[Many apologies for the late-ish update on how this went. As those of you who know me—personally or via blogistan—may have surmised, I needed to walk Cody, apply Icy Hot, and imbibe some vino to unwind....]
Let it be known far and wide: I'm not proud. Nevertheless, I'm posting this photo of me and my beloved Snis MUCH smaller than I normally would. I look just as tired and sweaty as I feel. Snissy drove down from Pittsburgh for a mere 26 hours to help me out with the show ... and to SHOP, of course.
It's not only awesome having her stay overnight; not only spell me at the show so I can shop/visit; but she is a Master Salesperson, apparently. She sold a vintage pewter teapot to a woman for double what I paid for it. The woman questioned why it seemed to have been repaired. My sister postulated that perhaps it had been used to crack someone over the head as a murder weapon, so it was infinitely more valuable. Ka-ching!
In any event, this particular Big Flea (most likely my 15th or 20th, but I've only kept detailed records for the last 8, since I went "legit") was the bizarrest EVER. Highs ... lows... I experienced it all.
I was exuberantly confident that this would be a breakout show, despite the economy. Just as last time, the crowds were there in full force. However, it was abundantly clear that although people WANTED to buy, they just couldn't risk it in this economy. A bunch of us dealers are guessing that people are chary about the economy, and are just being waaaaay too cautious, waiting to see what happens after the election. I, personally, am convinced, that whoever succeeds Bush will somehow alleviate this tension. In DC, it's even weirder, because the economy TOTALLY picks up as the administration changes. Don't believe me? I planned the sale of my last home to coincide with an administration change. People move into town/people move out. It's a guaranteed thing every 4 or 8 years.
OK, bored with the DC insights?
How about THIS...
Highlights of Saturday BF:
1. Rainman Sighting: Fairly early on, a woman was standing in my booth, but her husband was across the aisle. She called to him, saying "Honey, come here. I want to show you something." In Rainman fashion, he bellowed: "TOO PINK!" and shuffled away. I SWEAR. Look back at my photos from Friday and tell me if I'm "too pink". Whatever. It was hysterical.
2. Fashion Faux-Pas Nearly Averted: Last week, I contacted Cheryl/Stash about buying one of her "Junk Posse" t-shirts ASAP so I could wear it to the show (check her sidebar for ordering info). She alerted me that someone else had ordered one and was planning on attending the BF on Saturday! I wisely wore something else (much more tame, from Loehman's), which was a good heads-up, because....
3. Person I Admire Sighting #1: Cheryl had actually told me who it was (someone whose blog I religiously read), so I knew to look for her. While trying to convince someone to buy my crap completing a successful sale, I looked up and saw the Junk Posse T. I squealed, "Are you Suzy?
(photo courtesy of http://georgiapeachez.typepad.com; I forgot my camera on Saturday, so this is her photo)
I'd been following Suzy's blog for quite some time, so was super-excited she had road-tripped all the way back to the DC area (where she used to live), but she also was with her BFF Beth, who lives probably 4 miles away from me! They are BOTH a HOOT! I knew Suzy was in a hurry to get back to her area (so I hope I didn't take up too much of their time), and Beth and I have now promised not to elbow each other at estate sales (but hopefully will be attending TOGETHER in the near future). I have to admit, I've had customers come up and tell me they've seen my blog, but never OTHER BLOGGERS I admire come find me. How gratifying!
4. MOI? About an hour later (still flying high, believe me), a woman pulled me aside and asked if I'd be willing to give a guest lecture about how to find vintage treasures, my theory about "rescuing", and what to look for. I (for once) was speechless. I am sure I gaped for an unseemly amount of time before I stammered, "Are you sure I'm the right person? Is this a group of dealers?" She explained that she is part of a group of "enthusiasts" who get together every Friday to talk about their finds, shop, share stories, theories, etc. The more I thought about it, the cooler it seemed. She even offered that we could throw in a road-trip of sorts. I am TOTALLY up for this. As an aside, every other person I've enthused to this about asks, "What are you getting paid?" PAID?!?! A captive audience that wants to hear about me trolling?!? Priceless. Take that, MasterCard.
