It was grand! We had such a good time seeing friends and catching up with some we hadn't seen in forever as well as those we get to see more often. And we sold stuff. Lots of stuff! Our goals were to clear out some older merchandise, get rid of some "why-did-I-buy-this" stuff, and to have fun. We met all of those goals and then some.
The weather was iffy. Rain and storms were predicted for the entire weekend. I bought a canopy when I saw the long-range forecast and Thursday Larry and I practiced putting it up--good thing. I can imagine the stress if we'd tried it for the first time onsite as we tried to get everything unloaded and set up.
My friend Suzy shared the space with me, and I can't give her enough thanks for all her help. All three of us were kept hopping, and her being there also allowed us all to be able to roam around and shop from time to time.
I worked late the night before the sale, getting this chalk-painted table and chairs ready to go. We ended up bringing it home with us, but it got plenty of attention. A little boy loved the folding fan in the jug, so he got it for half price, a whole 50 cents! I sold several things like that to children, or just gave it to them, because I want to encourage another generation of vintage lovers.
Larry and Suzy hard to work!
Black on black. I had a half dozen or more woven seat chairs, all painted in bright colors. They all sold! The Mail Pouch mirror got lots of lookers but no sale.
This mirror sold to a young lady in college. Mirrors are a popular item, I've found. The quilt came back home, which didn't break my heart. I often use this one here!
The bike sold at the very end of the sale as storms threatened; the wheelbarrows and ladders came home, as did that fruit crusher thingie. It was awesome to have there, just for all the conversations about it! The high-wheel cultivator sold earlier in the morning.
I painted this tray white and tried to sell it for a year or more with no luck. So I painted it aqua and sanded it back to reveal several layers of color, and it sold quickly.
The little tables were also last-minute projects and they sold today, The chair also sold as did the white compote.
The primitive looking items were great attention-getters, which was my plan--display them in view of the street where people could see them and maybe come on in to have a closer look.
I bought some marked-down geraniums and plunked them into coffee cans for display and color. And see the little table and set of balancing scales behind the chair? I bought them early Friday from another vendor, and sold them for more than double my money before the end of the day. I hadn't intended to sell them here but oh well!
Larry re-did these wheelbarrows and they look great, but both came home with us. They go to our booths.
Smalls attracted lots of attention, especially this table of 50-cent items. At the end of the sale all these cheaper items went either to Goodwill or to a lady who does glass art. I did NOT want to bring them home with me. We sold a lot of them though so that was good, and people loved getting a bargain.
Larry makes these ladders which sell pretty well on our booths. We sold one of them at this sale. The other will go to a booth.
It's interesting to watch people at such events. There are the "experts" who want to tell you all about your stuff and are looking for big bargains. Then there are those who say "I have no room in my house for anything else!" and yet here, they are, still shopping. There are the ones who pick up pieces and say, "I played with these as a child/I remember these coming in washing powder?I drank out of these when I was a youngster." There are the men looking for tools and loving the $1.00 bin of rusty stuff, the young girls decorating their homes or planning their wedding, the children who are looking for toys. (I had several things to give away to the latter, because I remember how it was to see things and not be able to have them.) Then there are the ones who loved the painted furniture and who take photos of it so they can do the same. I'm fine with that--sharing is what I am all about.
Amongst all of the above, there were plenty of buyers. It was a lot of work, but definitely worthwhile, and we'll do it again next year. Right now, I just want to put my feet up and celebrate the good time we had at Ripley On Sale!
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
What a wonderful day - looks like lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue for sharing the Ripley 2 day sale - something I have never tried so it was good to read about your experience.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Joy, it was worth doing for sure. We sold a lot of stuff I couldn't sell in the booths went on the 50-cent table. And if it didn't sell, I gave it to a lady there who does those glass whimsies, and the rest went to Goodwill, and good riddance! We sold lots of good things too, and men had fun looking through the box of $1 rusty tools. The key is to have a little something for everyone. My friend had beanie babies for 50 cents and the children loved it because it was something they could afford. I had shabby, primitive/rustic as well as pretty and collectible items.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun, Kim! A lot of work, like setting up a whole booth for 2 days then taking it down again. But great fun.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of fun-wish I had been there too : ) So glad you and Larry had fun and sold a lot too!
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