Vintage Rescue Squad

Uncharacteristic Restraint

Anyone who knows me knows that when visiting a flea market, I have disciplined laser focus. So, it's no surprise that I fixated 125% on selling at this past weekend's Lucketts Spring Market.

 

I was not tempted AT ALL by this amazing assortment of letters....

Fooled ya! Of COURSE I was massively distracted. OF COURSE I wanted to visit with all my far-flung peeps that I see only once a year (if that). OF COURSE I was itchy to buy. But since I've vowed that this will be the year to get the hoard under control, I'm also very invested in selling/offloading, so forced myself to focus on selling.

 

At least for the first day. I did, however, have a minor breakdown when I saw this sign, and HAD to have it. The seller told me it was from a PRISON, fer crissakes. Of course I had to have it. And, yes, it's going on my front porch.

Sunday, however, was sloooooowwwww. Since the second day is always super-dead, my sister and I took turns spending an hour shopping/visiting while the other one manned the tents.

 

Late on Sunday, Liz offered me some sweet deals on her carefully curated treasures so I scooped up the gift-wrap device, receipt book, metal carrier, and gigantor floral frog (in addition to a big chalkboard and a stamp wheel, not pictured)! I'm kicking myself for not buying more, so good thing she only lives an hour away!

 

I also made a killer swap with NC BFF Beth. Tell me this isn't the sweetest tiny bookcase you've ever seen. I know I said I'm over the shabby chippy look, but I couldn't resist. Plus, as a display piece? AWESOME.

I'm mighty proud of myself for exercising unparalleled shopping restraint—everyone knows how weak I am when it comes to buying—but am soooo kicking myself for not buying MORE. Good thing I have a roadtrip this weekend! Here's hoping there's some good junking at the beach!

Lucketts Spring Market: Junktopia!

my cement letters were a big hit!

O.M.G., was Lucketts a crazy fun (and profitable) adventure! Primo junk at every twist and turn, and the best collection of vendors. They came from the south (Beth, Donna and Barry from City Farmhouse). They came from the North (Peg). They came from 7 miles away (my sister). More on all the other dealers in the next post. This post is all about ME.

 

This year, I focused on bringing items that I truly thought would sell: portable, desirable items at affordable prices. Pay no attention to that albatross awesome shoe-factory cart that came home with me.

 

And my M.O. WORKED. Sure, I still came home with the 4 patio chairs (ugh) and rack, but most of the other killer junk sold. Teenagers (bags and bags of my loose typesetting letters), young couples (drafting table), and mixed media artists (crusty metal junk and old bottles), as well as collectors and cutie-patootie old guys were buying.

 

Lucketts is a great destination, with a reputation that draws the crowds. Saturday was nonstop buying, and that's always thrilling and invigorating.

 

Surprisingly, the Dick and Jane teachers' cards didn't move as I'd hoped, nor did my pillows. They generated a lot of interest, but I still have 6 left (and more to make). I didn't even realize when I set them out that I'd spelled PBR, so Snissy and I had a big guffaw (and mouth-drool) over that. 

Sunday, however, is always a different story. As a vendor, any two-day show has one disappointing day (usually the last day). Loads of lookie-lous—the stroller and post-church crew—so vendors do what they can to amuse themselves. Some endlessly re-arrange and foof their booths. Others (flush with cash) commence to buying from each other. (You know the drill: the only people who are ALWAYS buying are dealers. Recession, schmecession.)

 

Me, I resort to nastiness. Desperate to off-load the pink chairs, I affixed this tag. I only wish I could've enforced it.*

Driving home late last night, with a car full of unsold items (which isn't a bad thing; I came with a van), I felt ALIVE. My sister and I agreed that we LOVE being in the fields. Surrounded by junk—and like-minded peeps—on a beautiful sunny spring weekend is inspiring and invigorating. Coming home with sore muscles, a slight sunburn, a pocket full o' cash, and a brain churning with new ideas (not to mention tingling new acquisitions) is a junker feeling that can't be beat. It naturally leads to daydreaming of full-time junking—which many of us dealers talk about endlessly.

I long for the day when I can check "itinerant peddler" as my occupation on my tax return. Gimme an old truck, a trusty dog, and a pocket full of 20s, and I'll be truly happy. A show like this is just a tease!

*Please. That tag was just for giggles and lasted maybe 30 seconds....

