My sister and I often have this conversation after hitting a flea market or junk trip: did you buy more for your booth or more for your etsy shop? Increasingly, the answer is the latter. This time of year, buying also includes stockpiling a hoard for Art & Soul.
large lot of watch parts scored yesterday
Yesterday, I hit the ever-fab DC Big Flea. Although I always want/need more for the booth, the fact remains that it's now easier to move merch online. I've pondered long and hard about this, and have come to the conclusion that with a world-wide audience of savvy junk enthusiasts, an online presence is more profitable. And it's not just because of a distinctive lack of high rent.
who could resist this JUMBO set of printing stamps?
the tiny ones print words; the larger ones are pictures!
With online sales, I don't have to worry about theft or damage. I can move lower-priced items that are just impractical when trying to meet rent. Accordingly, without even consciously doing so, I purchased purt-near exclusively for etsy yesterday.
AND, in true VRS mode, nearly everything I bought was EVERYTHING—I bought them ALL. It was exhilarating! I found everything I was specifically looking for. I'm stoked to put them in my etsy shop, but despairing of filling up the booth with quality stuff. I need me some more junking trips!
Furniture just doesn't move well in this economy, so I've resigned myself to the fact that it's there mainly to put the smalls on. It's also difficult when you are reliant on a local audience to "get" what your style is. Those of us in the junk community are immersed in the cool vintage decorating trends (blogs, magazines, Facebook), but can't assume our local shoppers are. Do you ever feel that if your booth were magically plunked down in another city, you'd have fewer challenges? I definitely do. For now though, I'll enjoy shopping for BOTH!
