Day 3: Reflections

Fun,tiring day at the antique/flea market. This was day 3--one more day to go. This is our first time trying a market like this. We took stuff that was stored in an outbuilding for the past year or so, just needed to unload it. We sold like crazy til 2:00 today, then it was almost all lookers and no buyers.

The good parts:bought some cool stuff, talked to lots of people, saw many friends and some family, getting to know other vendors --very nice, generous people. The not-so-good: many hours on our feet, long days, dragging it all in then having to pack up again after 4 days (our space was 14x24, a lot to fill). 

Would I do it again? The jury is still out, but I think so. Best buy: 4 antique (1885) goblets for $3.00 each that have sold recently on eBay for $26+ apiece. Second best buy: a cross-stitched quilt to raffle at the family reunion next May .

Some things I learned: 

• rearrange often! moving stuff around throughout the day seemed to help sales.
• have lots of light--we keep adding lamps and it helps--this barn is dark
• bring a fan
• figure out the cash-out station in advance and set it up. We were not set up well for this.
• hang as much as possible.
• bring extra totes of stuff to set out as things sell

One more day then we pack it all up. And lots of stuff we needed gone--gone! Some of what's left is headed to the charity shop because I am NOT going to drag it around any more!

What's selling: 

• small, cheap furniture pieces
• old rusty tools
• quilts ( cheap ones, less than $40--these were cutters, with many issues)
• chenille bedspreads (all to one woman, so my price must have been good)
• small window shutters, the kind that go inside the windows
• windows
• Pyrex
• wood boxes
• picture frames
• inexpensive, cool-looking lamps
• kids' toys
• shutters
• chairs

Also sold:

• one rusty old bike
• one old door
• picket fence pieces
• some handmade pottery
• a few doilies, after many, many people pulled through them
• one old, non-working radio
• one weird tool that no one knew what it was, but the guy who bought it said for $2 he'll have one tool he doesn't know what it's for!
• axes, hatchets

What hasn't sold well:

• glassware (I had a good bit, priced it dead cheap and sold some, but still plenty left)
• GlasBake--no collectors for this stuff yet
• DVDs--even for $1 each
• linens other than quilts, aprons and doilies (0 sales so far)
• framed art, even dead cheap in nice frames 

What other vendors say is selling well, and is generally true for antique malls too:

• rusty stuff--washtubs, galvanized buckets, etc
• cast iron
• metal signs
• automotive stuff
• blue canning jars
• milk bottles
• chests and boxes but they have to be very cool, and cheap
• graniteware if cheap!
• Tobacco tins
• metal gasoline cans

What everyone looks at but doesn't buy for the most part:

• the old bikes
• apple butter kettle (we hear lots of stories about making it!)
• tools (men are picky--and cheap)
• doilies
• rolling pins
• granite-topped kitchen table (we hear stories about Grandma's table though)
• our fan-because it isn't for sale :)

Have you noticed that cheap is a recurring theme here? I guess because flea market is in the name so people expect low prices. We had heard this and planned accordingly. 

So that's what I've noticed so far. Tomorrow, who knows? 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.