Recently I mentioned that I am always on the lookout for prime locations for new shop space. Today I want to discuss what to look for when you, as an aspiring Antique Vendor, are scoping out space in an Antique Mall.

Of all the business models I’ve experimented with, I tend to like the Antique Mall (sometimes called a Group Shop) best. But how does one choose? Here’s what I look for when searching for a new home for my Vendor space.

Antique Shop Owner

I look for a like-minded person who conveys an aura of hospitality. After all, this isn’t just junk. I offer unique artifacts used to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in someone’s home. I look for friendliness, creativity, and enthusiasm. Does the shopkeeper love what she does? Does she appreciate and see the charm of these rusty items, or does she just see a pile of junk for sale? Is the owner hard working?

The owner should be the face of the business, not an absentee landlord. Is she dependable, is she open when she says she’s going to be open? Are the shop hours sufficient to capture impulse shoppers and regulars alike? Is she savvy, fair and trustworthy in business dealings with vendors and customers?

Antique Mall Location

If an antique shop is a destination unto itself, it can reside in the woods, far up a back road. But most shops benefit from high visibility to get their customer traffic. Does the shop you occupy have high visibility and a pleasant outside aesthetic? Does the building have curb appeal? How about adequate parking for vendors to load and unload product, and plenty of space for customers, so they aren’t intimidated by the lack of parking spaces, and keep on driving to another shop a few miles up the road.

Proximity to Home

Ideally your shop space is close enough to home that you can service your space one or two times a week. By that I mean, replenish stock that has left a gaping hole in your displays, or remove an item that has simply taken up space for the past month, with little or no interest from buyers. Sometime it may be to simply “Fluff it up”, because you were driving by.

You may choose to have more than one antique shop. Presently I have one space 20 minutes from home, and I have another one a half-hour in the opposite direction. This is very manageable, though it would be ideal if they were in the same direction, because I could hit them both in the same day.

There have been times when the ideal store for me has been over an hour drive from home. When business is booming, this is OK, but if business is marginal, a two-hour round trip, gasoline, tolls and more can quickly make the situation intolerable.

Vendor Churn

Visit the shop several times. Observe how many empty spaces there are. How many booths are offering steep discounts, or moving sales? If that number is high, that is not good. Is there a waiting list to get space? If so, that may be a good sign. It means people aren’t eager to leave. Are a disproportionate number of the booths occupied by the owner? If so, it might mean that they can’t satisfy enough vendors to keep them in the shop.

Customer Traffic

We already addressed automotive traffic in the previous section, but what about customer traffic? Is the parking lot always empty when you drive by? When you stop in the store to look around, are you the only customer in the store for 20-30 minutes? If so, beware. The more eyeballs that see your stuff, the better chance you have of selling. If no one’s there, no one’s buying. If you see customers, observe whether they buy, or simply kick the tires and walk out empty-handed.

Days and Hours Open for Business

How many days a week a this antique mall is open for business can vary. Is the shop open on weekends? What time does it open? If it only opens at noon, that might be problematic. Does the shopkeeper view this as a real business (moving inventory and profitability), or is it a hobby (labor of love and a social outlet). I would suggest you don’t want to bet your bottom line with a hobbyist.

In recent years I’ve observed some shop owners strive to create a sense of scarcity, being open only one weekend a month. Yes, two days only. These are marketed as “events”. Such a business model does tend to stimulate a great deal of traffic and shopping activity in a short period of time. However, if you wish to participate in such a venture, there is a great deal of work involved in getting all your product to the shop for two days, and then removing it all to bring back to your own storage for the next 28 days.

Web & Social Media Presence

The olden days of advertising in a monthly regional antique/collectible dealer newspaper are history. Yes, some still exist, but they are expensive, and they are seldom timely. Does your antique mall still send expensive post cards to your mailbox to stick on your fridge to remind you of the big event on Black Friday? Does your shop owner have an e-mail list? Even better – does the shop owner allow you to collect e-mail subscribers within your own booth?