Lucketts Spring Market: R-E-S-T

Just got back from selling at the Lucketts Spring Market and holy giant letters was it GREAT. But right now I'm taking a tip from this photo and getting some REST.

BTW, the map and these 4 letters were the first things to sell....

Lucketts Spring Market: The Load-In

Gearing up for this weekend's Lucketts Spring Market (woo hoo)! Yesterday, BIL John and I did early set up. To streamline the load-in, organizers assigned each "field" (we're in Field of Dreams) a 2-hour window to load in on Friday. Owie. That will certainly alleviate the traditional logjam at the gate, and piggy dealers blocking spaces while their truck sits for hours. But, it's unrealistic to expect vendors to set up that quickly.

 

Fortunately, we were also offered all day Thursday to set up at will. Good thing I get lots of vacation days at my job.... Today I'll be pricing and foofing, as well as ogling all the great junk available at the market. Let me tell you: looking around yesterday, I didn't see any lame booths. Everyone has killer junk!

 

I've gotta tell you, though, I hate my tent. I only use it once or twice a year, but what a pain. And I've got a giant bruise to prove it. Snissy and I were discussing it last night and she suggested someone invent a "clap on" tent. Any tent that sets itself up automatically with a simple clap of the hands is a tent I'd pay a LOT more than $59 for....

Lucketts Spring Market

42350 Lucketts Road

Leesburg, VA 20176

Saturday and Sunday 10-5

We're in Field of Dreams, across from the Fire Station. Come out and score some great junk (200 vendors)!!!

"You Call Yourself a Junker?!?"

Friday before last, my sister spent the night in anticipation of shopping our local Civitan flea market early the following morning. In reality, she was stoked to help me sort and clean the hoard of type and type trays I'd bought at a local estate sale (pictured above).

I have 8 trays more or less full of type and had been unenthusiastically slogging away at the odious task. When she arrived, I donned some rubber gloves and grabbed some utensils for removing the type from the trays, carefully separating the slugs from the insect sarcophagi and what I presumed was petrified rat poop. (It's not REALLY rat poop, but I thought it was!)

She promptly took a big glug of her beer and started in on me: "You call yourself a junker?!? What's a little rat poop? We are TRAINED to deal with this. Hell, we have a Recommended Daily Allowance of rat poop. Don't be such a wuss." (Or something to that effect.)

Damn right, I finally realized.

This coming weekend, the efforts will pay off—all the type has now been run through the dishwasher and will be for sale by the scoop at the Lucketts Spring Market.

 

I'd hoped to sort it, but just don't have time. If someone wants to actually hand-pick the letters they want (and this is only about 1/3 of the lot), have at it.

Any sarcophagi found is on the house.

P.S. Any unsold type will go into the etsy shop!

Etsy Karma and a New Product

Gimme a P! Gimme an I! Gimme an L-L-O-W-S! Pillows! Check out these new pillows I designed, debuting at next week's Lucketts Spring Fair.

I had a vision in my head, and have been scooping up vintage chenille letterman's varsity letters for a while now. I'd hoped to use vintage ticking fabric, but couldn't find large enough quantities, so it's new. A few weeks ago, I bought the fabric and then it dawned on me: I SUCK AT SEWING. Sure, I could probably run up a few seams and make a square pillowcase, but not one someone would pay more than $3 for....

Despondent that I'd made a colossal and costly mistake, I methodically spun through my options: dry cleaner/alterations lady (too expensive). Mom (too far away). Snis (too busy and how could I ask this?).

The VERY NEXT DAY, an etsy miracle occurred: a buyer asked if she could buy all of my vintage flour sacks at a discount, as she wanted to make pillows out of them for resale. Wha? Did you say "pillows"??? I offered her a deal: she could have all 13 for free if she'd be willing to whip up some pillowcases for me.

 

Such was born a win/win situation! Seamstress extraordinaire Susan of Cush Goods on etsy magically made 16 beautiful pillowcases out of my fabric (and I'd been hoping for 9-12)!! I'm so psyched to have these for sale at next weekend's show. It was a dream working with such a professional and talented fellow etsian. Check out her shop, with loads of great vintage hankies and really beautiful pillows made from vintage quilts.

Now, I've got to affix those letters with some hand-sewing, which I DON'T actually suck at. 

My M.O.: What If I Buy Them All?

