Vintage Rescue Squad

A Junker Library

It's inspiring that lately there are a few more flea-market-y, vintage-y magazines on the stands these days—I can never get enough! Back in the 70s, when we were tweeners, my sister and I spent an unforgiving amount of time creating our own magazines (and comic books). We'd write and draw and do layouts. After college, I came down to DC to attend GWU for an extra year in publication design. My dream was always to have my own magazine. I've learned to be content with newspaper design, but that dream still nags at me.

Perhaps because of this—as well as my junker niche interests—many of these publications often leave me feeling just meh. Some are just too foofy, some have cringe-worthy writing, some are too one-note to be distinguishing one issue to the next. The trend toward user-generated content, IMHO, devalues their appeal.

My ab-fabs will remain Flea Market Style and Country Living, with Vintage Style as the new dark horse. I'm sticking to my guns, however, in stating that if they all don't stop showcasing cavernous super-organized laundry rooms that not a single one of us could ever afford, I'm boycotting every single issue.

 

Inexplicably, I have duplicates of the new Flea Market Style and Flea Market Decor, so am offering a giveaway to one lucky reader. Leave a comment before Sunday night (3/24) about your thoughts on the slew of new mags and I'll draw a winner. Anyone declaring their love for schmancy laundry rooms is automatically DQd.

UPDATE: Mary Scott is the lucky winner! Thanks to all for your comments.

5-Year Anniversary ... Yet Paralyzed

our booth at Weathered Elegance

Last week marked my 5-year anniversary at my current location (Leesburg Antique Emporium). It's hard to believe I've been there 5 years! The hour-long commute still sucks, but it's been a good fit for me.

Unfortunately, as you can tell from my absence in blogging, I'm in junker paralysis again. Estate sales just haven't been doing it for me lately—nothing good. It seems that we're moving away from the jam-packed old-lady hoarder homes to streamlined minimalist and tasteful retirees—not my style. If it weren't for the accursed day job, I'd be out there hitting the auctions and doing a lot more roadtrips. Because I haven't been buying as much, it's getting harder to be enthused about the booth. When you feel like you don't have exciting new treasures to bring in, it's easy to skip a weekend of foofing. It's a vicious cycle.

But you know what the junk doctor prescribes: 5 days of Texas junking! In 2 short weeks, I'll be at the greatest show on dirt, yukking it up with my peeps and hauling it up north. I cannot WAIT. This time, I'm hooking up with Amy (Into Vintage) and Laurie (Magpie Ethel). They'll have a few days' lead time on me, so I'll have to do some lickety-split junking. Hope they leave me a few tidbits (moldy ledgers, broken skeleton keys, etc.)....

Roadtrip to FreshVintage #2: Anniversary Edition

Saturday, I made a quick (3 hours each way) roadtrip up to PA to help Colleen and Chris celebrate the first anniversary of Fresh Vintage! Apparently, she's hoarding every vintage camera and seltzer bottle on the eastern seaboard, so I just had to come and gawk.

The shop looked great. It was hopping! There was not-one-but-two kinds of daytime wine, and uber-cool cookies shaped like vintage items. I'm pretty sure I ate 2-3 mannequin cookies, but couldn't be sure. I definitely ate a camera though. Natch. Sustenance, you know....

 

The store was drool-worthy. I really, REALLY wanted that standing chalkboard (been looking a loooong time for one), and a ton of the great signs, maps, and other items. Not so much the taxidermy deer head. Holy flashback to grandpa's porch! I remember being forced to nap one afternoon back in the 60s directly under the deer's gaze, and being totally skeeved. I still have nightmares. But I digress....

Unfortunately, I didn't stay long as they were super-busy, and I had some primo PA junking to do.

 

I'd also come to pick up 15 super-awesome Keystone printers trays from Meg of Hooten Nanny (look at those handles that say Keystone). Because, as you know, it's my personal goal to own every newspaper printers tray in the US. And flip it.

I'm in Love with a Hippo

A hippo pulldown, that is! At the DC Big Flea this weekend, there was a vendor who had just brought over a CONTAINER from Germany filled with these pulldowns. He probably had 200 of them: science, animals, bugs, anatomy. I was in heaven. I'm sure there's still a puddle of drool in the aisle. Alas, the least expensive was $95 (and it was totally beat up), and most were $150-$200. Curses.

Buying Vintage for the Booth v. Buying for Etsy

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!

