Pages

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Tips, Facts: Success with Vintage Textiles

One of Panoply's most popular resale items is our vintage textiles (we use the word linens interchangeably). We love vintage linens and will purchase in bulk any opportunity we get.  Generally, our success in selling our linens is in the pains & pleasure we take in preparing them for an attractive sale.  It is a multi-step process.  I want to share with you some tips in how we prepare our linens to ensure selling them, consistently and successfully.  These tips also apply even if you purchase vintage textiles for personal use and don't resell.  I've summarized products mentioned at the end of the post, for your convenience.
Vintage christening gown fashioned from pillowcase, trimmed with wide crochet lace
Buying in quantity, large lots, is the very best way to get the biggest bang for the buck invested in order to resell linens with a profit margin (unless you're lucky enough to have a mom, granny or other relatives who will give you their own private stashes for free).  It takes time, but through the years, we have found that auctions, estate sales, and cultivated relationships with a few good pickers have brought us the majority of our stockpile of linens.  However, when buying in large lots, you've got to take the good with the bad, and that sometimes means stained and soiled textiles, torn, or just plain crap.  We call those which are beyond repair crafters and/or cutters, or crap.

After we purchase, we sort & divide among the [Panoply] partners, so each gets a fair share of quality & condition. Then, the work of laundering begins, starting with the obvious task of sorting by type fabrics & colors, determining how fragile you think the textiles are and whether they can withstand being laundered together or not.  After sorting, the process of soaking & washing, repeating as necessary, begins. Generally speaking, we use OxiClean and/or bleach in warm or hot water for soaking (typically in a utility tub and overnight, if stubborn).  We'll also try pre-treating with other products like Awesome (The Dollar Tree, 20 oz.) or Whink for rust, ink or other dark stains.  If you have never used Awesome before, it's exactly as its name implies!  I use if for everything from laundry to countertops to even cleaning furniture (for resale, that is).  I have also used the lemon juice, salt and sunshine method without much success, mostly because it's weather dependent.  Another tip when washing textiles with bold color, to avoid bleeding:  wash in gentle cycle, cold water, and place a couple of Shout color-catcher sheets in the tub.  They're fantastic!  For grain and coffee sacks, I have one friend who recommends Purex crystals.  I have never tried Purex myself, but I did purchase repurposed burlap sacks from the friend, and I know Purex was great in removing the smell of burlap and softening its texture.
All in all, we figure if the textiles have lasted this long (40-90 years), then they'll probably make it through another strong soak and/or wash, and slight fading (not bleeding) is age and condition appropriate.  If holes or extreme fading result after soaking, we can always sell "as is" with condition notes, or bundle as cutters. Some folks (we're three of them) don't mind a few pinholes, especially in casual linens.  Washing in the machine or by hand is a judgment call, depending on how fragile the textiles appear after soaking.
Vintage pillowcases & sheet, freshly laundered, prior to ironing
Vintage hankies & fingertip towels, air drying
After soaking & washing, the next step is pressing the linens.  This is where the textiles come back to life, smooth, crisp, and smelling fabulous.  We generally use either spray Magic sizing or starch, but sister M also uses liquid starch sometimes.  We all use a steam iron (Rowenta is our brand of choice, such as this Rowenta model, or this Rowenta model, which I would like to buy).  None of us have an electric mangle iron (sisters M & J say we had one growing up, but it's only a vague memory for me, being the youngest - I never had the chore of ironing like they did), but I wouldn't mind owning one.  I actually saw one, once in an estate sale and another time in an antique store nearby (a floor model, larger than the portable one in the video link in this post).
Freshly pressed linens and vintage clothing
Only after all of this can the linens be listed, priced, and displayed for sale.  Or, fostered and/or hoarded.   In either case, if the textiles don't go into the antique mall immediately, they are stored in either drawers or cedar chests (with a protective cloth or tissue against the wood to prevent shelf stains), with lavender sachets that we make (see post on how we craft lavender sachets here).
Vintage baby dress, fashioned from old pillowcase
This batch of linens is a good example of Panoply's bulk purchasing and how the process of acquiring and readying linens for resale evolves. What I've pictured so far here is only about one-third of my share of a very large purchase made last May (2013).  Sometimes they accumulate, depending on our sources and when they contact us, and it gets to the point of needing to spend a good chunk of time to get them all sorted out.  This is another example of  what my January is typically all about - organizing.
Vintage fingertip towels, pillowcases, and sheet - ready for pricing
Linens as lovely as these are the hardest for me to want to give up and sell.  It's not the work I do in getting them prepared that makes it hard to let them go.  The work involved is really something I enjoy as an occasional project.  I love to see the linens all cleaned, smell their fresh scents, and I even love the mindless, routine approach to pressing them crisp again.  The hard part is letting go of what's slowly getting to be harder to find - the handwork of women past, who spent their days lovingly crafting these beauties for their homes.  It's always a special treat to see how women may have recycled what was once a feedsack into a quilt, or a pillowcase into a Christening gown!  Beautiful lace work, pulled threads, crocheting, tatting, embroidering, cross-stitching, needle-pointing - all little works of art.  Patterns and colors - even monogram styles - are often clues as to what period items are from, too.
Portion of collected quilts
I have quite the stash of quilts (photo above is a sampling of my personal collection) - the more faded and worn - the more charming and appealing to me.  That red & white quilt above (second from bottom) is an example of my washing in gentle cycle, cold water, and using a couple of Shout color-catcher sheets  - no bleeding!