Good shops have a professional Facebook page and manage it daily to keep readers interested in the new arrival of products, and to constantly remind shoppers that cool stuff is “hit or miss”, so you gotta keep on top of things for fear of missing out (FOMO). In addition to Facebook, better shops have their own website, and their own domain.  And the best shops use Facebook and their webpage in concert with professional e-mail reminders of special events and to create a tribe of savvy shoppers, who get the news first on new arrivals.

Price Points & Customer Demographics

Some markets cater to a higher-end clientele that have no issue with paying premium pricing. Other markets prefer moderate/fair pricing. Others, are just plain cheap, avoid these at all costs. If a shop is perceived as simply an indoor flea market or yard sale – run! These shoppers place no value on what you have, all they want to do is deal. I could include links to sites or Facebook pages that would illustrate each of these scenarios, but I don’t want the negativity.

Often times this is less a matter of geography and more of a mindset conveyed by the shopkeeper. Which leads to my next point.

Beware of the “Sale Mentality”

Some shop owners think having a “Sale” is the way to drive business. They are eager to promote “Sales” to get buyers into the door, to buy your stuff at a discount. But the shop owner is still getting full price on the rent from all the vendors. Some even expect vendors to be on site to help “man the store”. If you pay rent, then have to discount your products, bake cookies and work at the counter, then I have a cheaper business model for you. Put your stuff on the curb with a “Free Stuff” sign on it. It will be much less work, for the same profit.

Similar Design Aesthetics

If you step into a shop and the booths all look just a little too similar, odds are that the owner is occupying most of the space. If the booths vary in the types of collections and presentations, then this visual diversity suggests many creative vendors are present.

Either way, you want to be in a space with similar quality merchandise. You want variety, yet similar. You want to see merchandise that is clean, gently worn to show its age and character, yet serviceable or displayable.

Summary

There you have it. 10 tips about what I look for when I’m scouting out new antique shop space. These are not hard and fast rules, but they are guidelines that will give you a starting point when you begin exploring antique mall alternatives in your area.

If you have any additional ideas to share, please add them to the comments section below.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Note: In photography a “long shot” typically shows an object in such a way as to place it in some relation to its surroundings.

I don’t know why, but some days I just look around at things from a different perspective. Today I was given such an opportunity.

I am so familiar with every little thing in the cottage. This is because every item has a little story in my mind of how I came to find these cool little treasures. Then I look at the way I may have grouped items by shape, or color, or texture. Perhaps I glance from one side of the room to the other and observe a vignette that I staged last month and I am reminded of what triggered that design at that particular moment.

I admit, there are times I take the coziness of the cottage for granted because I am so very familiar with every element of it. But my husband Charles is different. He walks into the room and he sees what has changed and he wonders what makes me tick. He wonders why would anyone in their right mind to think to pair this item with that one? Yet he admits it works.

Charles sees the world through a different lens than I do. He considers me a sculptor. Though I am amused by his label, I can see why he thinks that. He sees my repurposing of things, and my pairing of various items, as building a three dimensional collection: a sculpture. I do not perceive myself as such, but I can see how he could come to such an analogy.

Charles on the other hand, sees things through shadows and light. I see a collection of old clay jugs. He sees the afternoon sun, from the South, painting parallel shadows across a row of old gray cylinders. This old house can be very dark, but when the sun crosses behind the house, across the pond, the southern rooms glow. Sometimes you can capture that light trickling into the northern rooms as we see in this photo.

Some other time I may tell you stories about how I came upon some of the items in this shot. But for now, the big discovery was that Charles found an old camera in his desk this evening. He had over 400 photos in it dating back to 2011. He showed me a few and said “Pick any photo, and write a story.”

