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Good evening folks. Sorry we missed posting our Sunday Vintage Dealer interview. We are doing things a little bit different now with the interview process. In case you missed our post on Facebook earlier, we are now asking any vintage dealers or shop owners that are interested in participating in the interviews to go to the appropriate category here on the blog. We have posted two sets of questions. One is for dealers and the other one is for shop owners. Simply fill out the questions, cut and paste them back to us in an email to: BoothCrush@gmail.com please see instructions on the bottom of each page.
http://www.boothcrush.blogspot.com/2014/08/antique-shop-owner-interview-questions.html (Shop owner)
http://www.boothcrush.blogspot.com/2014/08/vintage-dealer-interview-questions.html (vintage dealer)
Today, our first response was from Tammie Beckner. She doesn't have a booth name or FB page. But she did share the FB page of the antique mall she is in. Links below. Thank you, Tammy for your info. Enjoy!!
1 . How long have you been a vintage dealer? It will be two years this coming October.
2. What type of setting are you in? A mall.
3. How many booths do you have? Two
4. What size booth/s do you have? Two 10 x 10's
5. What do you sell? Vintage kitchen utensils, dishes, cupboards, cabinets, tables in one booth and primitives in the other.
6. What do you find sells the most in your booth? Painted cabinets/cupboards.
7. What do find sells the least in your booth? China dishes.
8. Why do you think your booth has been successful? I try to offer unique items priced modestly.
9. How often do you refresh your booth? 2-3 times a month
10. What mistakes have you made and learned from as dealer? Buying things I'm unfamiliar with, which often leads to over paying.
11. What advice do you have for someone just starting out? Start small with items you know the value of. Have seed money to buy inventory in the beginning, if you are doing it right, the hobby/business will soon support itself.
12. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make? Not keeping their booth fresh (even if that means rotating items in and out if necessary). Not removing items that don't sell but take up valuable space. Not "working" their booth enough.
13. Do you do this full time? No
14. Do you stick to a specific color scheme with your booth? No, but I do display same color items together.
16. What is an average month in sales for your booth? $600
17. How do you break down and come up with your prices? I usually double my purchase price, with a bit of cushion added for discounts.
18. Where do you find your vintage goods? Auctions, tag/estate sales, other dealers/malls.
19. Do you change your booth out to reflect the season and or holidays? Not the entire booth.
20. Do you swap out stale merchandise or do you reduce it for a fast sale? Both
21. Do you think booth location is important? If there are multiple floors, I feel the main floor is best. Otherwise, a nicely kept, well lit booth is more important than location.
22. Do you use any kind of inventory software for your personal use? No
23. Do you market your booth/s outside social media? No
Do you have any other advice tips or info you would like to add? Keep your booth clean, neat and inviting, allowing for room to walk around without bumping into items. Over head light enhanced with lamps or spot lighting. Have clearly written price tags, that do not fall off.
I don't have a name for my booths.
I'm located in: Norma's Antique Mall
1715 Stone St.
Falls City, NE
402.245.4338
http://normasantiquemall.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NormasAntiqueMall
http://www.boothcrush.blogspot.com/2014/08/antique-shop-owner-interview-questions.html (Shop owner)
http://www.boothcrush.blogspot.com/2014/08/vintage-dealer-interview-questions.html (vintage dealer)
Today, our first response was from Tammie Beckner. She doesn't have a booth name or FB page. But she did share the FB page of the antique mall she is in. Links below. Thank you, Tammy for your info. Enjoy!!
1 . How long have you been a vintage dealer? It will be two years this coming October.
2. What type of setting are you in? A mall.
3. How many booths do you have? Two
4. What size booth/s do you have? Two 10 x 10's
5. What do you sell? Vintage kitchen utensils, dishes, cupboards, cabinets, tables in one booth and primitives in the other.
6. What do you find sells the most in your booth? Painted cabinets/cupboards.
7. What do find sells the least in your booth? China dishes.
8. Why do you think your booth has been successful? I try to offer unique items priced modestly.
9. How often do you refresh your booth? 2-3 times a month
10. What mistakes have you made and learned from as dealer? Buying things I'm unfamiliar with, which often leads to over paying.
11. What advice do you have for someone just starting out? Start small with items you know the value of. Have seed money to buy inventory in the beginning, if you are doing it right, the hobby/business will soon support itself.
12. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make? Not keeping their booth fresh (even if that means rotating items in and out if necessary). Not removing items that don't sell but take up valuable space. Not "working" their booth enough.
13. Do you do this full time? No
14. Do you stick to a specific color scheme with your booth? No, but I do display same color items together.
16. What is an average month in sales for your booth? $600
17. How do you break down and come up with your prices? I usually double my purchase price, with a bit of cushion added for discounts.