I love the European textiles also, but those are few and far between the many other textiles we come across.  I do, however, have a decent collection of grain sacks, hemp and linen sheets, and French kitchen towels (torchons) from various sources I have found.  Not nearly enough, though.  I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal where a respected European dealer remarked that a woman (before WWII) was expected to have 30 years' worth of torchons in her dowry!  She'd embroider her first initial, then add the surname initial after she was married. The towels had various weights for various chores:  thin for glass, heavy for dirty work.  And, during much of the 19th century, most torchons were plain, without stripes.  The red stripes (most common) came first, and apparently an 'M' is a common monogram (Marie was a common name).  Green stripes not only faded quickly, but were considered unlucky.  Interesting.
Portion of collected grain sacks, hemp sheets and torchons
It makes me happy just to look at my growing stacks....
European grain sacks
...but I'm not afraid to use the textiles in my decor, or for their intended purposes.

Last year, I met and now cherish my friendship with Joy, from Savvy City Farmer.  If you don't know Joy, I encourage you to visit her, her blog, and her shop.  She is the quintessential farmgirl, refurbishing and styling finds, especially industrial and farmhouse kinds.  Last year, I mailed several vintage textiles and commissioned Joy to stencil them (for myself and my two Panoply sisters), including these new-old stock linen towels:
New old stock linen dish towels, stenciled
She also stenciled these vintage linen pillowcases  (the German enameled breadbox was sourced by and purchased from Joy also):
Vintage linen pillowcases, stenciled
Those stenciled linens were originally commissioned with the intention of resale, but those of you who are dealers know how that sometimes goes....we foster, or we keep.  I'll be keeping those, along with.....
Vintage grain sack with antique inspired linen towel layered over
And these....
Dish towels, with days of the week, in French, machine embroidered (not old but love!)
And these....
Vintage needlepoint pillows with yellow velvet backing
I also have this thing for the little crocheted potholders from the past, so I'll be keeping these too.....
Vintage potholders
And just to prove the homemakers from the past weren't all just boring little granny types, here's an example of a set of potholders we scoured from a three-generation estate.
His and Hers vintage potholders
Now, I'm no prude but, at the risk of offending readers, I won't post the photo revealing the creativity beneath the ruffle and inside the flap of the potholders above.  Suffice it to say they are anatomically correct.  The seamstress craftily used a little patch of mink on the left potholder, and created a tiny, stuffed appendage on the right potholder.  :)  Question is....which generation created those potholders? The one from the turn of the 20th century, the 1920's, or 1940's?  They're such a novelty item, I have to keep them. :)

