Booth Crush: Antique Dealer

A Way To Sell Merchandise That's Not Moving

Booth owners take merchandise to their booth hoping it will sell. Sometimes it will sell quickly and some will sit a bit longer. Then you have some items that will not sell no matter what you do. You find yourself frustrated because you at least want to try and get some of your money back. Well, now you can. We would like to share an idea with you. This is not a new concept and we certainly cannot take credit for the idea. It's called an inventory reduction sale. A lot of the larger retail stores will have these. You can do this in your booth or at your home.

In 2015, I was invited to participate in one of my friend's annual inventory reduction sales. The hostess had one every spring with two more of her booth friends. These three ladies shared a booth together. One year they decided to have one of these sales. It was such a hit, they decided to make it an annual sale every spring. My friend's house was located in a high-traffic area. The other lady, Carolyn is an artist so she created all of these adorable signs that were posted all over the neighborhood. The ladies decided to call their sale a "Shabby Shed Sale"

mainly because of their style.

The girls posted about the sale in a lot of Facebook groups. They posted it as antique dealers having an inventory reduction sale. Prices would be higher than at a yard sale, but lower than at an antique store. Those were the keywords. Every year these sales were a hit.

The hostess lived in a charming house that was built around 1880. It had all these cute she sheds and picket fences all over the property. I think a lot of people that stopped were just curious onlookers that wanted to get a peek her this adorable property. But hey we were happy to take it! Most everyone that stopped did buy something. We had a great time, made some good money and moved a lot of inventory.

If you are thinking about donating the items that won't sell. Try doing one of these sales first. Grab some of your vendor friends to participate. This is a great way to recoup some of your money. If you do not live in a place where you could have one of these sales then reach out to some of your local businesses. A lot of places will let you set up in the parking lot for one day.

We also have a video on this post if you would like to watch the video. Just click here.

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Georgia Junkies 41 - A New Show in Town!

Antique Booth

We love helping our fellow vintage dealers and giving shout outs for new shops, shows when we can. I am very excited to tell you about a new event that will be taking place in Carterville, GA. It's going to be a semi-annual event that will be held in the Spring and Fall. The first show will be in March 2019. It's called Georgia Junkies 41.

I know three of the four ladies that founded this event. My dear friend and eye doctor, Dr. Shara Draper Mayes is one of the fabulous founders. If you have been a long time follower of Booth Crush, you may remember the blog post I did on her Optometry office in 2016. You can read it on the blog here. She is missing from the photo above but who can blame her. She is in Italy celebrating her 25th anniversary.

Stephanie, Cathy and I have all been in the same antique mall together. These two insanely talented ladies are sisters and share a booth called Scrappy Chix. You may remember me giving them a shout out of the beautiful paper flowers they made. They have such a unique booth. I just want to take one of each item home.

I have not met Shana yet, but I am looking forward to it. I'm told she used to run a boutique in downtown Acworth, Ga called Divas and Dames. We all have one thing in common though and that's an enormous passion for junkin!!

We are so excited for these ladies and we hope this event is very successful. If you are in the Atlanta or surrounding area and you are interested in becoming a vendor visit their website to fill out an application and more details. You can also check out their Facebook page here and Instagram page here. Be sure to tell them Booth Crush sent ya.

Here's a little back story....

What do an optometrist, entrepreneur, educator, and sales manager have in common? A dream. One common, lofty, exciting dream. We have different backgrounds, careers, ages of kids, and a number of pets, but we share a passion and love for pickin’, junkin’, and creating beauty out of the dustiest, rustiest, and oldest treasures we can find. And so our story goes like this… One day in a local Starbucks the four of us met to toss around the idea of a vintage market with a family event feel. We decided at that time we were not at the right place in our lives to venture into business together, but we promised each other that when the time was right, we would work together to create an awesome event in North Georgia! Fast forward to one year later (and a read of Rachel Hollis’ book, Girl, Wash Your Face)… A text came in from one to the others saying, “I am ready…” And a second meeting, in that same Starbucks, was written in our calendars for the following week. We talked, laughed, shared what each of us pictured as a perfect Vintage Market and toasted our espresso to new beginnings with old friends and even older junk! That was the day Georgia Junkies 41 was born and our dream was officially reality! Since that day we have driven the countryside in search of a perfect venue, visited antique malls together, explored fairs, markets, vendor booths, and vintage events on our weekends. We have talked with hundreds of potential vendors and awesome soon-to-be customers to survey what turns a good event into a great one! And we have created our website, Instagram, and Facebook accounts so we can keep our friends informed and our story building. We believe that together we have encompassed all the elements for a perfect Vintage/Retro/Antique/Junk market that will make our event one that our vendors and customers won’t stop talking about. Watch our dream transpire over the following months by following us on Instagram and Facebook @gajunkies41. You can also search for us by typing Georgia Junkies 41 into your search bar. By the way, thank you! If you have read this far and have followed us on social media, we thank you and want you to know your support of our dream, be it as a vendor, customer, or friend, is something we appreciate more than words in a website can express!