18. Where do you find your vintage goods? Auctions, tag/estate sales, other dealers/malls.
19. Do you change your booth out to reflect the season and or holidays? Not the entire booth.
20. Do you swap out stale merchandise or do you reduce it for a fast sale? Both
21. Do you think booth location is important? If there are multiple floors, I feel the main floor is best. Otherwise, a nicely kept, well lit booth is more important than location.
22. Do you use any kind of inventory software for your personal use? No
23. Do you market your booth/s outside social media? No
Do you have any other advice tips or info you would like to add? Keep your booth clean, neat and inviting, allowing for room to walk around without bumping into items. Over head light enhanced with lamps or spot lighting. Have clearly written price tags, that do not fall off.
I don't have a name for my booths.
I'm located in: Norma's Antique Mall
1715 Stone St.
Falls City, NE
402.245.4338
http://normasantiquemall.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NormasAntiqueMall
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1. How long have you been a shop owner?
2. How large is your store?
3. Do you rent out booth space? If so, how many booths do you have?
4. Before becoming a shop owner, were you a vintage dealer?
5. What do think your hot ticket items are that customers just can't get enough of?
6. What are your non selling items?
7. Do you think the shabby look is still in or are you seeing less of it now?
8. Do you sell a lot of industrial chic and salvaged items?
9. Do you utilize social media? If so, which ones work best for you?
10. What kind of promotion do you do outside social media?
11. How many days a week are you open?
12. Why do you think your shop has been successful?
13. What advice would you have for someone going into business for themselves?
14. What do you think the biggest mistakes are that vendors make?
15. What do you think the biggest mistakes are that shop owners make?
16. Have your done any barn sales or Vintage Markets? If so, how many?
17. What are your new goals for your store this year?
18. Does your store have any big sales or yearly events?
19. Does your store offer lay away?
20. If you could change one thing about your store what that be and why?
21 Does your store use a computer or do you hand write tickets? If a computer, what software program do you utilize?
22. How do you keep your dealers happy and motivated?
23. Do you encourage your dealers to promote their booth with signage, business cards, social media etc?
24. Does your store decorate for the holidays/seasons?
25. What are some little extras that your store provides? (Examples: gift wrapping, coffee/snacks, classes, late night shopping)
20. If you could change one thing about your store what that be and why?
21 Does your store use a computer or do you hand write tickets? If a computer, what software program do you utilize?
22. How do you keep your dealers happy and motivated?
23. Do you encourage your dealers to promote their booth with signage, business cards, social media etc?
24. Does your store decorate for the holidays/seasons?
25. What are some little extras that your store provides? (Examples: gift wrapping, coffee/snacks, classes, late night shopping)
Do you have anything further you would like to add? Any advice, tips or suggestions?
Please cut and paste your answers to Boothcrush@gmail.com Also include 5-6 pics of your store, address, phone number and any your FB page link or website.
- 3:04 PM
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1. How long have you been a vintage dealer?
2. What type of setting (Mall/Boutique/Flea Market) are you in?
3. How many booths do you have?
4. What size booth/s do you have?
5. What do you sell?
6. What do you find sells the most in your booth?
7. What do find sells the least in your booth?
8. Why do you think your booth has been successful?
9. How often do you refresh your booth?
10. What mistakes have you made and learned from as dealer?
11. What plans do you have to improve your booth for the new year?
11. What plans do you have to improve your booth for the new year?
12. What advice do you have for someone just starting out?
13. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make?
14. Do you do this for a living, part time or as a hobby?
15. Do you stick to a specific color scheme with your booth?
16. Do you utilize social media, and if so, which ones work best?
17. What is an average month in sales for your booth?
18. Do you price your items with even, odd or somewhere in the middle?
19. Where do you find your vintage goods?
20. Do you change your booth out to reflect the seasons and or holidays?
21. Do you swap out stale merchandise or do you reduce it for a fast sale?
22. Do you think booth location is important?
23. Do you use any kind of inventory software for your personal use?
24. Do you market your booth/s outside social media?
25. Do you sell online too? If so which venue do you use -Ebay/Etsy/Other?
26. Would you like to own your own store someday?
27. Do you ever participate in barn sales or pop up sales? If so, how many a year?
28. Where do you find your vintage items?
25. Do you sell online too? If so which venue do you use -Ebay/Etsy/Other?
26. Would you like to own your own store someday?
27. Do you ever participate in barn sales or pop up sales? If so, how many a year?
28. Where do you find your vintage items?
Do you have any other advice tips or info you would like to add?
Please cut and paste all the questions and return them to Boothcrush@gmail.com also We will also need the name of your booth, name of your antique store, the address and phone number as well as any links to your FB page or website. Include 5 to 6 images of your booth to be included with blog post.