I hope you can take away a few tips from this post, or at least an appreciation, for what a caring dealer does in order to prepare and provide a good stock of re-loved textiles.  Maybe you can use some of the tips for your personal use, whether it's textiles, or laundry in general.  Here's a recap of the products (with source links) mentioned, so you can easily review:
OxiClean - for soaking
Awesome (The Dollar Tree, 20 oz.) - for pre-treating
Whink - for pre-treating
Shout color-catcher sheets - to avoid color bleeding
Purex crystals - softens, cleans fabric such as burlap
Magic sizing - for ironing wrinkles
this Rowenta model - effective steam iron, 1600 watts
or this Rowenta model - pressure iron and steamer, 1750 watts, 33oz. water tank
electric mangle iron - video demonstration
we craft lavender sachets here - Panoply's solution to storing textiles
Joy, from Savvy City Farmer - Joy Frey Waltmire, commissioned for stenciling linens

Postscript, October 2015:  We have since tried a couple other soaking products, with success, and will add them to our list of products for pre-treating vintage linens:
Restoration Powder
Retro Clean

Do you love vintage and antique linens?  Do you use them or not?  If so, how - the original, intended purpose, or somehow repurposed?
(Note:  I was NOT compensated for this post in any way.)

Sharing with:
Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday
BNOTP Met Monday
SL's Sunday Showcase
Make It Pretty Monday
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me
The Scoop
We Call It Junkin'
Inspiration Exchange
Savvy Southern's WOW
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Ivy and Elephants
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Imparting Grace
Common Ground's Be Inspired
Nancherrow's Fridays Unfolded
French Country's FNF
Fabulously Creative Friday
Craftberry Bush Inspiration Gallery

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Before & After the Snow: Winter Walk, Wacky Weather

Oh, what a difference a day makes!  Yesterday it was sunny and a balmy 51°, and today it's snowing, the high is a frigid 26°, and the temps aren't expected to top that again before Friday.  Well, it is January, and the house is cozy....
But a walk through the garden hinted at something else yesterday.....
The Valentine flag waves gently in the Spring-like breeze
My irises are confused!
Back in the house, it's as if the coziness of the decor laughs at the outdoors trying to feign Spring...
...and back outside, my little 'Augustine' seems to be preparing for cold winds (at least his neck is!)...

...and my winter 'Seasons' statue, at least, knows what may come, but his spring counterpart seems to ignore the call.
The birds (those indoors, anyway) know what season it still is....
 Minton Hollins & Co. Patent Tile Works Stoke on Trent (England) , signed Alice J. Riggs, "Christmas 1884" 
...yet the garden seems to want to come alive and move!
Weeping cedar atlas, spreading its branches across the brick wall
Screeeech!!  Break's over.....it is still January.  And that means it's still winter.  Here are the same scenes, less than 24 hours later.....
The Valentine flag seems to be frozen still, and the stepping stones are all but gone...
Augustine looks like he's wearing a pillbox hat and a sheep over his shoulders, perhaps?
The irises aren't confused...they KNOW it's winter
Winter and Spring statues appear to be draped in fur

And the weeping cedar atlas looks to be playing freeze tag as opposed to coming alive
And, it's still snowing, not expected to quit for a few hours.  Oh, Mother Nature, what a tease you are.
A few more shots from our walk this morning...
A place to sit, under the weeping willow, along the river

Neighbor's mighty magnolia

Our capitol building across the river

Dock, on the river
Back home, in the garden...
My new trellis structure, waiting for Spring and the clematis

Friday, January 17, 2014

Getting Organized - Part I of a Series (Paper)

(Thank you, Alison for featuring this post on Welcome to Fridays Unfolded at Nancherrow!)
January's theme is universally one of organization - after-holiday deep discounts of remaining inventories and storage containers; white sales for home decor; office and file storage promotions for year-end tax and upcoming year preparedness - and many more.  Organization makes for a great topic to explore year round, but what better time to get started than at the beginning of a new year?