So I chose this one, “eenie meenie miney mo”-style. I chose it because I looked at this photo and wondered how he could be so enamored with shadows and light. Charles wonders how I can look at stuff and see what he doesn’t see. I seldom pay attention to lighting, I am typically oblivious to it as I pass it day after day. But when I see one of Charles’ photos, I am reminded of how important shadows and light are in creating the mood I was seeking in my designs.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

 

Let’s Define Motion

The key to moving products is to keep your Treasures in Motion. The dictionary describes motion as, “the action or process of moving or being moved.”

Sometimes this means you move treasures from one shop to another. Most times, it is simply a matter of managing your space.

Visit your shop space every few days, tidy up things and rearrange items to keep them in a position that makes them visible. Present treasures prominently. Rearranging your items keeps the space fresh.

Decorating as Art

Motion is not always the physical act of moving. Sometimes you must convey it visually. Movement within the context of art is, “A principle of design used to create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer’s eye throughout the work of art.”

Keep this in mind as you stage your shop space. Create vignettes that draw the viewers eyes from one item or collection to another. In this context, your goal is “guide the viewer’s eye” throughout your universe of treasures for maximum impact.

Make an Impression

Frequent shoppers notice a space hasn’t changed since their last visit. This is relevant because this projects the impression that your space is stagnant. Moving waters do not grow stagnant. The same holds true for shop space. Keep things moving and no one will ever accuse you of stagnating.

Your job is to convey the impression that you are offering treasures that fly off the shelves. Make it happen.

I recently spoke with a customer who mentioned that she had seen a unique lamp in my space yesterday. She came back for it today. I informed her that it was sold. Dealers in collectibles are not offering commodity products. If you see something you like, you had better snatch it, because my goal is to keep Treasures in Motion.

Happy hunting!

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

 

Decorate for Fall – My Favorite Season

I typically decorate for a season, not a holiday. So I decorate for Fall as a whole. The Fall Season is not about just Halloween in Suzanne’s Cottage. It is about harvests of pumpkins and gourds, colorful foliage, brisk mornings, shorter days, and longer cozy evenings.

This photo is a recent shot of one corner of my living room. I tried to get a decent picture with nothing more than natural light. No easy feat with bright light streaming through the window, especially using an old iPhone.

If I had to choose three key elements for my decor, I’d opt for texture, color and shapes. All these work synergistically to create the mood of the room.

Texture

This room features a wide variety of textures, beginning with the focal point of the room, the fireplace. The cracked old oak mantle caps the stone face of the hearth. Some textures are rough, some are smooth.

If you sit and look around the room you will see stone, various woods, textiles of cotton, wool and fleece. There are old shed antlers, baskets of various materials. Braided rugs and carpets cover the floor. These textures convey a sense of warmth.

Color

Autumn colors are easy to define. If you need a clue, step outside, or look out the window. Summer brilliance is fading into a palette of golds, browns, and orange. Bright greens are now subdued to darker hues. Think earth tones.  As the sun is lower in the sky, day light is softer. Night lights create a warm glow across the colors and textures.

Shapes

Shapes are also quite varied. Artifacts include decoys, books, game boards, crockery jugs, lamps, and the baskets and antlers I mentioned earlier.

Groupings

Groupings can be used for decorations as well as furnishings. For decorations, consider grouping like items in a vignette. A table top may display old toys or games. A wall display may be a cluster of framed items, such as photos, or maps, or documents.

Grouping of furniture is key to creating a cozy environment, whether it is savoring solitude, curled up on a love seat with a lap blanket and a good novel, or engaging in warm conversation with friends. I have a chair in each corner of the room, each with it’s own table and lamp. Sitting in any chair in the room provides a totally different perspective of the room. It’s interesting and it’s fun.

Summary

The joy of decorating is the opportunity to create a unique space that conveys things about you and your style. Personally, my goal is create a style of a rustic cottage, that encourages people to relax and enjoy lakeside living. In this featured room, all four seats face the center of the room. This creates the atmosphere for conversation. As mentioned above, every seat in the room provides a vastly different view of decorating vignettes.

