One of These Things is Not Like the Other....

Remember the next line? "...One of these things doesn't belong." Yes, believe it or not, I was once (many, many moons ago) entrusted to babysit tiny impressionable minds. In doing so, I put in my time watching Sesame Street. And this song, more than any other, left a lasting impression on me. But I'm not here to reminisce about fuzzy hand puppets. I want to talk about another form of insidious BOOTH CREEP.

 

My sister makes fun of me, calling me a purist. Yes, it's true (if only in this aspect of my life). I don't stock things in my booth that are not 100% vintage, or even true to the time period I'm trying to evoke/emulate/feature. And it enrages me when I come in on the weekend and find them there.

Back in my gangly and pimply phase, I worked in retail. I'm fully aware that shoppers have a nasty habit of carrying an item around a store and when they decide they no longer care for an item, they just put it down anywhere.

That said, I could survive a twee floral teacup inadvertently ending up in my booth. I *might* even survive a live*laugh*love faux-primitive sign casually dumped next to my 1920s typewriter. 

A few months ago, we visited another far-flung antique mall and I got riled up again, and decided I wanted to create a pro-bono sticker: "This item DOES NOT BELONG in an ANTIQUE MALL." I want to surreptitiously go around the US as a public servant, valiantly slapping this on offending items. I want to start a Kickstarter campaign to do so. I want it to be a national movement. But I won't. (Disclaimer: If you see a sticker like this, it wasn't me—possibly one of my minions.)

 

But when I walk into my booth on a Saturday morning and see an item from SPAWN.COM, you KNOW I'm going to go off. Even worse? An elderly gentleman picked it up, shoved it in my face, and asked: "Is this a collectible item? My son might be interested." To which I calmly replied, "It has a barcode on it."

All of the aforementioned items are from the same dealer, whose spaces abut my space. Any advice? Does this happen to you? 

Comments

[Into Vintage]

This post makes me want to *live*laugh*love* out loud.

In my years selling in malls, an odd item may have shown up in my space from time to time (someone else's doily or some random carnival glass or half-filled cup of coffee?!) but never once was there any Spawn merchandise. Does that fall under the nebulous 'collectible' heading where you sell? Do I detect a new series here at VRS?

[Vicki]

If you see the word "NOT" slapped over the word "huge" on a garage sale sign...that could be the work of the "get it girls". This is our mission. I can totally understand your mission. Maybe carry very long BBQ tongs with you to carefully remove said "collectible" item from your booth.

[Amy]

Good idea. I think I'll carry a pad and marker with me when shopping. Nothing worse than a whole MADE IN CHINA booth in an ANTIQUE mall. Walk on by.

[barbara]

You make up those stickers, sister, and I'll help you slap 'em on that which deserves it. I honestly think mall owners need to police this better (i.e., a no-barcode rule would be pretty easy, no?)

[Angie]

A barbie doll still in a box, say from the 2010's... and entire booth devoted to such! A booth filled to the brim with repro items with fresh, "made in china" stickers and barcodes. Send me the stickers!

But what to do about the offender here who puts a price sticker on the top of his items, but when you turn it over, still has the Good Will price tags on them?

I need to breathe and calm down.

[Danielle @ Blessed Serendipity]

I am with you. The sad thing is there are people who will pass on the old stuff and buy the super hero "collectible".

[laurie magpie ethel]

I would gladly join your team slapping a sticker about. I get tired of looking at some of the junk that infiltrates some of the places I shop.

[Beth Leintz]

Yesterday at the antique mall I saw one of those plastic "days of the week" pill containers for sale. WHAT about that is antique or collectible? A used pill container is just gross.

[Sue]

FROM SUE: I saw the same thing at a mall in Florida. Ick.

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkxPhIFpwRfKSS3PEDR1lYTqMldv3tB-kE]

My booth is in a VERY LARGE mall. There are lots of dealers with "new collectibles". They don't bother me as long as they are neatly displayed and not passed off as antique. When a booth is a hot mess, that's what bothers me. That's what brings the mall down. As far as the pill container goes, that's just dumb. I don't know if I would use ick to describe it because there are chamber pots, bed pans, flasks, medicine bottles, potty chairs, and many other items that would fall under the heading of ick long before a plastic pill container would. Just sayin'.

[mary]

I blame the owners of the mall who allow dealers to set up these type of booths. I hate going to an "antique" mall and seeing baseball cards, barbies, action figures, etc. Repros aggravate me the most. Buyer beware I know, but that is outright deception. Yes, there is a market for collectibles, but put them all in one section of your mall and change your sign to antiques AND collectibles.

[Kristi]

Some dealers in our mall sell paperback novels, which bugs me. I've seen a stray DVD or two. And I've seen non-stick muffin pans. I've also seen customers purchasing these items. But we're not strictly vintage. There's a lot of other stuff. They seem to draw the line at electronics, however. I've seen them pull a toaster (in its box) from someone's space. And I mix in cool new stuff with all my old junk. I just don't want to become Hobby Lobby. I think it must be a hard line to draw for owners. Some "dealers" seriously don't understand the difference between vintage clothing and, say, a used sweater. Sad. True. I'd be a kickstarter donor for you! xo

[Lynn @thevintagenest]

ha ha! I hate that too! Just today, I went into town to add a few things to my booth at the mall and there were three things in it belonging to other dealers. And they were so totally different than what I sell, they looked alien in my booth. Ugh!

[Callef]

Lynn, I hate it when that happens! I don't mind so much when items are left in my space that kind of mix in with my stuff, but when somebody leaves a pair of athletic shoes (NOT vintage or cool in any way, simply garage-sale level merch), it makes me livid!!!

[BeckyKay]

LOL!! "It has a barcode on it."

Good answer! Good answer!!

[auntie bliss]

You are so right and so funny while being right!
A barcode LOL. Live, laugh..love..but the worst is SIMPLIFY...dang they just complicated things by getting something else to take home.
Yes, all kinds of trash ends up in my booth. Usually baby clothes or toys.