I'm in Flea Market Style.....Well, Sort Of

I must say...I look forward to August and February for one common thread.....it's when Flea Market Style hits the newsstands!  Below is a photo of the latest Winter issue of FMS.  I absolutely adore Ki Nassauer and her style (the link within her name takes you to a Wall Street Journal feature article and video of her from June, 2012).

Ki is the editor and junk entrepreneur behind Flea Market Style and Junk Bonanza, respectively, and no, I did not get paid for writing this.  I just love this woman and her team's creativity.  This past year, she also published a first Flea Market Style Weddings issue, and I got my hands on that issue as well, from which I gleaned an idea or two or three for my daughter's wedding this October.

I'm especially excited for this issue....I'm in it!  Well, not me personally, but one of my favorite vintage items. FMS wanted submittals for Reader Favorites of vintage items scored, and I submitted a photo and blurb of my Art Deco statue I had won at auction and use in my bathroom as a valet for toilet paper.  Turns out, my Deco woman not only got mentioned, but she got her photo published too!  My local auction house got a shout out too, as their website was listed for my purchase source.

There's all kinds of super junk style and projects in Ki's magazine, so you may want to pick up your own copy.  If you can't find it on your newsstands, you can order one directly from the Flea Market Style link above in this post.  These are keeper magazines.  And Ki's been around the block a time or two - some of you may remember her project features in Country Home magazine, as well as the book she co-authored, titled "Junk Beautiful".  And she makes her rounds regularly at various pop-up sales and events besides her own Junk Bonanza.  She is all about the hunt and fun with vintage and junk!

The Dish on Napkins - Size Matters!

I consider myself a city girl, but almost anywhere in West Virginia is country - God's country!  Yesterday my sister M & I took a drive 30 miles north of Charleston for an estate sale.....the home was at the end of a road less traveled....the scenery was gorgeous.....beautiful country fields as far as the eye could see.....wish I had had more than just my phone to take pictures.....

But the real story here is about what I scored.

I picked up some more vintage damask tablecloths to use for my daughter's wedding in October, the kind that are very ordinary - the kind most typical in households of those who married in the late '40's and early '50's.  But there were a couple of other surprises in the linens that I bought in a box lot, for little.  One looks to be a linen bed sheet, with initials faintly cross-stitched at the top, center.  Nice.  And the other surprise was a new, old stock, heavier blend of damask and linen tablecloth.  It looks to be either French or Irish, not the typical, flimsy American rayon blend, and it is a huge 80" x 138"!   That's eleven feet and six inches long!

But get this - the napkins - if you can call them that - are GINOURMOUS!!  They are 29.5" x 34" - about the size of a card table topper!  And I would have guessed that maybe that's what they are, but there were twelve of them!  Now, I've heard of five napkin burgers, right?  But really?  So, I had to research the history of napkins.......

Seems that by the 17th century, standard napkins were 35" x 45" (!), to accommodate people who ate with their fingers.  (Insert West Virginia hillbilly joke here, permission granted).  Each napkin was generally sized to approximately one-third of the breadth of the tablecloth.  It was only later in that (17th) century that royalty accepted the fork, and neatness in dining was emphasized.  By the 18th century, all classes accepted the fork for dining, and the size of napkins was reduced to 30" x 36".  My research indicates that in the late 1700's, a French treatise declared a napkin should start below the collar at the neck and cover the body to the knees.  

Well, okay then - BINGO!  I know my napkins don't date from the 18th century, but they are definitely old-world in style, and date to at least the 1940's or 1950's, maybe earlier.  So, I've got myself a dozen of these to-the-knee napkins.  And here's the million dollar question: why was a napkin that BIG when plate sizes were historically smaller at the time??

Suffice it say, it is generally common knowledge that dinner plate sizes used to be a lot smaller than they are today.  I have some very old Staffordshire plates from the late 1800's which are 7.75" in diameter.  Dinner plates in the 1920's (until sometime in the 1960's) were about the size of our salad plates today, or 9".  And by 2000, our dinner plate size grew to 12", and buffet plates can be 13-14".  Dinner napkins, on the other hand, have shrunk to no larger than a size ranging from 16" - 21".   

Well, maybe these GIGANTIC napkins I have were for the Paul Bunyon kind of guys (American folklore lumberjack usually described as a giant) that would've had Paul Bunyon kind of meals after working in the Paul Bunyon kind of country fields from where I bought them.  Or, maybe these napkins aren't old at all, and were specifically made for West Virginians - we were, after all, top-ranked for obesity in 2012 (we're #3, only outranked by Louisiana & Mississippi), so we would NEED these OVERSIZED napkins.  Or, maybe they aren't napkins at all - maybe they were intended as chair covers, and I could re-cover a dozen chairs with them.  Or make a skirt.  Or a tent.  Or a sail.  