I also make sure there are plenty of blankets and pillows for snuggling up with a book or a cat. I’d love to know about your favorite fall decorating. Drop a comment below.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Not a Gimmick

This is not a trick design feature. I am stacking fireplace mantles simply because I have too many hearths and mantles, and too few places to put them. So I placed this deep black hearth directly over the opening of the flat pine fireplace mantle. To the unsuspecting eye, it all blends together.

Fireplace Mantles grow on Trees

Let me go on record stating that I do not collect fireplace mantles.

I stated that for my husband’s sake. Charles is not convinced because I keep bringing them home. It’s not my fault. I keep finding them. They are too nice to be relegated to the local transfer station or the power co-generation facility. (I remember when we simply called it the Dump).

Presently I have five of them in the house. I just sold Faux Fireplace No. 5 at my newest space at 101 Treasures. Charles is thrilled, because this one had been relocated to the garage next to his squat rack and barbells, rendering his space useless for most of the winter.

Design Elements

When my shop space includes a back wall, a fireplace mantle or hearth provide an appealing backdrop for staging a faux room. The fireplace is always a focal point in a room, and this works well in a store front as well.

When featured in my shop space, faux fireplaces provide a strong design element that brings cohesion to all the other items within the “room”. If someone actually wants to purchase the mantles it’s a bonus, even though it requires a total redesign of the shop space. But I’m OK with that. The empty room is my blank canvas, and I love the creative process.

This Black Beauty will leave my dining room this week, and make it’s way to the shop. Spring is coming, Charles can move his barbells out to the driveway, to free up garage space for my next acquisition.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Say Cheese! Well, Cheese Press would be a more accurate term.

I found this old hand-crafted press at a New Hampshire flea market, for a few bucks. It is amazingly well-constructed, out of oak.

The lumber is all full-dimension 2 inch stock. It is mortise and tenon joinery, with dowels. The bottom, I guess what you might call the “feet”, suffered from a little rot, so it’s not level.

I fell in love with it, just because it was so well-made, and I knew that somewhere, deep within the grain of this wood, there was a story. I may not know it, but I know it is in there.

I don’t really have a use for this, other than as a unique platform to display other treasures. Treasures, stacked upon treasures. I suppose that is reason enough to have gravitated to it.

For the moment, it graces the entryway to the Cottage. Who knows where it will end up? I certainly don’t. Everything here gets moved, re-deployed, re-purposed, or re-imagined. Isn’t that part of the appeal of finding all these old relics?

 

 

This old wooden toolbox is of my items currently on display at Covey House in Fitzwilliam, NH.

Clare Rose-Howard has a beautiful shop right on the Common. It is classic New England.

ToolBoxes

I love finding small chests and old wooden toolboxes. I know they were commonplace items used by common everyday laborers.

When I was a little girl, I remember little boys often using their Dad’s hand tools. It was always a big deal for a boy to get his own kid-sized toolbox.

These items have a story to tell, from a day when more men worked with their hands, than we see today.

A Found Treasure

I came upon this toolbox on one of my weekly trips in New Hampshire. It was a very unusual toolbox. It clearly was designed for a very specific purpose. It is about 3 feet wide, a 18 inches high, and only about 10 inches deep.

When you unhook the latches, if unfolds, revealing a couple narrow compartments. Each corner has a brass corner guard, the front hinges are brass, as well as the latches on top. There was a handle on the top in days gone by, but that has been lost. The sides have a couple iron handles for carrying the box.

As soon as I saw it, I envisioned it as a centerpiece for displaying old kitchenware. So I snagged it. When I got it home, I sanded it and restored the finish, since the wood was very dry and faded.

By the time Charles arrived home that evening it was done, and already repurposed.

Charles never got a chance to inspect it. He came home and it was full. He has never seen it empty, or folded up closed. If he had, he might have been able to tell me what it was designed for. With nothing to base his hunch on except the physical dimensions, he suspects it may have been used for handsaws.

