Dark time of the soul

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It's all change again

Nothing remains the same except for change, correct?

I'm no longer working at the antique store.

Bob and I will shortly be leaving there as dealers and have no current plans to go elsewhere. (Which swiftly led us to the "where are we going to PUT all of this stuff??" quiet panic, but not to worry - bins have been purchased and so have puppy training pads.)

We're going to concentrate on doing shows this next season, and I will ramp up the website, offering a wider selection of items. I also added the shipping option to include the United Kingdom, as our present inventory consists of items that were produced and distributed there. So now we're shipping to the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. Woo-hoo!

We're entertaining the possibility of becoming pickers for a few other dealers - I'll be starting out with one for now, and will see how the relationship develops.

I'm not at all put off retail for the future - but for now, I have some personal issues that take precedence.

A most amazing day

I'm pretty sure things like this don't happen very often in the world of antique shops. I'm certain of it, as a matter of fact. I'm rather bewildered at what transpired; pleased that I got to take part in it and happy, so happy, that it happened successfully with all parties pleased with the results.

(Now that I've got you wondering....)

Saturday at the shop a whirlwind arrived, in the persona of a shopper with the energy of a tornado, the passion of a woman in love with life, and the eye that knew exactly what she wanted.

Which was - the entire contents of a jewelry dealer's case.

Now, I can relate to falling in love with a beautiful piece of jewelry; a certain designer's collection; and even the way a particular dealer has merchandised their space to maximize the beauty and eye appeal of their offerings. I can totally relate to being presented with a lovingly prepared case and thinking to myself, "Wow, I would love to have *anything* from here - it all looks so good!" And then I would do a double take, pare down my expectations to one or maybe two pieces out of that case, sigh heavily, and say my tender goodbyes to the remainder of the contents as being beyond my reach, reasonably speaking.

But this force of nature was someone different. This passionate, exuberant individual just about threw her arms around the case (as best she could), and announced, "I want it all! I love every single piece that's in here, and I could never decide on one piece or another; I have to have it all!" I took in her enthusiasm, and said, "Really?" (pause.) "Are you interested in buying everything in here?"

"Absolutely." was the prompt reply.

And so started the odyssey of negotiating the sale of the entire contents of a jewelry dealer's case, minus the props and non-jewelry items. It was a hair-raising process for me; my blood pressure medication was tested for its effectiveness. There were times when the buyer had to be soothed at the magnitude of what we were going through - this was extraordinary for all of us involved.

Certainly there are times when dealers are known to sell off their inventory when they have decided to get out of the business or retire; this transaction, though, where a single, non-dealer purchaser has decided to acquire such an inventory, is not a common occurrence, if it ever happens at all.

But truly, it went rather smoothly. My anxiety-induced hysterics (hidden from most, especially on the job!) might have been necessary in the process for ME, but the transaction was completed within two days, leaving a very, very happy customer; a dealer who sees this as an opportunity to rebuild a collection with an almost clean slate; and a shop owner who is happy to have a significant sale during a time of year when such sales are certainly not expected.

I have also made a lovely new friend in this excited customer. Her enthusiasm is infectious; her spouse is charming and bemused, and they are, it turns out, neighbors of ours.

You simply never know what's going to happen when someone walks in the door of the shop, and that's what I love about it.

Fell in love with a little box

One of those times where the more you learn about a piece, the more you come you admire it. This is a Victorian trinket box in a style called "jewelry casket". Made by the Jennings Brothers firm, the box is marked on the bottom with the initials "J.B." and in the opposite corner, the numbers "336", probably referring to a style number.

The elegant swirls of the Art Nouveau twines of stems and leaves are so lovely. I think I am going to keep this one in my active collection.

Show at the Museum of History in St. Petersburg

This weekend we're doing an antique show at the Museum of History in St. Pete. It's being run by the same promoters who do the show at the Coliseum (and who are presently dealers with us at Patty and Friends Antiques). It's a small show due to the venue - we'll all be set up amongst the museum's exhibits. I know it will be a challenge but I also think it will be a fascinating opportunity to promote the city's museum and its rich history. It's a natural extension to have an antique show at the same location, to my mind.

I'll be helping Bob to set up our booth on Friday; but he will be manning the space by himself during the 2-day event, as I'll be working at the shop.

In other news, I have been working on creating the Facebook page for the Patty and Friends Antique Village (note the rebranding - part of the mall's 30th anniversary celebration coming up later this month). I am on a learning curve with this project, but having fun as I do it. (Er, note the number of Fans that Patty's has - please feel free to join us!)

And lastly, I've secured the final spot in the "red house" area of Patty and Friends where I work most of the time as our secondary booth space. I'll be preparing it - painting and installing some lighting - and slowly moving over from our upstairs booth space from the main building. This will allow me to monitor a sales area of our own while I'm working, and allow Bob and I to have a presence in both buildings. It also means that the red house, which had been a furniture gallery just a scant few months ago, will have made its conversion complete, once again, into an antique shop. I'm glad to be a part of that healthy growth and change.

And today's word is SKOOKUM

I admit I resorted to the Wikipedia listing, after not getting the spelling right on the first couple of tries. What I see in the store are Indian dolls made for the tourist trade, dating to many different ages. I did find a terrific resource from the Wikipedia page that is devoted entirely to the subject.

It's not a type of item that I personally find to be of interest, but since there are such a number of these dolls in the store - and of such variety - I knew that it was worthwhile that I read a bit more about them.

Comes under the category of "whaddya know"?

Patty and Friends Antiques and what I'm doing there

I have the pleasure to be a part of the staff of Patty and Friends Antiques in St. Petersburg, where Bob and I have booth space. It is so rare in this life to be able to work in a field that is also your passion - I can say that this is the first time it's happened to me.

It's a dynamic place, with many recent changes as the mall absorbed dealers from a store that closed elsewhere in St. Pete; it's those additions that necessitated the extra staffing that allowed me to come aboard as a member. I find that every single day that I work I get the opportunity to learn about another aspect of collectibles and what people find desirable and valuable. Whether it's Depression glass, celluloid animals, restored furniture, or vintage designer jewelry, I get to go to school every day that I show up to work.

I took the initiative to create a Facebook page for Patty and Friends, and slowly I'm learning about how to manage it as an informational and promotional tool for the store. Just as I learned about the building of my own website and store on eCrater; this very blog, and those darn Squidoo pages, I am determined to make the Facebook page yet another destination for Patty and Friends' fans and customers.