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Be sure to head on over to her blog and check out the rest of the article. She has a terrific blog and Facebook page. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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Hi Friends, if you haven't already seen our Facebook page, we posted an entire album with printable price tags. Some have info such as a place for your booth #, item # and description and then we did another set that is blank. Please feel free to use them. Visit our FB page here.
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Hi friends. We're back! Did you miss us? We missed you and we sure hated to miss the dealer interview last week. But sometimes you just need to get away and recharge your batteries. But we hope we can make it up to us today, as we have added seven new questions to the end of the interview. And as always we are open for suggestions. So if you have a certain topic you would like addressed please shoot us an e-mail to: boothcrush@gmail.com and we will do our best to get an answer.
Today, we would like to welcome, Dawn from We Hart Junk. Thanks so much for taking some time to talk to us about your booth.
Today, we would like to welcome, Dawn from We Hart Junk. Thanks so much for taking some time to talk to us about your booth.
1. How long have you been a vintage dealer? I have only been a vintage dealer for about 10 months. I have always loved vintage and chippy rusty stuff, but an old friend gave me an opportunity to start as a dealer. She believed in me and I am so thankful for her! Never underestimate the power of an old friend being your cheerleader!
2. What type of setting are you in? I have sold in occasional sales, once in a flea market setting, and have two "booths" - The two "booths" I have are shared with another person - we mix our things together. Its fun and interesting for customers!
3. How many booths do you have? I have 2 booths - one in a gift shop and one in a vintage shop.
4. What size booth/s do you have? My booths are unique in that I share a room that is 8-10 feet with another dealer/friend of mine. In the second shop, I have "shelves" and some floor space. Its a unique set up, but it works!
5. What do you sell? I love vintage linens, vintage paper, ladders and crates, vintage kitchen, books, ball jars, any kind of vintage farm stuff, galvinized tubs, pails, drawers and cubbies and toolboxes!!! And also many repurposed items from farm, kitchen, windows, doors.
6. What do you find sells the most in your booth? In the gift shop, I would say more "shabby chic" and "feminine things" like linens. In the vintage shop, our repurposed items do the best - magnet boards out of old windows, rusty junk signs, etc.
7. What do find sells the least in your booth? Dishes!!!!
8. Why do you think your booth has been successful? First, because we love what we do and get excited for others when they find the one thing they love, and second, because we are careful how much we spend on our inventory.
9. How often do you refresh your booth? In the gift shop, I have only been averaging once a month, but when I do it more often, my sales are much higher. In the vintage store, I refresh my shelves and floor space several times a month.
10. What mistakes have you made and learned from as dealer? I am refreshing more often now - I learned that once a month is no where near enough. I have also bought things that I LOVE, but that don't sell. (ex: vintage glass insulators), and then they sit and sit........so I have learned to buy things I BOTH love AND that sell!!!
11. What advice do you have for someone just starting out? Start small and buy smart. If something is going higher than you want to pay, don't be tempted to raise your hand and bid because you are desperate for inventory. If you starts small, and work on building up inventory by being a smart buyer, you won't overpay for inventory!
12. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make?
I am too new to this business to have seen unsuccessful dealers. I do know, however, from years of being a customer at stores, that if I walked into a booth and the first few things I see are priced over my budget, I walked out. So perhaps the price range of inventory has something to do with whether you are successful or not.
13. Do you do this full time? I work 4 days a week during the school year and 2 days a week during the summer. We have a young family, and for now, this is a "side business". Long term, I would love to do it full time.
14. Do you stick to a specific color scheme with your booth? No I don't, but I love white and turquoise so you see a lot of blues and whites in my spaces.
15. Do you utilize social media, and if so, which ones work best? I use facebook as my main social media. I know that is where most people are looking now so I need to do even more. I also post on pinterest a little bit, under We Hart Junk.
16. What is an average month in sales for your booth? Anywhere between 100-500 dollars, after commission. I share my spaces, so I also share my sales since only half or less of the inventory is mine! I also have some luck selling on craigslist or right from our We Hart Junk facebook page, so that income is in addition to my booth sales.
17. How do you break down and come up with your prices? I use ebay and etsy a lot to do price checks, and then I usually go with my gut. I think, "if I were a customer, what would I pay for this" I am a thrifty shopper, so I price accordingly. I want my customers to be able to find something they love AND afford it!
18. Where do you find your vintage goods? My husband and I spend a lot of our free time at auctions. Each auction is a new adventure!!! We also do garage sales and estate sales.
19. Do you change your booth out to reflect the season and or holidays? Yes! Mainly just spring, fall, and Christmas. Christmas is my favorite - lots of repurposed Christmas inventory!
20. Do you swap out stale merchandise or do you reduce it for a fast sale? I typically swap it out - although occasionally will mark it down. I feel that my prices are very reasonable and I have usually done research to know to price fair so swapping out is typically the way I go.
