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Friday, November 18, 2016

Ravenswood Booth Update: We Need a Little Christmas

Business has slowed during the election season and continues to be slower than usual at both of our locations, probably reflecting the country's uncertainty as the new cabinet is selected and the transition moves forward. Things will improve soon, I think, as the holiday season begins and people feel more confident that the changeover will be smooth.

So meanwhile, I continue to add to the booths, putting in some Christmas items and rearranging a bit to freshen things up. I am relieved I must admit that right now I do not need to be painting furniture because I have no time for projects right now--storytelling takes front and center for a few more weeks as I get ready for the upcoming performances of "Here We Come A-Caroling!" with my sidekick Jeff Seager.

Here's a look at our booth at the Riverbend Antique Mall in Ravenswood, WV:

Larry painted this little red chair, one of his first attempts at distressing. I love it! The big red and green socks hive a Christmas-y look.


Red, green and crystal--the colors I associate with Christmas. The green cake pedestal stand is so pretty, perfect for holiday cakes and cookie displays.


The gas stove in the corner here is lit with tiny lights that can be operated with batteries or plugged into an AC outlet.


Wouldn't this little sled be perfect for a table centerpiece, loaded with cookies, veggie trays or presents?



A vintage Santa shows some "Appalachian repair"--he's been mounted on a board to keep him balanced!




I love this table lamp. It has a spot of something on one side of the shade that I did not try to remove, but who cares? Too pretty as it is.






 Can you see the pretty gold and pink tumblers on the second shelf?


Ignore that woman in the mirror!


I am surprised that I still have the Wexford punch bowl set. The price is certainly right.





Jars of thread, serving dishes, coin glass vase--variety is the spice of my booths.










Vintage Disney princess ornaments, Pyrex and vintage Christmas living comfortably on the dinette table.






 New additions: Seneca Driftwood blue juice glasses, crystal decanter, hurricane lamp.



Need china for your holiday table?



 The corner cabinet was another of Larry's painting projects. He's learning fast!


Lots of great stuff, all looking for a place in someone's home. I hope some of it finds its way out of the booth so that I can bring in more--because I already have more ready to go!


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

5 comments:

  1. How do you keep track of inventory? I am thinking of putting in a booth at a local store, but I have such a different style, and I am not sure it would appeal. Any suggestions on how you decide what will move well?

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  2. Things have slowed in my booth sales the last week or so. I added Christmas in mid October, just a bit at a time and that has been a light but steady seller. I look forward to seeing your booth's.
    Joy

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  3. Brig, spreadsheets are easiest. Time-consuming but it helps to track everything. As far as what to sell, visit a few malls and see what people stock and what you see people looking at and/or buying. Look at eBay's sold listings for the kinds of things you like and are thinking of selling and see if they're moving. Tastes and styles vary from place to place--I can sell dark-finish furniture at one location but not the other. Glassware moves better in one but not the other. Smalls are your bread and butter, larger pieces take longer. I sell things that aren't my personal taste (Pyrex, for example, and mid-century stuff) but I know it's popular so I stock it. I looked at blogs, joined Facebook interest groups and just kept my eyes open to see what people liked.

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  4. Another things: it's ebb and flow, boom and bust. Some things are hot for a while, then interest cools. Sometimes we sell furniture so fast we can't keep up, other times we sit on stuff forever.

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  5. Thanks for all the info, some of which I had not considered. I appreciate it.

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