I know one thing I won't be selling these napkins as, or using these napkins for - napkins. Unless I decide to resort to pitchforks, long-handled scythes and shovels as eating utensils.  I think I'll leave those to the Paul Bunyons of the world, and keep my city slicker forks, knives and spoons.

What would you do with a dozen COLOSSAL napkins?

More Summer Booth Changes

Seems most are talking about how quickly time is flying, and looking through my photos from our space at the antique mall is consistent with that message for us at Panoply also.

Since Spring, we've had shopping excursions at Springfield's Flea Market Extravaganza, a few good estate sales, and most recently, a pick from NC.  I thought I'd show some photos of the vignettes that resulted from those picks, not previously seen in prior posts.

We brought this side-by-side secretary in just recently, and it sold within a week.  One of the fascinating things about retail is you just never know when something is going to sit for a while, or sell quickly!

The [old] school vignette we had set just a couple of weeks ago also got sent to detention hall; that is, all six chairs were put on layaway within a week, so we assembled a few other vintage children's chairs we had on hand to give some semblance to a school room again.

That distressed cabinet you see in the center of the above photo is a great primitive scored at Springfield. It's a great, fits-most-anywhere type of cabinet.

And, from the NC estate pick, we retrieved several items, including the Honorable Mrs. Graham, a very old copy of an original oil by Thomas Gainsborough (English, 1727-1788).  She presides over what we refer to as the "living room" of our booth space, which you can see pictured just to the left of the photo below.

And on the edge of our "living room" is a collection of antique wool area rugs, all the same pattern, but various sizes.  These were also from NC, whose estate's dwellers operated a boarding house at one time.

Another entire collection my sisters brought back from NC was that of shaving mugs and skuttles, many with their original brushes.

We had a few other barber-related items we supplemented this vignette with.  It's always fun when random purchasing comes together in a theme, especially when there are three of us buying independently of each other.

Keeping with the 'mantiques', we always seem to attract the men, as well as the women, with our ongoing stash of vintage and antique hardware (we like our yin with our yang, so we mix in lace with our leather):

Primitive tools and sundries are also popular (that's a wooden paint can on that small wooden crate on the right, very unusual, and a miner's basket to the left, obscured somewhat by the brown gooseneck lamp):

And other man-geared items, including tools, liquor flasks, toys and oil cans get the guys' attention.

We even have a selection of men's hats, including top hat, straw boater, and original Stetsons, many of which are new old stock (and those French cup holders/bottle racks are great for displaying hats!).

One of our staples is our linens, and we continuously hoard stock these.

Then there are the one-off items, certainly not a collection, but something that catches our attention when scouting sales, and is unique enough that we think will catch another's attention as well.  This Catholic sick-call box from the late 1890s is one of those items.  These were in most every Catholic home once upon a time, at the ready for a priest who may be called to anoint a gravely ill person.

As disparate as some of these photos may seem, somehow, it all comes together in themed vignettes for us, whether in a floor display, curio case, or tabletop setting.  Then we either sell something that's an integral part of a display, or we get the urge to just change things up because we either get a great new stash of items, or just because....we can.  What great fun it is to shop and style. Oh, and did I mention selling is fun too?

Linking with:

Common Ground Be Inspired #153

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays #131

Wonderful at Home: Wonderful Wednesdays Link Party!

The Scoop #80

The Wedding Planners

My youngest daughter is getting married this Fall and, together with my oldest daughter, we're doing all the planning ourselves.  We just had a bridal shower this past weekend, and it was hosted by six close family & friends, which made planning, budgeting and execution of detail relatively stress-free.

We invited forty (both mine and the future SIL's mom have large families), and we hosted the shower at my home since our property allows for ample parking.  

Gifts abound, and this photo was snapped while guests were still arriving, so I didn't even get the entire mountain all in one photograph:

My oldest is a great organizer, and she put order to all the prizes just before guests arrived.

She also readied baskets with 'paperwork' - name tags, pens, games, recipe cards to be received, and thank you envelopes for addressing - at the ready for when guests arrived. 

The food buffet was fairly simple:  finger sandwiches, veggie & fruit trays, a pasta salad and some chips (we planned the shower for 1pm for light snacking).  We had enough food for twice as many as invited!

The dessert buffet included three choices:  sugar cookie fruit cups, petit fours, and tuxedo brownie cups, all tried-and-true winners:

A door prize was awarded to the guests who had these head shots of the Bride & Groom (which my daughter photoshopped onto circa 1970s and 1980s pictures) on the bottom of their plates.  The groom looks a little wet from rinsing the plate for the photo. ;)

Talk about a Fiesta!  Fiesta ware, that is.....my daughter registered four colors of West Virginia's own Fiesta ware for her new home, and she received lots of it!  The best part of it all was that her shower was timed, though not intentionally, simultaneous with one of the two annual Fiesta ware factory tent sales!  One niece traveled just 65 miles north of town and hand-picked a whole crate full of my daughter's colors in various pieces, and her total cost was incredibly better than even a Kohl's cash and % off promotion could offer!