It always delights me to find ways to breathe new life into found objects, regardless of how far from its original purpose it may be.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Basement Storage

The other day I chatted about how my basement is bursting at the seams. Storage space is precious.

The issue with all this stuff is that for every car load I haul to the shop, half of it comes back. I’ve been doing this for years, and you never know what will sell. Some things seem so obvious that someone will want the item, and you’re stuck with it for two more years.

The fact is that some things have a limited period during which they will be attractive. Hand-painted sleds do not fare well in July. Wheelbarrows do not move in January. So if you don’t capture someone’s eye, you toss it back in the car, and it lands back in the garage (and my husband gets teary-eyed because he can’t get to his barbells).

Shop “Storage”

The other day I also mentioned that rental storage is just added overhead, BUT additional shop space is a cost that also provides an opportunity for a sale, while basements, garages and storage lockers do not.

A fascinating point regarding Junktiques, is that an item that seems to have no appeal to buyers in Shop A, gets snapped up within days, 9 miles down the road in Shop B. You never know.

Shopper demographics is not a science in this business, but it is still a reality. Some of it is geographic. Some is socio-economic. And some of it is the micro-culture of each individual store, which is really a direct influence of the shop-owner.

Values

It is the manifestation of the shop owner’s values, awareness and intuition in regards to their vision of their store. It is also reflected in how they treat their vendors and customers. There are some stores that are quaint and welcoming. There are also some that are stunning in their scale and presentation, but they lack warmth and hospitality, such that you leave feeling your visit was an imposition.

When I am shopping for treasures, or for a shop to sell my wares, I make many visits to a store. I wish to determine if the shop owner cares enough to make everyone welcome at their door. If so I will be back, and I trust others will return as well.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Every picker and dealer knows that when you spot a treasure, you’ve got to act quickly. Do you snag it? Or let it go and never look back? But what happens when storage become part of the decision?

If you own a building, or a barn, or a storage trailer, you have more flexibility. But even that has limits.

At The Cottage, I have commandeered the basement. Charles is pleased that I haven’t made him relocate the furnace and the oil tank for my convenience. Seriously, I have collectibles on display all over the house, and there is stuff in every conceivable nook and cranny in this old house.

We have no outbuildings. Renting a storage unit only raises the cost of goods, so that is an option we do not even consider.

I try to store my goodies seasonally or thematically, so when the time is right, I fill up the car and move the stuff to my shop space in New Hampshire.

This photo was taken about a year ago. I am pleased that much of this stuff has sold, but it has been replaced by a newer, more voluminous treasure trove. Look forward to a few more of these photos in upcoming posts.

If you like this photo and story, please share it with your friends with any of the buttons below.

Spring is in 33 Days!

This weekend the weather has been sub-zero temperatures, with a nasty wind-chill. I scoured my photos for something that would remind me of Spring.

Yesterday was 12 below, with a 40 below wind chill at 6:00 a.m.

We’ve got the furnace cranking overtime, we need to keep hot water flowing through those old pipes.

The new-fangled programmable thermostat set back the temperature at night to 64 degrees last winter, long enough for the pipes to freeze and burst.

No more of that for This Old Cottage, we keep over-riding the settings. It’s time to go back to the good old-fashioned kind.

In the meantime, we keeping stuffing “Spring” into Ball Jars. Yellow flowers are always a favorite of ours, regardless of the time of the year. Spring brings Daffodils and  Lilies. Summer brings Roses, and of course late summer bring the sunshine via Sunflowers. These yellow blossoms always bring a smile to our faces.

Ball Jars

Taste a little of the summer, my grandma put it all in a jar – Greg Brown

We have used canning jars for vases (and for iced tea and lemonade too) for years. Charles is responsible for the title of the post. He says flowers in Mason jars always remind him of this song. Charles likes Greg Brown, me not so much. But then Charles is a story teller, so I can see why he’d relate to this guy.