TIAS - a whole lot of nuthin' going on

Well, since our online store's debut at TIAS, just over a month ago, we've had a few inquiries for items that we don't carry; a request for valuation on an item that a person thought was over 100 years old but wasn't manufactured until 1957; many friendly "hello's" from far and wide... and not a single sale. I've made use of the internal press release system to promote the store within the TIAS website, doing so twice weekly as we're allowed; but to no avail.

I've considered putting one or two items up for auction at eBay - yet another arena in which I have zero experience - but the most recent postings on the dealer forums are certainly discouraging, from a seller's point of view. More and more, it would seem, eBay is becoming a buyer's delight, and not in the least a seller's. The cost per transaction has been restructured, and from some of the calculations I've seen it's a bad deal unless you're what they call a "SuperSeller", doing a really high volume of transactions - not a small business person like myself. So I'm not at all certain that it's the right venue for me to be trying, especially such a novice as myself.

So instead, I turned on the feature at the TIAS store that allows a prospective buyer the option of making me an offer on a item. I'm hoping that this at least will be the start of potential conversations with customers that's not otherwise happening right now. It will give people the option of bidding on an item without having to go through eBay - they'll be able to deal directly with me, and I'll evaluate whether or not to accept an offer or not. I put out a press release that Time Travelers is Now Making Deals!! on the main TIAS page.

We'll see if this change has any impact. It sure would be nice to sell something from the store (she said wistfully).....

A success in Tampa!

The old-timers all say that it's nothing like it used to be. The heady days of big money antiquing has gone the way of much of the country's economy, and most people who came to the show were looking, not buying. Mostly older, retired people, without the disposable incomes that impulse shopping requires.

Having said that - we had a very successful show! As is customary with these shows, the best customers were other dealers, and most of the trade was done before the gates were open to the public. This show was no exception, and so we declare the Tampa show to have been a moderate success for Time Travelers. Our next door neighbor proved to be our best single customer, for which I've thanked her in a note sent off this morning.

The dealers are friendly, kind, and really let us in on the sense of community that I was hoping we'd find, but hadn't truly expected. We kept an eye on each other's booths if an errand (or a quick shopping trip) needed to be made; when the skies opened up on Saturday afternoon and Bob and I discovered that we didn't actually possess enough tarps to adequately cover all of our tables, someone was quick to make a loan of an extra one; that's the kind of people these dealers are. Nobody I spoke with was familiar with the internet for commerce, or used it as part of their trade. Most didn't own a computer. This might be a reflection of the caliber of shows that we've chosen to participate in, or it may just be an oddity of the area that we're trading in - I just don't know, but I was really surprised!

The weather cooperated for the most part for this show. Friday afternoon was the finest, with comfortable temperatures and blue skies. Saturday was very mixed and the threatening clouds kept the crowds at home; we covered up early when it started to rain in earnest, around 3:30. Sunday started out cold, and though it became sunny, it never really warmed up completely. Would it have been a better show had the weather been better? Maybe. Who knows?

The van is all packed up and will remain so in preparation for the coming weekend's show in Sarasota. This one is just Saturday and Sunday, with no Friday preview hours. Then we'll have a break of a few weeks, and do another weekend show in Dade City.

Er, market research?

Naw, it's shopping!! We went to a show down in Sarasota yesterday - just fabulous, museum quality items throughout. The jewelry cases all looked to be getting a lot of traffic, but we overheard one dealer say that they hadn't sold a THING yet. Yikes! Granted, this was upmarket merchandise; but most of the dealers were sat down with their books or their lunches, rather than engaging in conversation of any kind with their customers. Seems to me that would be limiting the business you'd be doing right there. My many years working in retail taught me to acknowledge every single person who comes into the store (or in the case of a show, a booth area) with a friendly "hello", and an offer of help if it's needed or wanted - and then to watch the customer for the next clue. I personally have been put off if I'm approached the moment I pick an item up for closer examination - like if I pick something up to look at the underside of it, or to find the price tag. If I'm approached immediately after picking up the first item, I'll usually the item down and leave, as I'm more comfortable browsing first and then asking questions, if I need to.

Of course, it's just as off-putting if you've seen something you're interested in, and the dealer or salesperson is not returning your inquiring gaze. if their nose is stuck in a book, a salad, or if they are (worst of all) having a conversation on a cell phone, then I'm most likely to put the item down, and walk away, rather than attempt to try to get their attention. I figure it's the dealer's job to try to make sale, rather than the customer's!