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Junkin 101

Antique Booth

Hi Friends and fellow junkers. We are so glad it's Friday and time for some weekend picking. Do you have fun junkin trips planned? Speaking of picking, we have a special guest on the blog today. Her name is Kathy Goodson. She taught school for 32 years. Now that she is retired she has two antique booths and a blog to keep her busy. You can check out her blog here. Her booths are located at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, NC. She was kind enough to do a blog for us on how to find, study and attend and shop estate sales. We are excited to share it with all of you. So if you are ready let's get started. Enjoy!

JUNKIN 101

Where do you find your treasures? I have two antique and collectible booths that I am always on the hunt to fill. I find most of my items at estate sales. If you are new to treasure hunting at estate sales here are some of my best Junkin 101 hints for you. Look at these treasures I found at a recent sale!

In my area estate sales are the goods from a person’s property who has passed away or is no longer able to live in the home. These sales have the largest potential for great finds as they will contain a lifetime of collections. I like estate sales better than auctions as the items already priced.

Rule 1 - Research the estate sale before you go. I use EstateSales.net to find sales in a close range to my home. You can find it and similar sites online, or you can download the mobile app for your iphone or android. Once you find a sale, study the photos they have posted carefully. Most items will be pictured but many times box lots can still hold hidden treasures. The site will also have a handy GPS link to the address which is usually not given out until Thursday before the sale in my area as sales are usually on Fridays and Saturdays.

I like to take screenshots of things I'm interested in and try to determine where they are located on the property so I can get to them first. In the screenshots below I spotted Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments (love them), and I determined they were in a bedroom area. In the second photo, I spotted galvanized buckets. Those seemed to be in a basement or block outbuilding.

Luckily my husband goes with me so I can go for the Shiny Brites and he can go for the buckets. As you study the photos think about what you would be willing to pay for the items you like. I sell a box of Shiny Brites for $10-$15 depending on their style and condition. If they are priced $4 or $5 dollars I will get them. I also want that little red flocked reindeer but I won’t pay more than $2 for it. There seems to be a table there so maybe there are more items on the floor I will want to check out. I also saw some interesting things in the kitchen. There’s jadeite bowl that was reproduced recently so I am not sure of its age but I would pay $10 for it. A fair price on the buckets would be $5 or $6 dollars each. Some other items I saw in the photos I may want to include a blow mold Santa (hot item right now), a red speckled enamel bowl, harvest enamel bowls and a great farm table.

Rule 2 - Prepare for the sale the night before by finding some large bags to put your stash in as you shop. Wear flat shoes and comfortable clothing appropriate for the weather. I also carry a small tape measure and a magnifying glass. I keep a small flashlight in the car to use if needed because basements and storage sheds can be dark. If you like to buy glassware, grab some newspapers to wrap your purchases in too. Carry your money and cards in your pocket and leave your purse behind. Most dealers take a debit/credit card, but be aware there may be up to a 3% charge to use plastic.

Rule 3- Get to your chosen site early. Most estate sale companies give out entry numbers at 7:30 or 8:00 if the sale begins at 9 am. But the line starts earlier than that. We usually pick up some breakfast to eat as we wait after the numbers are given out.

Rule 4- When the sale begins be sure to look around as you head to your favorite items. Remember, there are always items that are not pictured that you may want. Check the prices quickly on the items you were hoping to get. If they are in the range of price You decided was fair put them in your bag and head on to the next items. Other shoppers will take what you want if you do not move fast.

Rule 5 - Most estate dealers have a holding area with boxes for you to put your intended purchases. Be aware that sometimes people will “shop” these boxes while dealers are distracted helping others. That’s why I carry a really big bags which I will put in the holding area when full.

Rule 6 - After you have chosen your favorite items, and you are sure your picks are secure in the holding area go through the property again. You never know what you might discover. Items priced under $200 will usually be half price on day two. Even the higher priced items will be at a reduced price on day two. At an hour before the end of the sale on the last day, items that are left will be greatly reduced. So think about what you want, and start the process over the next day. If you are lucky item you want will still be there and be half price.

Rule 7 - Think out of the box while researching the photos and while on the site shopping. We bought a washboard at one sale and an old soda crate at another. My talented husband put them together and made a wonderful cabinet.

So remember those Shiny Brite ornaments, the blow mold, and the buckets? Well, we were numbers 3 and 4 to this sale, and we got all of that and more. I did not get the table or the jadeite bowl, but I found lots of great junk that will look fantastic in my booth. I do so love vintage Christmas. So that brings us to

Rule 8-The most important rule to remember is ….. Always buy what you love and have fun JUNKIN.

Thank you, Kathy for sharing your junkin pearls of wisdom with all of us. We really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to be a guest blogger.