With this post - one of a series I will be writing throughout the year - I will put my spin on how I organize matters in my way, and offer tips for you to consider.  My theme will focus on a variety of matters that need order - home, office, garden, antiques, collections, holidays - and any number of other topics that may crop up throughout the year.  I like to keep my Panoply of life and living organized, as most of us do.

Today I'll share a few simple tools and ways to organize the paperwork that clutters our life each and every day. Having worked in business most of my adult life, I know paper pushing is a given.  Having worked as an accountant, I know "paper trails r us".  Now is a great time to start organizing your paper, before the lines between finalizing 2013 and beginning 2014 are completely blurred.

For your convenience, I'll summarize tools suggested at the end of the post.

I start each year with a month-at-a-glance, 8" x 11", spiral bound planner (Staples, $23.99).  A manual method is just one way I track activities, but it's great for a quick glance while at my desk.  This book has 13 months (I was still using 2013's at this point), pages for notes (such as business travel), and other pertinent information tracking, if manual tracking is your only way of organizing.  In my planner, I track hours spent on various activities (husband's business, Panoply styling, blogging, and any other noteworthy project or action).
I also use a couple of mobile apps (free), depending on whether I'm using my Android phone (ColorNotes), or my iPad (Sticky Notes).  Don't worry - you don't have to be a rocket scientist to use these apps, although you can get fairly sophisticated with the functionality.  My daughter speaks highly of  the Hours Tracker App (for iPad, iPhone/iPod, Android), and loves it for tracking job hours, generating reports, and exporting to email for free-lance work she does (she is not a business major, yet finds it very user-friendly).   I use ColorNotes and Sticky Notes simply to track notes of things while I'm not at my desk, even at the grocery store.  Lastly, I use Microsoft Outlook's calendar and contacts for important dates (birthdays, appointments, etc.) that I want reminded of, as well as addresses of family and friends (beyond the scope of this post).

My husband and I use QuickBooks software for both home and business purposes, but that discussion is beyond the scope of my post now.  For source data that goes into the QuickBooks software (statements, invoices, checks), I try my best to receive documents online as much as possible so I can download and store in separate, logical folders on my desktop, but there are still many that are tracked (and reconciled) manually.  This post focuses more about the physical source data we are all bombarded with every day.  For this, I start with expanding files (Staples, $40.99/25 ct), 3.5" or 5.25".  I create a separate file for each:  home (personal) and my antiquing (Panoply).  These are great in that they are sturdy enough to stand on their own, prior to tidily filing in a cabinet, and allow portability in the interim.  Below is my personal (home) expanding file folder for 2013.  For my husband's business, record keeping is somewhat more detailed and out of scope in this discussion.
Within each expanding file, I create manila folders (Staples, $13.99/50 ct heavyweight) and label.  You can be as detailed or as high level as you wish.  For me, you can see I am fairly high level.  "Money" includes all bank statements, whether operating, savings or retirement accounts.  "Tax Related Info" holds all receipts relevant to filing taxes (W-2s, 1099s, property tax receipts, etc.).  I keep a separate "Garden/Weather" folder, as I am pretty detailed with tracking my garden (I print separate calendar sheets for it, and note weather events along with garden tasks from year to year).