VRS Worldwide Enterprises, and The Winter Junk Blues

a corner of our booth at Weathered Elegance

This time of year, when the good junking is sparse and flea markets and fairs are non-existent 'round these parts, it's easy to lapse into the winter junk blues. Said blues are compounded by sloooow sales in the antique malls.

 

a corner of my Leesburg Antique Emporium booth

I have a hard time getting stoked to re-stock/re-foof when I'm not scoring new junk, and when the weather is cold, and (for what it's worth, honestly) when sales are slow. As Snis is quick to remind me, this time of year is ALWAYS slow, so we can't take it personally. It's hard not to, however.

 

What's the solution? Stock the etsy shop!

I've employed some creative mind-tricks (well, reality-based sensibilities). But, if I remind myself that VRS has many presences, and it's not about "covering the rent/expenses", then I can see my business (once again) in a successful light. Yeah, sales in the uber-expensive booth are down, and sales in the new booth are just now coming to fruition, but with etsy's super-low overhead and reliable sales, it all evens out.

What do you do to weather the fallow months? When you stare at the hoard in your home? I'm redoubling efforts on all fronts this month—not necessarily for the income (I'm fortunate in that I don't rely on VRS' success), but to make way for MORE JUNK!

Moving Into a Second Shop ... Gulp.

If you were just as surprised as I was that I was painting again, then I feel I owe you an explanation. With each new calendar year, we all assess what we might need to change up. What's working? What's not? Why do we still have SO MUCH JUNK?

 

Back in November, my sister made a business decision to close up her booth and re-focus on creating and having more fun junking, rather than selling. Well, that lasted about 3 days. Next thing we knew, she's moved to a new shop that had just opened up in downtown Leesburg: Weathered Elegance. She's loving the new shop, and it's gorgeous, as you can see. Two vendors from the now-closed Urban Pickers started it up.

Weathered Elegance is more of a shabby chic/home decor shop than we've previously been in, and when the owner and my sister asked if I'd like to come aboard, I decided it's the perfect time to move the last of my shabby items. And, hopefully sell more so I can BUY MORE.

 

Now, my sister and I are sharing a booth. Although I'm well aware of the perils of sharing a booth, I think we can definitely roll with it. Our junk works well together, and we've got our eyes and hearts open. It's bigger financial commitment for me (hence the GULP), but I've got to move the junk!

Lured Down an Alley With the Promise of Cheap Junk

Yesterday I made a quick roadtrip down to Newport News, VA to visit with Cheryl (no blog). Naturally, we got in some good junking. We hit a few stores where I got some smalls, and as we were walking down the street, a woman popped out of a restaurant and asked if we were antiquing. "Well, there's a yard sale around the corner you might want to check out." She mumbled something about silver trays for 50¢. Well, you don't need to tell US twice.

As we neared, we could see that it was quite a strange set-up. Apparently, it was the back of an antique store that had closed 5 years ago. It was kind of set up like cages. There were a TON of wood/glass display cases (all marked sold—because they were a mere $50). I couldn't even bear to look at what the prices on all the architectural salvage (columns, awesome windows, corbels) were—all sold, of course. Suffice it to say that there were tables for $2, chairs for $1.... I'll wait until you recover. Now, to be fair, most of it was slightly damaged or dirty, but still....

 

I quickly started making a pile of my smalls, and the ringleader shuttled my prizes up to the front for my trademarked VRS pile. It kept growing and growing, and he finally said, "I should warn you, missy, that you're already at $14." I almost busted a gut, but had to keep my game face on. I got out of there with a half-carload for $19! Cheryl has offered to be my witness before a jury of my peers if you don't believe me.

 

Bonus: Cheryl sold me some globes and cameras!

P.S. After seeing Cheryl's comment, I've re-written the headline. It's too appropriate!

Lord Help Me, I'm Painting Again

Details to come.... Rest assured: it's only temporary.

Am I That Predictable? Or, Clean Up on Aisle D!

Yesterday, about 5 minutes after I arrived at the DC Big Flea, my sister calls me and tells me to head on over to Aisle D STAT. Her tone said, "I mean it!" When someone who totally groks you commands something like that, you obey.

 

Good thing I did! I scored 34 of these metal mini hardware drawers—some with bonus rusty hardware in them. They interlock, so are ripe for myriad combinations. Janet's booth ROCKED with loads of amazing items! The best part: when I (of course) asked "How much for all of them?", she started laughing and said, "Your sister TOLD ME you'd say that!"

As if you wouldn't have bought all of them....