All morning yesterday, I gathered things from my stash throughout our basement and garages, polished and priced each of them, and loaded small things into my Jeep.
Large items went into my truck.
The Husband drove the truck and I drove the Jeep.. He helped me unload everything, then he went back home to work.
This space still needs a lot more stuff ... but this was as much as we could bring in one trip with the two vehicles. It's going to take quite a bit more practice for me to learn how to arrange things to maximize my space, and to still have room for customers to move around.
My plan is to have a mix of items, some finished and some not, to appeal to a wider range of buyers. If I were shopping and I came across this booth, I doubt I would look at the painted mirror or bed (because I can do this myself) ... but I would be all over the set of project chairs, and maybe that red settee. There are folks, though, that want their stuff ready-to-go and would make a bee-line for the painted pieces. If this plan doesn't work, and the project items sit here too long, I can always bring them back home, finish them, and take them back to the booth for another try.
One thing that I especially love is lighting ... lamps and chandeliers and sconces with character. Honestly, I wish I had a place for this sconce with the green glass shade because it is gorgeous ... and the galvanized porch fixture beside it has just the right amount of rust.
What's the item I most wish I could keep, you ask? That would be the English cheese dish, in the photo below. I bought it because I loved the graphic quality of the letters on the chunky white dish ... then I found out what it is and that they go for a lot of money on eBay. The pine hutch it's sitting on is a piece that I'm selling as a project. It's a great size, and it's patiently waiting for someone to give it a coat or two of their favorite color.
As I was arranging furniture and small items, I realized very quickly that I have a long way to go before I'm any good at this. But this is my space to do with as I please, and I will do what I can to make it work for what I plan to sell. What I need to do next is hang shelving on the blank wall behind the settee to stand large things (like the wicker tray and the lazy susan, above) and figure out a way to display chandeliers (I cannot go any higher than the current walls of the booth since I'm an inside space). I have a couple of ideas about what to do.
If you're in the neighborhood, come on down and see the place in person!
Minuteman Mini Mall
Route 3, 746 Germanna Highway, Culpeper, VA 22701