21. Do you think booth location is important? Absolutely! As a long time customer, I was always in a hurry (babies at home or had to go to work), so I usually shopped the outside walls and biggest booths. And if I found something I loved at a booth, I would always go back, especially when in a hurry. First impressions are so important!
22. Do you use any kind of inventory software for your personal use? We do not. We started small and by many peoples' standards, We are still small. We move inventory fast so as of now, its all handwritten, the old fashioned way.
23. Do you market your booth/s outside social media? I always have business cards and talk to people about what we are doing in hopes to spread the word. Being passionate about your work is the best marketing tool! So does having a fun business name - Our last name is "Hart", so the name "We Hart Junk" usually intrigues people!!!!
- 1:38 PM
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BOOTH TIP: If you need shelving, but are on a budget...grab some concrete blocks, burlap, twine and pieces of wood. Wrap the burlap and twine around the concrete blocks like this pic. That way those ugly blocks are covered up. Super cheap, quick assembly and shelving problem solved! You could paint the shelves any color or stain them. I've seen the burlap in white or printed patterns. Or you could use other fabrics as well. Saw this idea in antique store this weekend and I think it's a great idea! FYI: for those of you without power tools, any local lumber store will cut wood to your specifications. If any dealer does decide to do this please be sure to share your after pic with us!
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Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We had really nice weather here. Just a few rain showers. I didn't get out to do any picking, but hopefully everyone else did. We have been doing "Saturday Junkin" posts over on our Facebook page for those of you that are just stopping by for the first time. Dealers are free to post pics of their weekend treasures. Also, we are trying to get more involved with Instagram. You can find us here.
Today, we are interviewing Aspen Robinson from The Dove Cote Brocante. This Mother/Daughter duo have been in the industry for 25 years. All of their contact info is available at the bottom of this post. We are so happy to have them for our interview today. So let's get started.
1. How long have you been a vintage dealer? We are a mother-daughter team and have been doing this for 25 years.
11. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make? Just because you can buy it cheap doesn't mean it will sell! Vintage items should be TRUE vintage items not yard sale material.
16. How do you break down and come up with your prices? We don't buy an item unless we can at least double our money or sometimes if we get a steal sometimes it can be more than double depending on the value.
www.facebook.com/
Thank you again, Aspen. Great interview!!
Today, we are interviewing Aspen Robinson from The Dove Cote Brocante. This Mother/Daughter duo have been in the industry for 25 years. All of their contact info is available at the bottom of this post. We are so happy to have them for our interview today. So let's get started.
1. How long have you been a vintage dealer? We are a mother-daughter team and have been doing this for 25 years.
2. What type of setting are you in? We have 2 shops but do a lot of large shows around the US and began about 3 years ago doing shows on a regular basis.
3. How many booths do you have? We have had 2 spaces in the past until we expanded into our own shop and show circuit.
4. What do you sell? We sell a mix of architectural, garden, French Antiques, and handmade jewelry and home accessories.
5. What do you find sells the most? Architectural and Handmade Items.
6. What do find sells the least? Project pieces that still need work and glass/pottery.
7. Why do you think your booth has been successful? Our booths are always designed around a whimsical theme mixed with our vintage pieces and we really try to make it only quality items.
8. How often do you refresh your booth? Probably Daily!
9. What mistakes have you made and learned from as dealer? Don't buy things you wouldn't have in your own home or your on the fence about because your customer will be too and it will make it harder to stage and sell items you don't truly adore.
10. What advice do you have for someone just starting out? Don't try everything, pick what you really love and can stand behind and be selective about working only with people who support your hard work and talent.
11. What do you think the number one mistake is that unsuccessful dealers make? Just because you can buy it cheap doesn't mean it will sell! Vintage items should be TRUE vintage items not yard sale material.
12. Do you do this full time? Yes 24/7. :)
13. Do you stick to a specific color scheme with your booth? For the most part its muted grays and creams but if we have something really grand we will build a display around it.
14. Do you utilize social media, and if so, which ones work best? Yes, Facebook and Instagram are our faves.
15. What is an average month in sales for your booth? Truly a seasonal question and really is reflective of how much time we are working our social media as they are closely related.
16. How do you break down and come up with your prices? We don't buy an item unless we can at least double our money or sometimes if we get a steal sometimes it can be more than double depending on the value.
Do you have anything further to add to this interview? You have to truly love doing this because the amount of time spent creating the perfect vignette is astronomical sometimes, the stress over making the perfect setting, finding the perfect pieces and the physical labor are quite the investment. It's truly an occupation of love.
Aspen Robinson
The Dove Cote Brocante
811 Beech St~ 310 Ash St, Fernandina Beach FL 32034
(912)227-0319 ~ (912)227-0597
(912)227-0319 ~ (912)227-0597
Thank you again, Aspen. Great interview!!
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