For Panoply, I organize similarly.  Below is my 2013 expanding file folder for Panoply.
You'll notice there aren't any noticeable manila folders, but there are 3-ring, clear sheet protectors sticking out.  One is labeled "RITA'S COPIES JPM".  That sheet protector contains paperwork I help sister J reconcile while she is in OH and we are physically in WV with our Panoply activity.  I make sure her monthly sales statements from the antique mall reconcile with her listing of items in the store for sale, then store the physical documents in one sheet protector.
I use clear sheet protectors (Staples, $19.99/200 ct) to contain any individual event such as an auction, estate sale, private sale or yard sale purchase made on behalf of my Panoply activity (or, sister J's activity).  This keeps small receipts intact, as well as any full-size sheets, but allows access without having to pop a  notebook open in order to retrieve a document (or the need to tape small pieces to a full size sheet).  Then, either at year-end (or during the year if I'm super-organized), I'll use old-school, spiral notebooks to categorize and keep my sheet protected files organized, separately.  Here's an example:
You can see I have placed auction materials (for several years) in this notebook, chronologically, each separated with its own, individual sheet protector.  I know I can find original source documents for all auctions in this notebook.  These notebooks can be purchased new, but your local ReStore often has them dirt cheap.  I am using recycled ones.  I also keep separate notebooks for my vintage and antique purse purchasing, and another for estate sales/yard sales combined.

Once all the paperwork is organized, you can readily access it without going crazy, even if all the recording of the documents into your software or manual registers is not yet completed.  You can label your notebooks with simple, adhesive mailing labels, or you can use something like this label maker from Dymo (Staples, $29.99):
Believe it or not, this Dymo label maker was a white elephant gift in my family's Christmas exchange 2013, and it was the most fought-after gift we had!

I keep my folders and notebooks in metal file cabinets and bookshelves, retaining them as long as is required for tax purposes.  If you are unaware of record retention requirements imposed by the IRS, here's an IRS link to help you get started, along with the link to the Adobe file of IRS Publication 583 (Starting a Business and Keeping Records).  Another good source is this document, published in 2004 by the MA Society for Public Accounts titled The Record Retention Guide.  Even if you aren't running a business, record retention is good information to know for personal record-keeping.  And, if you are thinking of starting a business (even if it's just renting space in an antique mall), you'd be wise to study up on this, as opposed to dropping your shoebox of receipts off to your accountant so that he/she has to charge you to organize it for you.

While I am in no way providing tax guidance, I do have a couple other noteworthy reads for those of you who claim business expenses, or may be eligible to in 2014.  The first is the IRS' Simplified Option for Claiming Home Office Deduction Starting with 2013 Returns.  Within this link, you will find more detail of the procedure the IRS outlined in early January, 2013.  In short, it's a new, simplified option for home office deductions (if you qualify).  You avoid the lengthy IRS Form 8829 that requires lots of calculations for percentages of things like utilities, mortgage interest, repairs, etc., and instead, can simply deduct $5 for each square foot of regularly and exclusively used home office space.  The limit is 300 square feet for a maximum deduction of $1,500.  Also, don't forget the deduction for mileage driven for business purposes (if you qualify) - it can really add up!  For 2013, the deduction rate per business mile was 56.5¢, and the rate declined slightly, down to 56¢ per business mile, for 2014.  Talking to your CPA or tax accountant about these items will help you understand the full extent of what it takes to qualify.

Lastly, once it's deemed appropriate to dispose of old records, having a paper shredder for home use is highly desirable.  A cross-cut model that will take no less than 6 sheets is what I would recommend.  We have been using a Royal model that takes 12 sheets for more than 5 years and, although in the $100 price range, there are plenty more at a fraction of that cost.  Here is one of Walmart's best-sellers (6-Sheet Crosscut Shredder with Easy Lift Handle, $24.88):

Not only will you free up storage space by shredding unneeded paper, you'll be getting rid of sensitive documents containing personal data AND discouraging identity thieves at the same time. And, if you choose to, you can recycle the material - it would be great for packing fragile items such as ornaments!