It's a balance of watching what's going on, making sure everyone knows that you've seen them, and keeping yourself available for giving information if it's wanted. And, in case you haven't noticed, this is the best security you can give your booth too. The person who wants to lift your merchandise is counting on slipping in and out unnoticed - they don't want to be acknowledged, or have you catch their eye. Being receptive to their moves means that you're aware of where their hands are going - to their pockets, to a bag, to a companion - springing up beside someone who is acting in a suspicious manner and offering to help them is a sure way to put the potential shoplifter off their game, and put the potential customer at ease - you really can't lose.

Well, after admiring all the treasures at the show in Sarasota - and admitting that these precious objects were way beyond our present means and scope of collecting - we moved slowly northbound. We stopped at a few places in Ellenton, including the Old Feedstore, where I hadn't been for about 5 years or so! We found it to be a great place with many nooks and crannies, just filled with treasures. Bob spotted an Expo 67 Sadler Mug, which was a great addition to my collection of memorabilia from that World's Fair. I seem to find about two items a year, which seems like a good pace at which to be growing such a specialized collection. And the price was right! You just have to be patient with those particular items: they appear during the Snowbird Season, when the Canadians are in town. You just can't find them at all during the summer months.

Today we went to a completely different kind of show - Antique Bottle Collectors. This is such a specialty niche, yet there were enough dealers to fill the entire armory in St. Pete for several days! Some of the specimens just like jewels in their coloring - pale lavender, so many shades of green; milk bottles from the many regional dairy companies that used to operate in the area; and then there were the specialty shaped bottles - one whole table devoted just to bottles shaped like violins! It was just mind-boggling, the depth of the collecting that any one area can go to. (I'll admit to not understanding the attraction of the glass insulators used in the electrical industry - they're nice looking, but I just don't get it!) Familiar sights were the various soda pop bottles, which seemed to do a brisk trade at the show. Once again, we did not make any purchases at this particular show, but we found most of the dealers were very happy to spend time and chat with us about various aspects of their collections. It's satisfying to see such passions abound in the midst of so much apathy (in general) in our society. I really find that aspect of the collectibles world to be very appealing.

I'll only be new at this once

I'm supposed to take solace in this - that I'll only ever be this green and naive for this short period in my life. At the same time, I'm trying to remind myself that if I trust my intuition, it has yet to lead me astray. It's very much like making my way through an unfamiliar room in the dark, arms flailing in front of me, not knowing what I'm about to bump into or even what it looks like. I wish I could say that I find this exciting, but I do not. The unfamiliar is frightening to me. And the untried is nerve wracking; I much prefer to have a dry run of just about anything, please, if possible!

We have found the work-around solution for being able to do credit card transactions at the upcoming show. We'll be able to run paper copies through a chit!chit! machine (isn't that what they're called? That's what they sound like!) and call for phone authorizations, then process the days' transactions on the TIAS site each night. I know that being able to offer the convenience of credit card transactions will be a plus. Have to make certain that we get the necessary details for each sale as backup information. When I first looked into the possibility of offering the convenience of CC transactions, I really didn't think that it would cost so much more to lease the necessary equipment - it's really outrageous for small, stand-alone businesses who only do retail shows several times a year. It just not cost efficient to rent a wireless unit for - get this - $169!! to do a single show. Plus the fee per transaction that we're charged as a merchant. Very expensive for a one-off show. Doing it in this caveman manner is a sensible solution that I think should work out just fine.

I've sent away for a few jewelry display pieces that will help protect the few items that we'll be bringing to the show. We spoke to a lovely lady at the St. Pete Antique show last weekend, Ruth Simpson whom we've bought from in the past and who offered us some sage advice for the Tampa show, particularly with regard to protecting jewelry items from theft. She sells the most beautiful costume jewelry. We'll have to seek her out after we get set up there.

Today's picture is of a Gloria Gladwyn teacup and saucer, made by the Myott China company of England. The Gloria Gladwyn Production series remains somewhat of an enigma to Myott collectors, as it's never been clear whether she was an individual designer, or a name assigned to their team of design studio artists of Art-Deco themed series. When the Myott factory suffered a fire in 1949, all records of their productions and designers was lost, so the mystery remains to this day. We really like the colours and shape of this teacup and saucer, whomever Gloria Gladwyn might have been!

busy, busy, busy

We've just spent several hours going over the entire inventory with the couple that we bought the business from, in preparation for the Tampa Antique and Collectibles Fair coming up. What an enormous relief to have that review and actually handle each piece together, which we'd hadn't been able to do before. Many of the items had been unmarked; many more of the items had been marked with clearance pricing, since we'd encountered the couple when they were ready to retire from the business entirely, and so had reduced their prices to below cost in order to clear it out. This exercise brought us back to a normal price point on all items, and allowed us, even more importantly, to identify each and every item! No more mysteries! Doing a little happy dance right here in my kitchen....

