(I had already packed the small items in the booth by the time I remembered to take these photos.)
I have been a shopper at the Minuteman for 20+ years. It used to be a great place to shop ... but it fell into a spell where it was more like a crappy indoor flea market than an antique mall. It looked to me like the quality of the dealers and their merchandise was on its way back up, and the management assured me that furniture and items like mine were in great demand. It isn't.
Almost all of the furniture that I moved into the space over the past six months was still sitting there today when The Husband and I went to move it out. In an effort to reduce the load, I offered a 25% discount for the past month ... only sold the small grey and white chest during the sale.
All empty.
Was it price? Merchandise? Location? Whatever it was, it took lots of sales of small items for this little venture of mine to cover expenses ... and I never got the impression that it would do anything more than that. No matter how much I promoted myself in this location, the location itself seems to have worked against me.
Now it's time to rework the plan. A short-term test will be the Lucketts Spring Market on Saturday and Sunday. I'm really excited to have a booth there, since I have loved shopping this market in past years. I wonder, though, how well my stuff is going to do in what I imagine will be a whole sea of competition.
It's not that I doubt that my stuff can compete ... quite the contrary. I will put the quality of my items and my workmanship up against anyone else's. I come at this enterprise from a carpentry and remodeling background, I know quality construction when I see it, and I only spend my time refurbishing pieces that are worth my time.
I have considered taking space in another antiques mall ... and I have a couple of recommendations for ones where I would probably do well. I'm not convinced that this is what I should do. I also have the crazy idea to have monthly sales HERE. My little white workshop building would make a PERFECT shop space ... so would the greenhouse when it's empty of plants during the summer.
Both trucks are all loaded up and ready to go.
So, dear readers, I find myself standing indecisively at yet ANOTHER fork in the road. If any of you have suggestions or advice to offer, please speak up. I could use some words of encouragement ... or perhaps the voice of reason and experience. Whatever you have, I'm listening.