Saturday, however, ended on a hugely sour note. Two women had been looking at the patio chairs I bought at Lucketts. They came back 3 TIMES to sit in them (a likely story). I got them ridiculously cheap (as I fully admitted in my post), and accordingly priced them ridiculously cheap. I know I can get double at my shop, but wanted to show them here. They asked for my "rock-bottom best price". I gave them 20% off, and then they asked for another $5 off. She then muttered, "In this economy, you should take whatever you can get." WTF? I'm not POOR, fer chrissakes! {Disclaimer: I am fully aware that every single fricking article about "shopping flea markets" suggests to buyers to ask for a "best price", but this sent me over the edge. When she asked for the extra $5 off, I calmly (I swear) countered: "That is my best price for this show. I know I can get DOUBLE in my shop, but I want to move them NOW." Her counter-argument was, "What if they're not right in my home?", to which I countered, AS ALWAYS (for the right item), "I will buy it back from you at that price." You want a return policy, go to Pier 1. I'm generous in that I offer a buy-back policy.}
She countered again at the $5 less price, at which point I was gonna say "NO DEAL", but she took them. Let's see what happens. She got them for a SONG. I actually HOPE she wants her money back.
I know I'm venturing into dangerous waters now, but I want to say that I price my stuff very fairly. I am fully aware that dealers buy from me, and as long as I make what I want from something, it's all good. But when a customer treats me like I'm some sharecropper selling off my grandpappy's heirlooms just to survive, I go all mental. Can you not tell that I have cultivated a STYLE that I'm offering up? I'm ideally creating a space that you can relate to and that, in theory, you would want everything. I'm offering MYSELF up, and that's what I get?
NOW, do you get why I want to be in an anonymous shop?
OK, I'm feeling better now. Off the ledge, so to speak....
Highlights of Sunday BF:
The first 30 minutes of Sunday (traditionally the dead zone of these shows) were GREAT!
1. People I admire sightings #2-5: Sundays suck at the BF. I'm randomly reading the NYT Wedding section, munching on a hot pretzel dunked in cheez-whiz when I hear, "I think that's HER." I look up to see 3 decidedly cool women (plus a baby) looking at me. We introduce ourselves, and the first is Hope (and here's her blog—which I didn't even know about). Hope is someone I've been buying from for years from Patty at Queen's Ink.
She was accompanied by Melissa and Amy (who hadn't come up on my radar yet). Melissa and Stephanie used to sell together at the BF and I bought from them every time. The three of us can't figure out (from my lame description) who designed it, but one of their larger pieces is prominent in my dining room. In fact, when I needed inspiration for my "how-to" pieces for my ephemera launch, I honestly only looked at the items I'd purchased from Hope, Melissa, and Stephanie. I'm not selling my pieces, I just wanted to SHOW people what could be done. These women are the best! I'm going to blog about them in the next few days, to show my gratitude, and enlighten you non-locals.
We came up with the idea of all getting together with some other (un-named, since we haven't spoken with them) other local enthusiasts/designers/bloggers for a THANG, which would be great!
All in all, although I'm feeling a little out of "my league" (hell, this is just my side-business/self-sustaining hobby), this was such a gratifying show. Nevertheless, I had to crunch the numbers when I got home. It FELT like a bad show, but it was my third-best! YAY!
Unfortunately, the ephemera packs were a dud. People were VERY interested but didn't buy. A few asked for customized packs and took my card (which I'm VERY up for doing). I think people going to these shows want to find their own stuff (I know I do). I think etsy will be the better venue. I'll post tomorrow about the killer ledgers and French bible (you don't even want to know) that I found.
2. Dealers Buy From Me: I made a lot of my sales to dealers. I have increasingly realized that, in my effort to offer vintage items at a reasonable cost, I sell largely to dealers. In fact, the first $100 I made this weekend was setting up Friday night. Fine by me. I'm out there looking all the time; I'll do the legwork, you sell it. We both profit, right?
3. {Bummer advisory} Unfortunately, in this economy, a lot of my favorite dealers are no longer willing to travel to NOVA. When they factor in booth rental/accommodations/GAS, their margins have shrunk. I'm missing my faves that are no longer coming to DC. Two of my dearest compatriots are not coming back. It's breaking my heart. If you like someone's wares (even if you can't afford it), just TELL THEM you're on board (even if you can't buy). That's all that most of us are looking for....
XOX