We also took the time to review the website with the lady, who I think was happy to see her treasures on view for all to enjoy. She helped to revise a few items, which I really appreciate. Nothing like working in the dark to make one feel muddled.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to get another mystery solved, when we brought a piece of Nippon Moriage that had belonged to Bob's grandmother in for an appraisal at another antique show that was offering professional appraisals for a $5 donation. At least, now we know that it's a Nippon Moriage vase - up until yesterday we only knew that it was a pretty green vase with bumpy white dots on it. We were even certain that it was of Japanese oprigin, because we couldn't make out the mark on the base. (That's what the "moriage" refers to - the heavy application of enamel on Nippon porcelain. Now we know!) We also got an estimated value on the vase, which was a nice surprise all around. Now the vase will get a rightful spot in the china cabinet, instead of being perched precariously in front of the fireplace.

Be careful what you ask for

Is an honest opinion really what I'm looking for when I ask others for an assessment of the store and the blog? Or is it encouragement, words of faith, and reassurances that what I'm doing is on the right path? I got a taste of this when I received an unexpected critique from someone I don't really know. The words certainly stung, for all their honesty and truthfulness, because I agreed with what the person said. I all but fell over myself in trying to justify the things that they found fault with - the background theme of the store not matching the merchandise (I'd like to offer merchandise that does); the lack of volume in the inventory categories (which I'm working on to generalize and sort out). That the writer was correct in no way lessened the message that I actually took away from it - that I've failed, and I don't really know what I'm doing. I've been found out, and my secret has been discovered.

Some of this I can attribute to my being utterly green, which I've been told I should actually treasure, because this is the only time I'll be this way. At some point, I'll become experienced. I'll receive criticism with the spirit that it was given; that is, to help improve the look and feel of the site. For now, though, this little spirit is feeling just a bit bruised that all their hard word might be hitting off the mark. At least, according to one.

Another bump on the road to success has been figuring out whether we should offer payment by way of credit cards at the upcoming antique show in Tampa. Alas, the cost of being able to offer such a service is truly extraordinary for first-timers like us. A hand-held wireless credit card scanner costs around $900 to purchase; one could lease a unit for around $35 per month, but that's not worthwhile if you're only doing a few shows a year, since the leasing contracts run around 3 years. I think we'll be in a better position to reassess the situation after doing our first couple of shows, to see if the expense would be justified.

Newsflash - we have realized that we can process credit card transactions in the old fashioned way, with a manual imprinter machine (the chit!chit! back and forth sliding thing) and calling in for authorizations on our cellphones. We're already set up with a merchant account for the online store, so it's a very simple process. I do think that writing it all out here is what set this particular light bulb alight...

So today is feeling rather like I've had a few lumps. On the bright side, my photography skills are coming right along. I was able to take pictures of several different items with no difficulty today, which means that I'm learning! I only had to retake pictures of one of the items that I wasn't satisfied with; the others passed muster.

Determining what goes in the store

I decided that the store needed more items in the "silver" category, and I started to dig through some of storage boxes to see what I could discover. Silver plate, sterling, we got it! And my strategy now is to take the pictures first, so that when I've done the research and written the descriptions, I've got the item ready to pop into the store's inventory. Sounds like quite the system, right? And I'm this nascent photographer, with my little portable light studio and my digital camera ready to take aim...

But silver shines. Boy, does it shine. I kept taking pictures of me taking pictures of the silver. And the resolution is so great that when I uploaded the photos, I realized that some of the pieces were rather, er, careworn, shall we say - that is, I saw lots of little scratches that I hadn't noticed before.

The piece that defeated me, though, was a reproduction creamer, whose handle looked kind of tarnished. Wanting to show it off to its best advantage, I whipped out my trusty Goddard's silver polishing cloth (what a great product, BTW), and gave the handle a brisk rub. CLUNK! Guess what disengaged itself from the creamer - the tarnished handle! (Maybe that's why it wasn't polished in the first place?)

I guess I'm glad that it happened, because I would have hated for the damage to have occurred during shipping to a customer. I certainly didn't know there was a problem with it before I started this exercise, but now I'm relegating that particular item to the "garage sale" pile, since I'm not prepared to get into the silver repair business at this point...

