August was a great month for sales in the booth! I worked hard at it, college students and their moms were shopping, we had one big piece and several smaller pieces of furniture available, and we had General Finishes chalk-style paint half price. (General Finishes is discontinuing their chalk-style paint, so it was time to try to move it out.) These things combined made sales be almost $1900 before rent. To some that’s paltry. To me, it’s “rite nice.” Remember, we’ve had to pay rent a couple of times this year.
First, just to get it out of the way, we sold 36 cans of paint, mostly chalk-style, but also milk paint, stain, etc. for $439.00. A nice chunk. BUT… we were only getting our money back out of the chalk paint. Actually, if you figure shipping, we lost a bit there.
Also, 10 old photographs (out of about a hundred +/-) sold for a total of $34 and 10 vintage postcards sold for a total of $12.00.
This post is fairly long. I’ve reduced the “loading” size of the pictures, so hopefully, that won’t be a problem. Also, I edited them on my new laptop. The laptop that DOES NOT do white on the pictures I take. I hope, hope, hope, they aren’t too weird looking. Here are pictures along with commentary:
A large, newish, green clock that likely originally came from Hobby Lobby. I paid $3 for it at a church rummage sale.
Green Clock
$12.00
In the following photo, the 2 blue books, the light cage and the gym basket:
Blue books — $7.00
Light cage — $6.00
Gym basket — $12.00
Kitchen items from this picture: Oval grater, green handle juicer thingy, green handle strainer, Pet Milk can opener, red handle masher.
Total $26.00
We’ve had these corbels for years. While in my wild-hair-get-rid-of-it-mood I decided to let them go.
Unfinished corbels
$19.00
Something else I’ve had for years and years. I got this at a store going out of business and have used it for display in the booth. Actually, even as far back as when I had a shop! I had it marked $25, which was too much, because I really didn’t care to sell it. But someone looked at it while I was there one day and I told her she could have it for $12.00.
I loved this oval table! It was part of an estate we bought and was in rickety condition. Ricky sturdied it up and painted it. I did the distressing. It didn’t last long. (Looking at it on this computer, the color looks pinkish. It wasn’t. It was white with dark wax.)
Also sold in this picture the silver plate pitcher.
Table — $57.00
Silver plate pitcher — $12.00
I didn’t get a picture of these planters in the booth. The three square ones sold either the same or the next day and the big round one sold within the week. Total cost? $13.00. Yeah. The people just wanted them gone. Don’t-cha love it?
Three square concrete planters, $20@ for a total of $60.00
Big round planter — $29.00
I got this Swans angel food cake pan at the same sale as all the other kitchen utensils.
Swans cake pan
$9.00
I had intended for us to paint this French desk top and wanted Ricky to make a base for it but needed some surfaces in the booth, so took it there. Someone loved it just the way it was. Also sold in this picture, the pink swirl pieces, the ruffle vase, and the green stripe creamer.
French desk top — $65.00
Pink swirl plate, sugar bowl and berry bowls — $15.00
Green stripe creamer — $6.00
This bookcase has been with me for quite a while as well. It has served its purpose over and over. Surely it was sold to a student.
Also sold in this picture, the Ucago bamboo look planter on the bottom.
Bookcase — $45.00
Planter — $7.00
Another picture that doesn’t make the piece look good. The color and distressing looks weird. Anyway, this is something Ricky built. We had $449.00 on it and someone offered $350. Sigh. We countered with $375.00 and they took it.
Hand-built sideboard
$375.00
We got a good deal on this hutch last summer but as with everything else, Ricky had hours of work to do on it to make it useable.
Small, green hutch
$175.00
A stool from my dad’s:
Industrial stool
$25.00
Another stool. This one I had for several years and suspect I went crazy and paid $15.00 for it. Then again, it could have come from my dad’s when he moved. I just don’t remember. Anyway, it began life as dated, antique-ish gold-ish (think 1980s-90s) with a not so attractive cover. I painted it aqua, whitewashed it and made a new cushion.
Aqua stool
$32.00
The dish drain looked good at the sale and looks good in this picture but it had dirties I couldn’t get rid of. Hence the low price.
Red dish drain
$7.00
The next two chest of drawers were given to Ricky from a storage unit clean-out. A benefit of renting the woodshop building from storage unit owners. The white one needed a LOT of work. It was the cheaper particle board and needed sturdy-ing. The yellow chest, however, was solid wood.
Also sold in the picture of the yellow chest is the black wire stand and the aforementioned green stripe pitcher.