Keeping with tradition, I made a bouquet of all gift ribbons (so many people now use gift bags!), and my daughter was very careful NOT to break any!  And that's fine with me!

It was a great soiree, and I'm happy my daughter has so many great family and friends in her life to celebrate this very special time with her.  I love my girls and love sharing this experience with them both.

And the very best part of the planning so far came in an email this morning. Our next item on the "to-do"  checklist was getting wedding invitations ordered.  We had been working with mocking up the invites on one of "FineStationery.com", William Arthur designs.  I had previously 'liked' Fine Stationery's Facebook page, and came across a contest that "Celebrity Style Weddings Magazine" was hosting which ended August 12th.  I woke up this morning to an email stating I had won - a $200 gift certificate to Fine Stationery for wedding invitations!  Can you say perfect timing?!  We're super excited to apply this to our order, as staying within budget is definitely a priority for our planning.  

We have other irons in the fire toward planning a rustic, semi-formal wedding in late October.  With being an antique dealer with my two sisters, I've been gathering a myriad of supplies since last year, including linens, mason jars, and other rustic accessories.  I'll keep you posted on our progress. :)  In the meantime, if anyone wants to offer any pitfalls to avoid or secrets to success in being our own wedding planners, I'm taking notes!

A New Economic Frontier? Let's Discuss....

Are We Heading for a New Economic Frontier?

You’d almost have to be a hermit not to acknowledge economic matters happening all around you today – whether it’s gasoline or food prices, your kids’ tuition expenses, parent care, or postponing retirement because of gaps in health insurance or income.  My husband, who is a Ph.D. in Economics, often discusses these matters pertinent to all of us, both socially and in his professional life.  One day over lunch, he posed one of his open-ended comments to me, stating he just didn’t understand why inflation wasn’t climbing as it had in the 1970’s, and that he felt it was inevitably coming.  The most recent bust in the market of September, 2009, the high unemployment rates, shrinking production – this is a climate ripe for inflation, wherein by definition, prices of goods and services generally and progressively increase and interest rates for borrowing follow.  However, something counter-intuitive is happening in our economy.  Demand for new goods has not increased significantly, shortages of goods and services are generally not occurring, prices are generally not soaring, and borrowing rates of interest remain low. 

As a layman, I offer my thesis as to the reason why inflation has not taken center stage in our economy.  There is a HUGE secondary market growing in our economy, and it is the market of used, or second-hand, merchandise sales.  Since 1995, online community sales have sprung up, whether by auction or fixed price sales, offering buyers and sellers a new means of transacting business – one in which each player has a say as to how things are done in the economy, including setting prices.  And according to one of the most popular online communities’ (eBay) annual reports, its new way of conducting business must be working, as annual net revenues have grown from $1.26 million in 2002 to nearly $14.1 billion (yes, billion) in 2012.  Its stockholder’s equity climbed from $3.6 million in 2002 to $20.9 billion in 2012.  As of 2012, eBay had over 112 million active users and more than 350 million listings globally.

There’s also Ruby Lane, which was founded in 1998 by Tom Johnson and Jim Wilcoxson.  It has grown immensely since its beginning, boasting some impressive metrics, including over a half million active items listed by over 2,000 shop owners (August 7, 2013).  Ruby Lane is an S Corporation, so its financial data is not as highly visible as its online competitors’, but one can reasonably conclude with its demonstrated growth that financial results are highly favorable over the past several years. 

Etsy is another fast-growing community for the secondary market, due in part to increased fees, both sales and maintenance, for eBay and Ruby Lane.  Etsy also helped itself when it began relaxing its rules, changing eligible requirements for items listed (now including vintage as well as hand-made goods).  According to Etsy’s website, as of January 2013, Etsy has "22 million members and over 800,000 sellers in nearly 200 countries.  In 2012, its sellers grossed more than $895 million in sales."  Etsy was certified as a B Corporation in 2012 (which basically means it is a company with a business mind and sense of commitment to community).

 According to the National Flea Market Association’s website, “Our country has over 1100 flea markets that provide opportunities for approximately 2.25 million vendors conducting over $30 billion in sales annually.  Flea Markets are visited by over 150 million customers each year.”  