At the end of this day, I didn't have enough pictures that I was happy with to justify adding more "silver" items to the store inventory. I'll have to do some more practicing with my camera, and with the lighting. Here's a picture that turned out OK, but I didn't get enough other angles to be able to present a good overall impression of the piece. If it's not good enough, it won't go in - and I'm sticking with that story!

Teacups and Saucers

One of the things we realized after we bought this antiques business was that there was a very broad range of collectibles out there, and that we could either become generalists and offer a little bit of everything, or specialists, and focus in on one or two particular areas of interest. Wouldn't I love to become known as That Teacup and Saucer Lady!

Teacups and saucers denote good breeding, high social standing, and leisure time. No one races around the house with a teacup in their hand (that would be a coffee mug) while trying to get out the door. A cup of tea served properly means that you're sitting down, perhaps with someone else, engaged in polite conversation. A plate of cookies, rests between you. There probably isn't a TV in the room, or if there is, it's not turned on.

So, yes - we like teacups. Here's today's picture, of an Alfred Meakin Art Deco teacup and saucer that Bob found at an estate sale in Winter Haven. We love the colors and the shape - what a great handle! We'll be looking for more of these gems in our haunts; and we'll be hoping to be known as Those Teacup People.

Cringing at self promotion

So I sent out a whole bunch of emails (you've all been sent as bcc's, don't worry!) providing a link to this new blog. I've been told by the dealer forum at TIAS that having a blog will help direct traffic to the Time Travelers store; but, um, who's gonna read my blog?? So I screwed up the courage - again - and sent out the email invitations to those selected individuals from my address books whom I hoped wouldn't delete the message without at least scanning it at first.

And then, I also wrote a short press release for the TIAS front page. Turns out I can submit two of these per week with a new item each time. Yeah, I think I can do that. The item I submitted was approved within about an hour, and POOF! it appeared on the front page, just like that. So easy!

What exactly is the hard part about self promotion, though, is the sense that perhaps I've just plunked a little pebble into a giant ocean; and that it (my email) will go unnoticed, unread, and directly into a whole of people's junk mail box. And that my email is NOT just a notice about my blog, or about the store, but it's an enormous sign tattooed on my virtual forehead that says, "love me." Please, love me. And that really is it, at its essence. What you thought you got was an email telling you about this blog and the store; what you really got was a love letter. Huh? And not only Huh? but also Ick! I don't think I wanted to know that!

You gotta love that self inquiry process, What's the story, and what is it really about?

Taking Pictures

Sunday I spent adding inventory items to the Time Travelers store. I kind of have a system set up where I like to have the photos taken already; then I do the research on the items and write the copy, and then add the item to the store. Does me no good to add an item to the store if I don't have a photo of it to show what it is! The big obstacle in the process thus far has been the Taking of The Photo - I am NOT a photographer; I take poor photos, I get frustrated taking photos. Bob and I went through all sorts of trials of different lamps, different backgrounds, taking the pictures outside (a good option when you live in The Sunshine State!) - but the fact of the matter is that sometimes, Bob won't be available to take the pictures when they need to be taken.

I decided to bite the bullet and actually learn how to do it. I had seen one of those portable photographic studios advertised in the Sky Mall magazine and decided that being able to take the photos indoors under controlled conditions was the best solution. I found a kit that included two adjustable lamps, a tripod, and a light box. It's the Digital Concepts Portable Light Studio PS-101, from Hammacher Schlemmer. Very quickly the tripod was tossed aside in favor of holding the camera in our hands. Directing the lights was also a challenge. Having the light box made a big difference to how the light is diffused, and creates a consistent background for the photos, which we think is an important element for the online store.

And that brings me to Today's Picture - my first attempt. This picture is taken with two light sources, with our digital camera, a Canon Power Shot ELPH, taken on the "macro" setting, for close-ups, with no flash.

It's of a covered sugar bowl from Wedgwood of Barlaston, of the Penshurst pattern. This was only produced between the years of 1962 and 1968 and so it's not a very commonly found pattern. I really like the robin-egg blue color against the cream background, and the foliage and floral all-over design on the piece. I also like the flare of the mouth of the bowl - it gives it a very '60's feel. The piece does have a chip taken out of one side of it, and I took a close-up picture of it for the inventory for the store - disclosure is everything! Also the price of piece is about half of what it would have been if perfect. I still think it's a lovely piece.