Just Like Old Times
What a weekend! If I’ve seemed a little less than gung ho lately, it’s probably because the summer has been so blah. The sales have been few and far between and when there was one, the things to be had were not so exciting. I think you all know one of my favorite things to do is find treasures. The hunt is exhilarating, but if I don’t bag a kill fairly often, my spirits get a little down. This weekend was the way it’s supposed to be.
Friday, I lit out alone. Lena bowed out for the weekend. Friday seems so far away now, I can’t remember it all, but I’ll give it a try.
(The images might be down for a time. My shopping cart isn’t working and I need to take the whole site down and reinstall. These images are stored there. Hopefully they won’t be missing in action very long.)
Let’s see. I was running a little late Friday morning and the first estate sale I went to had been going on an hour or so. As always, I started in the basement. I had piles of stuff, but darned if I know what I got that took three trips to the car! What in the world did I do with it? Here’s what I remember:
There was some fabric and, oh yes! Vintage Ray Ban sunglasses!
Next on the list was a fabulous sounding sale. The estate sale company’s web site had four pages of pictures and the stuff looked incredible! I knew there was no way I’d be able to buy anything, but I had to see it anyway. That house, which was a regular looking house, was full to the brim with honest to goodness, swear to God, hope to die – and to die for – antiques. It was like stepping into a spread of Colonial Homes magazine in the 1980s. If you’ve seen that magazine from that time period, think of the best home with the best stuff and you’ll know what I saw at this house. It was what I aspired for my home then and knew it wasn’t obtainable with me being a stay at home mom with two kids, living in “Podunk”, Alabama with no money. This house was like being in a museum. I just can’t say how wonderful the antiques were. Did I buy anything? Sure! A 1980s telephone, a decoupage memory jar and an automobile vase. LOL I think I bought the three cheapest things there. No, that’s not true. While I was tempted, I did not buy a grungy little $3.00, tin match holder.
The hula girl came from the first sale and the owl was bought on Saturday.
Apparently, the sellers didn’t know this was an automobile vase or it would have been much higher. Of course, I could be mistaken and it’s just an epergn horn.
Gosh, how boring I am
There is absolutely nothing going on around here! School started back, but my kids are grown. People have been staying in because it’s still pretty hot, although a “cold” front is coming through. The cooler weather – or just a change in the weather – might bring out customers, but it’s raining. That means I get to work on the computer while no one’s stopping by. But it might also make me feel compelled to work Thursday to make up for slow times earlier in the week.
This past weekend was open weekend, so I only went to a few local sales. I bought a 25ยข plate stand. Woohoo. However, I never did get around to sharing the finds of the weeks before, so here they are.
My meager findings:
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Erin’s contributions (much better than mine):
She painted and distressed the bench. And yes, I give away magazines in the shop! How often do you find shop owners that generous? LOL
Last time I mentioned a recipe site I’ve begun. I have a few recipes up now and I think it’s fully functional. Perhaps it’s good to go, so here it is. The big reveal. Ha! OK. Whatever. Keep in mind it will grow. I hope my friends in Blogland and real life and friends I don’t know I have, yet will contribute. I’ll also eventually add cookbooks for sale, primarily charity cookbooks.
It seems I always find things to do other than what I truly need to be doing. That, at the moment, is adding things to the web site. I have added some lately. Got the candles up and a few other little things, but not like I should. That HAS to take priority — and soon! I also need to get this blog moved over to it. Another priority. And I need to allot time each day to do blogging. How many times have I said that? Sigh. Anyway, if you want to see what’s new at the site, here it is:
That’s all I’ve got today. Time to edit some pictures.
See ya!
Good grief…..
how time flies! Last weekend was a dud. I headed for a sale that advertised a Hoosier cabinet. Since I need furniture for the shop, that was the first sale on my list. Phooey. They were asking more than I could get in the shop, so I took off for a sale that advertised lots of collectible glass and pottery. I figured Ms. C from last week would be there already loading up on all the good stuff. Was I right? Of course! She was there and had loaded up, but honestly, I didn’t see anything in her pile that made me regret not getting there first. There was still lots of stuff left and prices were so-so, and maybe it was the mood I was in, but the stuff looked so-so to me, too. Lena went the next day and was talking about all the neat things she got. It really made me wonder if it was my mood, but later I talked to friend Tiff who went not long after I did and she had the same feeling as I. (How’s my grammar there?) That made me feel validated.
Ricky and I did go to a goat auction. Not for a goat! They auction stuff people bring from home first. It was hot and I didn’t see anything worth sweating for, but it is definitely worth checking out when I can.