White chest of drawers — $58.00 (after they took the 10% discount)
Yellow chest of drawers — $95.00
Black wire stand — $14.00
I show this odd wire thing because it hung around like this for several months. Then a dealer friend suggested I clip some postcards to it. I did and it sold the next day. Only $2.00 but still. Just goes to show how important presentation is. (And they bought the postcards with it.)
Wire scalloped thingy
$2.00
End table from my dad’s
$50.00
There were several other things I don’t have pictures of.
3 tier wire kitchen basket — $10.00
Naturally dried cotton stalk bundles $16.00 total
An orange (for Auburn) task lamp — $9.00
A cookbook — $4.00
A single antler — $10.00
A new-ish Hobby Lobby metal tray — $8.00
Half-pint milk bottle — $4.00
Plate with purple flowers — $5.00
A page from an old pattern book of a square dance dress pattern — $2.00
“All You Need Is Love and A Cat” thing — $2.00
2 Joseph girl figures (Not birthday numbers. I still have one of those.) — $7.00 @
A couple of old frames $5.00 and $10.00
….. and a few other things
If you stuck with me this long, I thank you! One of these days I’m going to get back into blogging more. I keep saying that and keep being lazy. Or busy. Or whatever. But someday….. !!! In the meantime, I invite you to follow me on Instagram @justvintagehome . (You can follow over on the right side here –> Scroll up to see the IG feed.) Not that I’m prolific on Instagram but certainly more than here.
Aha! Caught you doing a blog post without me knowing about it!! So enjoyed reading what you sold since I’m back in the booth biz too. I really need to go to Angel’s if everything there is as cheap as your prices! Locker basket for only $12?? Wow.
In my booth, I’m barely breaking even, but only been there a month and a half and still trying to figure out the market. Ha, I know what you mean about display being half the key of what sells. And I’m not very good at it.
Sounds like you did have a great month! I’m still rocking along on Etsy when I can. Not as much time in the day to get it all done anymore, much less a blog post too, but I am inspired now to try.
Hey Florence! Yeah, I haven’t sent out emails for the last two or three posts. Just haven’t been in the mood. I’ve had to make myself sit down and write the posts and I had taken the blog off RSS. Just something else I need to do.
Last month was good. I was having fun, working it, taking in new items, buying stuff, had some big things to sell, etc. then all of a sudden I’m not in the mood for any of it. Ha! I just want to sew. I bought the Wild Ginger pattern making software a couple of years ago and finally broke down and had them help me with fitting. Now I only want to be in my sewing room making clothes for myself — that fit! The booth? Ugh. I’ve run in once a week just to straighten and take a couple of little things. Sales are half what they were last month. I only made rent a few days ago. We don’t have any big pieces to sell, traffic has been slower and I’m not interested in doing anything there. So it’s half my fault and half the fault of fate, I guess. Not as many people in this month. Some things we have absolutely no control over.
I wish I were better at spreading out and doing a bit of everything I need or want to do (selling online, blogging…) but I’ve always either been in the mood to do this or do that and when I force myself to diversify I’m unhappy. And at my age, doggone it, I deserve to be happy! LOL
You really should come to Angel’s! A lot of dealers shop there for resale. Let me know when you’re next here. A few booths have good prices like that but rarely what I want. Those are always the expensive things. The locker basket cost me either $1 or $2. At an estate sale that was too high on everything else. They were outside. Maybe the husband priced them. 🙂
Yes I know about being in the mood to do things. Me too. Have to force myself sometimes. You must be having a good time sewing. You’ve mentioned being busy with that several times. I didn’t know you were making clothes for yourself….how fun!!
The booth biz is frustrating. Wish I was selling more, but who doesn’t? I try to spread myself between Etsy & it. Maybe things will pick up for both of us during the holidays. I’ve found that September is usually a slow month whether it’s Etsy or a booth. October not much better. I’ve found I just don’t have the energy I used to have, & it seems like too much trouble to do some things…like making pumpkins out of dropcloth, LOL. Or similar. Ha. I saw “White Cottage Company” making them out of toilet paper rolls, but it looked like too much trouble. I might have to move myself to find some fabric to cover them with, LOL.
One of my wife’s co-workers bought a Cricut label maker thing and has been crafting designs and putting them on stuff. She has been renting out stalls at various local craft fairs and has made a killing selling her stuff. Her booth made several thousand dollars in one weekend!
There is definitely an opportunity in reselling at craft fairs!
Keep up the great work!