In summary, here are the tools I use for keeping loose papers and notes organized throughout the year:
spiral bound planner (Staples, $23.99)
Android phone (ColorNotes) - for on-the-go notes
iPad (Sticky Notes)- for on-the-go notes
Hours Tracker App (for iPad, iPhone/iPod, Android) - for capturing hours, reporting & exporting to email
expanding files (Staples, $40.99/25 ct)
manila folders (Staples, $13.99/50 ct heavyweight)
clear sheet protectors (Staples, $19.99/200 ct)
old-school, spiral notebooks - check your local ReStore
label maker from Dymo (Staples, $29.99)
record retention requirements imposed by the IRS, here's an IRS link
Adobe file of IRS Publication 583 (Starting a Business and Keeping Records)
The Record Retention Guide
IRS' Simplified Option for Claiming Home Office Deduction Starting with 2013 Returns
2013, the deduction rate per business mile was 56.5¢
56¢ per business mile, for 2014
6-Sheet Crosscut Shredder With Easy Lift Handle (Walmart, $24.88)

NOTE:  I was NOT compensated for any of the materials or references mentioned in this post!  These are simply tools that work for me personally, and are only posted as a means to help you get started on your own.
Sharing:
Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday
BNOTP Met Monday
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me
The Scoop
We Call It Junkin'
Inspiration Exchange
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Savvy Southern's WOW
Imparting Grace
Nancherrow's Fridays Unfolded
French Country's FNF
Fabulously Creative Friday
Craftberry Bush Inspiration Gallery
Common Ground's Be Inspired

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Booth Spaces - Fresh Look for the New Year

Not since November have sister M and I restyled our booth spaces to any great extent in our local antique mall (you can view my last post on that here).  We ran a sale through the holidays in an attempt to purge items in stock, and it was fairly successful. The remnants of vintage New Year's items were put away this past week, and we've got a fresh look for the new year in our main space:
We started the mid-January changes in our main booth (one of two rented spaces) by softening the pegboard wall with the addition of a vintage swag valance.  We hung it behind the mostly mirrored wall, framing up the entire space.  Just beyond the glass case on the floor, the main components of our restyling look like this:
This living room furniture was bought from a private estate purchase late last October in Cincinnati.  We have been storing the pieces - the settee and two chairs, coffee table and corner etagere (left, in front of the louvered divider) - in our homes, waiting for the new year.  We draped the furniture with lace to discourage casual bystanders (such as spouses waiting on their shopping wives or husbands) and the occasional climber(s).
We styled the wall of mirrors sometime either last November or December, and those remain - all antique or vintage - each with a unique style.  On the tufted highback chair pictured above is a vintage set of nesting boxes.  A chandelier is perched behind, on a coat rack for display purposes, too heavy to extend from the pegboard wall.  To the right is a glimpse of one of our large (locked) curios, containing small treasures.

We use a lot of dividers in our space, as well as a few key furniture pieces (such as the curios), to wall ourselves off from our neighbors in our antique mall (good fences make for good neighbors applies here).  It gives us a sense of having our own signature look and space, and is very effective to pleasing our own sense of style.  For example, behind the floral divider in the photo above (a $15 bargain sister M recovered with remnant wallpaper and gimp trim) is the storeowner's bookcase and a curio of chotchkies, as well as the mall's service elevator.
On the left side of the restyled main space is the second chair of the pair, a lower back, and behind it is another divider.  You can see the slender etagere a little better in this photo (there is a cabinet door below the shelves, just above the open legs at its base).  On opposite sides of the settee are a pair of glass mantle lamps, with teardrop pendulums and etched hurricanes.  They have a unique, flickering bulb in them that looks like a real flame when plugged in.  Behind the chair is an antique floor lamp.  To the left is a glimpse of another one of our dividing pieces of furniture.
Here's a closer look of the dividing piece (above), to the left of the second chair.  It is a step-back cabinet, with the lower section having louvered, sliding cabinet doors.  These shelves hold some of our smalls.  Further left of this cabinet is yet another wall divider, strategically placed behind a vintage hat rack and another (jewelry) curio cabinet:
Flanking the opposite side of this main booth space is one of our vintage linen displays, a two-sided rack.  In this photo (below), you can see how we manage the back side of our space, right across from the service elevator I mentioned earlier:
In addition to the back side of the linen display, you can see the back of the locked curio of smalls, where we've draped a vintage linen runner and leaned a vintage, framed rose print against it.  Out of frame is the owner's bookcase of chotchkies (far right).  As you can tell, we use every single square inch of space we rent.  We had to get creative with placing the crock bench sideways on the floor, above, in order to stow it within our space, yet keep from taking it back home to store.  On the quilted, gateleg table are three wooden containers, each full of various antique and vintage hardware for sale.