Erin is getting into the resale business with me. She’s beginning to buy things to put in the shop. She has great taste, by the way. I’ve got pictures of the few things I found this weekend and the things she’s sent, but naturally, the pictures are on the computer at the shop and I’m at home. They’ll be posted later.
I am working on a new blog, too. A recipe blog. Like the world needs another recipe site, but I’ve been thinking about this for a few years now and lately haven’t been able to get it off my mind. Seemed like the time to do it. It’ll have “heirloom” recipes. Recipes passed from one good cook to …. whoever asked for it. Like me. Can’t say I’m a very good cook. I’ve been known to burn boiled eggs. But the recipes are good and if I pay attention, they’re good even when I’m the one doing the cooking. I will run out of recipes pretty quickly, though and will need help from my friends — YOU! More about this site a little later.
This weekend is open weekend at the shop. Busy week.
Wanda
The internet! I has it!
Finally! I have internet at the shop! When you’re used to being home all the time with internet just sitting there waiting to be used any time the urge hits, it’s hard not to have it. Now I can get busy on the web site, eBay and blogging. And other stuff as the mood strikes. But first……. 
My point of sale software, which is simple, but a dinosaur, is somehow clashing with the internet or something. It’s causing my computer to freeze up. Temporarily each time, but a nuisance. All that work and I’m going to have to do it again with another program. Over 1400 items to be put into a new system. Turning me into a blubbering idiot! No comments from the peanut gallery on that, please.
Hello, remember me?
What is wrong with me?! It seems like I can never find time to blog any more. I do have a promise that today’s the day I get a phone jack at the shop, though I’m not holding my breath. It’s been promised for at least two months now.
The kids came for a visit, my son and daughter-in-law. They got here Saturday and left this morning. It was a very nice visit. We thoroughly enjoyed having them and Reggie the Dog. Buster the Cat is glad to see his doggie cousins (Ross the other granddog was here two days) gone, but we’ll miss them all.
Things are going well at the shop. Several major furniture pieces have been sold and I haven’t been able to replace them, yet. With the kids coming home Saturday, we couldn’t go to the auction Saturday night, so Lena and I went Thursday and left bids. I only won one thing, a little, drop leaf, sewing table/desk. Naturally, it was the thing I least wanted and the piece that will not hold lots of stuff. I believe if I had been at the auction I might have managed to get something more useful. I’ll show a picture of the little desk when I pick it up at the next auction.
I uploaded pictures of some things bought in June. Much more has come in since then, but those pictures aren’t on this computer.
The 2 little chalk dogs have already been adopted.
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Can’t resist these baskets.
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This chair has a story. A friend, but competitor was 15 seconds ahead of me walking into a sale. As I was walking up the steps I heard her saying, “I’ll take that and that and that……” I was in urgent, is she getting everything, I’ve got to buy something mode. I’m not very comfortable buying furniture. I always mess up somehow and really don’t know what the prices should be. I stood over this chair, wiggling it, seeing that it wasn’t very sturdy and asked the price. He told me, then I said it wasn’t sturdy, there seemed to be a dowel missing or something, would he take less. He did “since I’d have to work on it”. It wasn’t until I got it in the shop later that morning that I saw the back leg had been totally broken off and repaired with metal brackets:
You can have this beauty for your foyer – just for looks – for $50.00. Not exactly the profit I was hoping for.
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Large Italian glass vase. How do I know it’s Italian? I saw the red Made in Italy sticker before it was washed down the drain. Sigh.
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This lamp has a story, too. Lena and I had gone to some sales in Birmingham. This one was in a small basement and didn’t have much. You also couldn’t tell what was for sale and what wasn’t. I spotted this lamp on a washing machine and tried to get the seller’s attention. He and another man were having a lively conversation, so I stood by the table, hoping he’d realize I needed help. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. After being ignored for a couple of minutes, I threw up my hands and loudly said, “Oh, forget it. Let’s go.” Well that got his attention! He apologized, but by that time, I just didn’t care about the lamp any more. Lena was determined then I wasn’t leaving without the lamp. She asked him how much and he didn’t know! “The kids” were running the sale. But he ended up making me a very good deal and I left with the lamp. Of course, now I realize I’ll have to take it apart and try to clean the brass or replace some of it if it won’t clean. Some deal.
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She’s found another home already, too.OK, OK……
Yeah, yeah, yeah……. I get it. It’s been over a week and I left the typo in last week’s title. Sigh. That’s fixed. Lena wins the prize for mentioning it. I did it on purpose to see who’d call my attention to it. Ha! Yeah, right. But I did realize it was there a couple of days ago, but was too lazy to change it.
I just can’t seem to get motivated to blog. Got out of practice and can’t get back in the groove. I do have pictures of last week’s sales, but didn’t get them uploaded. It’s like once I get home from the shop, I don’t want to do anything like that. But internet is coming soon to the shop! That’ll give me something to do during the chunks of time no one’s in there shopping.