Longtime readers know that my favorite M.O. is to prematurely blurt "What if I buy them all?" One reason I do it is because it's truly in the forefront of my brain and I have no filter. But I also do it for a variety of other reasons:

 

45 vintage French and Spanish Michelin maps

1. It's really fun (and empowering) to say

 

big pile of chenille letters for an upcoming project

2. It ensures that I get ALL of something available, so what I have is truly unique

 

vintage chicken pot pie tins (and I REALLY waffled on buying these)

3. It makes me feel like a big-time dealer

 

awesome posters from the Massachusetts Audubon Society

4. Bottom line: like I said, it's just really fun to say. And, it usually endears you to the seller, and you get a good deal. Win-win, right?

I got all these treasures at the DC Big Flea today and couldn't be happier!

 

I lied. I'd be happier if there had been multiples of this AWESOME SIGN.

Another One of THOSE Junking Weekends....

carnival ride I WISH I'd bought....

Picture this: 3 separate whopping outdoor flea/antique markets on 3 consecutive days, all within 30 miles of each other. Plus, the 7 MILES of great junk stores and pop-up markets in one town alone. My car had been stripped bare to accommodate any and all good junk, and my wallet was busting at its seams.

woo-hoo cabinet I also WISH could've fit in my car from the same dealer...

The thrice-yearly "extravaganza" weekends up in Kutztown/Adamstown, Pennsylvania NEVER fail to deliver. Until this time....

I don't know if it was the weather, or the junk, or my mood. I was definitely in the mood to buy, but nothing was jumping out at me. It took me a while to start buying. I dithered over sooo many things that ultimately didn't seem worth it. WTF? That is definitely not the way I roll!

It didn't help that I arrived late on Friday, and dealers were already packing up in the cold mist by 2 p.m. It also felt weird shopping alone. Normally, I prefer to be alone, but on a PA roadtrip, that's just plain unnerving. My sister was in SF, her husband was busy, Allison had an appointment, and Colleen had prior plans. I teased that I was going to buy everything she WOULD'VE, but she snuck off of work Friday morning, beat me to the market, and apparently stymied me. Maybe that's why I had such a hard time.

 

Don't get me wrong, I got a lot of great stuff (particularly industrial), but—GET THIS—I still had room in my car on Sunday AND I didn't buy ANYTHING at the Sunday market, which is usually the bestest of the best. Pictured above are my ab-fab large (well, medium) finds (smalls will be the next post), except for the glider and metal cabinets, which just happen to be hanging in my yard. I adore the red high stool, wheeled table and surveyor's stick (since the last of mine sold last week), but my ab-fab fave is the "classic touch" LIGHT. Can't wait to put that in the shop.

 

Guess I've still got that touch....

Damn Right, It's SOLD ... to ME!

Just got back from a 3-day buying trip to PA and still off-loading, but I thought you'd all agree that this was quite the score. It's much more minty-green in real life, and much heavier than you think. But I can't WAIT to bring it into my shop. Cubbies? Check. Mint green? Check. Adorable? Damn right.

I still can't believe it sat there for a day and a half w/o getting snatched up. And the dealer came down 1/3 without much prodding!!!! I love Pennsylvania.

Hoarder? Junker? Or Both?

Well, it's no secret where I fall in that conundrum.

I'm testing the waters with a new product—uncharacteristically actually DESIGNED by me. Don't worry; it's not too fancy. I've designed these iron-on patches and am now selling them.

If your wardrobe lacks the necessary all-important identification, these might be just the ticket. Personally, the more I wear junker/hoarder identified clothing, the better deals I get, even at estate sales. There's no shame in being easily recognizable as a big-time buyer!

The iron-on patches are evocative of traditional employee ones, but the words JUNKER and HOARDER are printed, rather than embroidered, although the outside borders are. They are 4" wide x 3" high and will iron on any jean jacket/t-shirt/satchel that you wear while junking.

Why not tout your status—just as proudly as Buddy or Parts Manager always has?

I'm not proclaiming any magical powers, but I did get a humongous discount from an octogenarian who said "love your shirt" while I was in Texas. HUGE discount.

Say it loud; say it proud.

For now, email me directly (vintagerescue [at] verizon [dot] net) and I'll send you a Paypal invoice. $10 + shipping for a limited time—only 25 total available.

Unfortunately, I can't sell these on etsy, but am looking into a personal checkout site.