Onto our next space....it is just beyond what I've finished describing, catty-cornered from what we've always called our main booth.  Both are really main booths, it's just that the 'main' booth was our first space rented before we expanded.  We have a total of approximately 300 square feet of space rented.
The above photo is the view from the main booth, showing one end of our second space (the cottage).  The next photo shows the angle from the opposite end (our Victorian/Primitive side) ...
This second space is wider than the main booth, and there are no vendors on either side, just aisles anchoring each end, so we don't typically use dividers.  We do, however, create subsets within the space.  For example, right now we have it sectioned off as one side more whites and cottage-like in appearance, and the opposite side more dark, with antiques, primitives and industrial items sprinkled across both.  Our vignettes just depend on our assembled collections and ideas at any given time. Our styling really all depends on the collected items of we three Panoply sisters, and a vision for making things aesthetically appealing with what we have.  We also always try to think ahead, in terms of retail shoppers' anticipated seasonal displays.
A few garden items are placed more visibly on the aisle of our second space, in anticipation of spring.  There are also a couple more garden items in front of the display case at the center of the main booth area (visible in first photo of this post).
A couple more items hinting at spring...birdhouse and metal birds, plus a laundry theme in the rack, clothesline, well head, and metal hangers on or above the green-blue fern stand.
We find a way of tucking items in every available niche, these items settling just under the desk in the Victorian parlor setting.

We didn't get to finish our entire restyling efforts in one session and, just like at home, there's a domino effect once you move one or two large items.....it keeps going.  Next up will be the wall area behind the Victorian fainting couch and desk (I purposely left it out of frame when I captured that vignette).  Here's a photo of that wall space that will need attention next - it needs more stuff, as several items sold from the wall and case!
We'll also be changing up things in our cases - a tedious, not so obviously gratifying flashy job, but still necessary.  We'll add more items for both Valentine's  and St. Patrick Day, segueing right into Spring.  Here's a recap of our spaces:
Before and After Holidays - Main Booth Space
Before and After Holidays - Cottage Area of Second Booth Space

Before and After Holidays - Victorian/Primitive Corner
Before and After Holidays - Behind the Main Booth Space
We're hoping to get some of this furniture moving soon, as people tend to fluff their nests January through March (when holidays are behind, income tax refunds come in, and before nice gardening weather breaks). We're ready for our customers - we've got at least two or three rooms of furniture and decor items waiting!

If you're ever traveling our way, stop in!  We're at the South Charleston Antique Mall, South Charleston, WV - Exit 56 on I-64).  We (Panoply) are just three of more than 75 dealers in a three-floor, 18,000 square foot former department store.  What I've shared here is just about 300 of that square footage!

Sharing:
Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday
BNOTP Met Monday
Dedicated House's B&A Wednesday
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me
The Scoop
We Call It Junkin
Inspiration Exchange 
One More Time Events
Savvy Southern's WOW
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground's Be Inspired
Nancherrow's Fridays Unfolded
French Country Cottage's FNF
Imparting Grace
Dedicated House's Anything Blue Friday
SL Showcase Sunday