And speaking of the shop, I’ve got to buy some furniture this weekend! Four major pieces have sold. Pieces that hold a whole lotta stuff. Word is getting out naturally, slowly and surely. Just the way it should.
We’ll see what the sales hold this weekend. Lena and I are going out in the morning.
That’s about all I’ve got. Nothing much has been happening around here.
Getting back to watching Reno 911. Best show on TV. LOL
Wanda
A near miss
I hadn’t hooked up the printer, not having the correct cable. Wal-Mart, our only local source for that kind of thing, didn’t have the exact cable I needed, but had one that would work. How was I to know it wouldn’t work with the software? Oh, it said so in the software set up, but I don’t understand technical stuff like that. I got it hooked up, tried to print and the program froze. I could not get back in. Scared me to death. I didn’t know what to do. I worked with it all afternoon and finally resigned myself to starting over from the beginning. Groan. But this story does have a happy ending.
When I got home I looked on the software’s site and saw there was a new version, so I downloaded it, took off back to the shop, uploaded it and was somehow able to get into the program. Oh, man! I can’t tell you how relieved I was! I was even able to configure the printer so I can print receipts now. Yeah!
I won’t be open tomorrow or Tuesday the 8th. Friend and daughter obligations. Tomorrow’s thing begins early and I’m getting sleepy, so I’d better hit the sack. Oh, I did see that there are some sales tomorrow I can attend. I’m excited about that since Saturday will be pretty limited. More about that later.
Wanda
Just chillin’
Oh, how strange it feels to just relax. Do nothing. Niiiice.
Saturday was busy enough. Again, a steady trickle with quite a few sales. On the entry forms for the giveaway, there was a list to check where they heard about the shop. It seemed to be pretty equal between the newspaper, the local classifieds and word of mouth. The “targeted” mailing brought in the least. Hmmmmmm.
Congratulations to the winners of the three, $25 gift certificates: Jeanette White, Debbie Melofsky and Sharon Craft.
Now I’ve got to get a phone line in with internet and get busy adding all that merchandise to the web site. I’d prefer doing it all there instead of having to bring it home to finish. I also want to do my blogging from there. The routine will have to evolve. Anyway, it’s good to know this past weekend is behind me and life can begin to get back to sort of normal.
Opening, day 2
Day two is over and done. We’ve joked about the lackluster grand opening. Customers have been steady enough, but I’ve had time to finish putting the inventory in the point of sale system and have had enough sales to start to get the hang of using it. I’m glad not to have had lots and lots of customers all at once. Couldn’t have handled that. Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, should be the busy day.
The highlight of the day was getting to meet Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and Judy at Gracious Southern Living! How fun! They were great and it was wonderful meeting them. Naturally, I didn’t have my camera there, but they did. Horrors! They got pictures of three of us. My hair didn’t cooperate this morning, I didn’t have on cute-clothes and there I am, in all my short, chubby glory standing next to tall, thin Rhoda. I didn’t see the picture, but I’m pretty sure I looked stoopid. Even when I wasn’t 40 pounds overweight, I didn’t take good pictures. In a group picture, I’m usually the one with a goofy look on my face.
That’s about all I have to report today. I’m sleepy and boring right now. It’s time to call it a day.
G’night all,
Wanda
We grand opened today!
Finally! I can relax a bit. Over a hundred flyers were mailed, around 200 were placed in an antique mall, a shop and at an auction, about 80 were distributed where Ricky works, there was an ad in the newspaper and in the local classifieds paper. People trickled in all day. We were never swamped – thank goodness – and Erin got to go home and lie in the pool. I got to continue working on inventory and made some sales. I think it was a decent Thursday for the type business it is. I’m not complaining.
Lena and my friend, Melanie, helped with finishing up cleaning and fluffing last night and they each brought food. There’s no way I can thank them enough. They are great friends.
Lena came to the house and cut flowers out of our yard and arranged them to put all over the shop. I cannot arrange flowers. Period. I’m terrible at that. It’s definitely not one of my talents. I’m glad it’s one of hers.
Here are some pictures:
Flowers as you enter the door.
The front window. It’s so hard to take a picture looking out into the light. You can click to enlarge the picture. I think.
Erin made this from instructions on Stampington’s site. (The price tag is for the basket, not the banner,)
Bugs in the chocolate?
The garden room. My favorite room and the one that takes the best pictures.
The food and register table.
Kids type stuff shelves.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I believe Saturday will be the busiest day. It should be, but whether or not that is what happens in reality remains to be seen.
My Latest Etsy Items
Other places I hang out
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