUES INTO MODERN DESIGNS, AND CONTEMPORARY LIVING. IT WAS NO LONGER THE CASE YOU COULDN'T HAVE BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED VINTAGE COPPER POTS IN THE ULTRA MODERN KITCHEN. SHE SHOWED US ALL, THE WAY TO INTEGRATE THE OLD AND THE NEW, AND TO CREATE AN EXCITING NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH EVERYTHING PAST AND PRESENT. FROM BEING SO WEDGED UP IN MY APPROACH, THAT IT HURT TO WALK, BY GOLLY, THERE WAS A WAY OF ADAPTING TO THIS ADVENTUROUS LINKAGE OF ESTABLISHED TRADITION WITH "TRADITION-YET-TO-BE-MADE." FOR SOME IT BEGAN WITH HER LANDMARK BOOK ON "ENTERTAINING," WHICH, WHILE A HUGE AND EXPENSIVE PUBLISHING GAMBLE, WAS A BOOK THAT HERALDED A RELATIONSHIP WITH "MARTHA" THAT PUT AVERAGE FOLKS IN CONTROL OF THEIR HOME, GARDENING, AND DECORATING DESTINIES. IT WAS AN EMPOWERING WAVE OF SELF-HELP ADVICE, THAT OPENED POSSIBILITY AND POTENTIAL, AS IT HAD NEVER BEEN PRESENTED BEFORE……TO SUCH A HUGE AND WELCOMING GENERAL AUDIENCE. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU COULD, WITHOUT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, AND DEEP POCKETS, THROW A BIG DINNER PARTY, AND WOW THE GUESTS, WITH A BEAUTIFUL TABLE SETTING, A MAGNIFICENTLY DECORATED HOUSE, FABULOUS FOODS……ON A SENSIBLE SCALE. WHILE IT'S LIKELY MOST READERS DIDN'T HAVE ROOM FOR A HUNDRED PLUS GUESTS, IT WAS A WORKABLE "SAMPLER" OF HOW A HOST OR HOSTESS, COULD ENTERTAIN LIKE A PROFESSIONAL, WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE OUT A SECOND OR THIRD MORTGAGE. IT BROUGHT EVERYONE INTO THE FOLD, SO TO SPEAK, AND THAT'S HOW I GOT HOOKED. NOT THAT WE'RE BIG ENTERTAINERS HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, BUT WE DECORATE THAT WAY.
Martha Stewart let all of us in on the secret of feeling good, about hearth and home…….demonstrating by example, how we could incorporate what we liked, what we needed, and cared for, into an attractive, workable mix, that made home environs so much more exciting and charming…….and changeable if the mood struck….., and if, for example, a buying adventure turned up another antique piece for the abode. She most definitely inspired the uninspired, by showing how easy it all was, and inexpensive, to improve your surroundings…..to make them what you desired. You didn't have to settle. It wouldn't cost the moon, to make even the most profound changes in decor….in home or cottage atmosphere……and then there was the gardening, when even apartment dwellers could start their own window boxes with flowering plants, and find indoor species to generate pleasure year round. But what did her books, her show, her demonstrations, do for an old antique hunter like me?
I was used to selling antiques and collectibles to folks who had homes just like ours at the time. You know the ones. Or you probably know one like this. Antiques stacked on top of antiques. Collectibles by the drawer-full. China cupboards loaded so full, pieces haphazardly balanced on top of each other…..hardly the show of respect and method of conservation best suited to their fragile realities. Places with so much art, that they don't enhance anything, but are always obstacles for the poor bugger who has to vacuum the floor. I've been to the homes of collectors where there will be piles of ten paintings, or more, leaning up against the wall, and not just in one room…..and more than one major pile per room.
The business, as far as it was going for me, was getting too stuffy. Too old for a guy with a young heart. I wasn't an interior decorator, but I had sold hundreds of curiosities to these folks, on and off, for decades, without thinking too much about it. Once again, I was an antique purist, and decorating was just a nice spin-off way of making a few extra bucks. When I started following Martha Stewart's television show, initially, a few years ago, which came on CBC, in the early weekday afternoons, if memory serves, I was instantly struck by the way she would have such interesting features spots, highlighting antiques and restorations of vintage pieces……the one that inspired me the most, was a refurbishing of a very old copper pot, she had totally upgraded for modern day use. It was a fabulous piece. She had indicated to the audience that because it was very old, a sentimental possession, and a great pot for large culinary projects, she couldn't stand to have it retired if it could be saved, with a new copper bottom. There were many, many other features on the daily shows, that brought antiques into modern home designs, that offered both functional and artistic / cultural / heritage character……that were exciting new realities for the modern decorators……you and I, and anyone else who wishes to enhance where they reside…..where they cottage cottage, or where they work. It brought back my own excitement into the industry, that frankly had become a little dull, with my conservative, status quo approach. Suzanne and I began looking at antiques and collectibles, as home decorators…..whether vintage quilts to be restored for eventual re-sale, quilted cushions that could be brought back to good condition, cooking antiquities, art pieces, sculptures, occasional tables, chairs, dressers, flat-to-the-walls, that could fit into just about any home decor…….even the smallest condos, space-restricted houses, and apartments. We stopped buying for the hard core and "purist" antique collectors, (who demand near mint-condition pieces for investment security) and turned over a new leaf, you might say……at no compromise to our interest in antiques. Just how we approach their acquisition, and how we plan their dispersal to the right clientele. We have a lot more fun, and I enjoy the whole decorating-concept, and I absolutely love, selling a pivotal piece to a thrilled customer…..who will go on at great length about how the purchase will enhance their living space. I'm getting too flexible for my old antique cronies.
I have a pretty fair collection of Martha Stewart first editions. I had a collector who wanted a first edition "Entertaining," and in a moment of weakness, and financial need, I sold it. I've been searching for the past two years now, to get one, in near mint condition…..with dustjacket of course. I really want one signed, but Suzanne hasn't relented yet…..but I'm working on her. I know where there's a signed and inscribed copy, but it's going for, what she calls, "a king's ransom." I don't call $200 a king's ransom, especially for a signed first edition hardcover with dustjacket. I'm a book dealer as well, so this is how you describe such a book. But I love the content of the book, and because it was kind of a watershed for us, turning-on to Martha Stewart, her books are a good investment in the future……as we carry on our revised, and much more enthralling antique hunt.
I don't have any problem at all, marching into an antique book shop and asking for Martha Stewart first editions. If they tell me they don't have any……I suggest they should get some……it might improve their business. As for some of my crusty colleagues, who would rather fight than switch…..I'm not going to try very hard to persuade them to think otherwise. As we re-invented ourselves in the antique trade, thanks to advice from Martha Stewart, anybody can do the same…..and I'll tell you…..it makes history a lot more accessible and functional, and traditions……now perfectly adaptable to modern circumstances…..the modern way of living. We can live with antiques long into the future, without ever feeling the drag of history…..the way we knew it in the classroom, and the way we knew it as antique dealers…..mired in old ways.
Thanks for joining today's blog.
More about antique hunting to come.
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