With statistics like these, is it any wonder why we (whether buying or selling), who share in this secondary market of auction and fixed sales pricing, are helping to hold down inflation in our economy?  Is it because we simply don’t demonstrate demand for typical new retail offerings?  Or is it because we are most content in the world of recycled, gently used and/or highly collectible goods?  Whatever the answer, it makes sense whether you’re a lay person or an Economic scholar, that without the demand on new goods in the economy, lesser demand creates a surplus of goods, and surplus of goods impacts pricing of these new goods in the market.  Prices tend to rise when demand exceeds supply, and prices tend to decrease when supply exceeds demand.  That is the basic economic theory of the law of supply and demand. 

So, could it be that the online business model will go down in history as the one that generated a new economic frontier?  All you scholars out there – why not take my thesis and run with it?  And all you buyers and sellers out there – pat yourself on the back for doing your part to keep inflation in check! 

Note:  While I realize this topic is not the usual light discussion we're all used to seeing in the blogosphere, it's an important element of who I am and how I think.  I originally wrote this blog (and now updated) while an active seller on Ruby Plaza, the beta operation Ruby Lane started in 2010 and abandoned in 2012.  With an MBA and undergrad degree in Accounting, I actually enjoy the world of business, and found mastering the mechanics of running an online shop on Ruby Plaza both fun and challenging.  Even now, in my fun world of hobby antiquing and selling in a bricks and mortar store, I still am driven by the business side of the venture.  

Back to [Old] School

Panoply's all set for the back-to-school scene....circa 1960 and prior. ;)  Sister M & I spent most the day Friday re-staging our booth space to reflect the [old] school classroom scene, circa 50 years or more ago:

We've had the long bench for a while, but fitted it with this set of six (yes, 6!) of the most fabulous little chippy, white slat-seat chairs, just waiting for their next life, classroom or otherwise.  If you look closer, the table has a few of those old, familiar items from yesterday's classroom - the retractable George F. Cram map of the United States (in vivid color!), the teacher's ruler for the chalkboard (remember those, to draw straight lines with?), that huge school bell (which we hoped we might be chosen to ring, alongside of our favorite teacher?), a vintage crayon tin, and a couple of personal chalkboards.

And how about that clipboard stenciled with the old-school eye chart?  Remember being called in line to have your vision screened by the school nurse?

And while we were planning to go back to school, shopkeepers everywhere were planning for the boost in sales they hoped they'd be having.  So, we set up a little shop scene consistent with the times:

We put together all the old-school office supplies:  the Paymaster check-writing machine, the manual  CASH journal, clipboard, hole punch & receipt holder, and corrugated board/metal box file.  There's also a vintage metal receipt holder (not visible, behind the file box, under the table).  The fabulous EMPLOYEES ONLY sign is an authentic one, not a reproduction.

An old chicken coop forms the base of this vignette, giving the appearance of a little jail cell.  The antique, framed lithograph lends itself to what selling on credit leads to (the worried entrepreneur on the left), so perhaps the chicken coop appearing to look like a jail cell could be telling of  the feeling of a buyer who uses credit to make purchases. :)

We broke down at least three other vignettes to make room for new items, and boxed many of smalls, preparing to purge soon, either via a flea market or yard sale venue.  All I can say is that some folks are in for some treats when they shop what we've purged.  One summer item sister M decided she didn't want to take back home and store was the old bike we had staged for summer, so I suggested she set it up just outside the store while we were working.  Here's what she did:

See the FREE sign?  And no, it's not on the red RAV4!  Within an hour or so, one gal shopping the store stopped, as if in disbelief, so sister M quickly went out to let her know it was for real, courtesy of Panoply. She came back after work to pick up the bike, moss on the seat and all.  :)

We staged some other vignettes, but I'll save those for another post.  We still have some tweaking we want to do to our other displays, so stay tuned to see how we're feathering the nest for Fall.  Until then, watch out for the school buses and all those young 'uns trying to cross the road!

Linking with:
Common Ground Be Inspired #151
Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays #130
Timewashed Blissful Whites Wednesday

Coming Up for Air

Hello, fellow bloggers and readers!   I'm taking this chance to come up for air before my next round of projects kick into gear, and to catch you up on recent adventures of Panoply.  Seems we've been awfully busy hunting & gathering with some better-than-usual estate events these past couple of months.  Sisters M&J just got back from a whirlwind trip to the northeastern area of North Carolina, where they worked hard, assisting J's daughter-in-law and parents with sorting generations of 'stuff' tucked away in a garage on the family's property.  They left early, last Wednesday morning, and returned Friday evening.  What they accomplished in between makes me tired just to think about it.  I had family and home obligations during that time, so I didn't go, but it's a good thing- it left more room to haul stuff back.

The crew involved three generations:  parents, children and grandchildren.  The tools of choice were a golf cart and a Kubota all-terrain vehicle to navigate the property's acreage without having to drive on and off the main road to enable accessing and carting the loot from garage to house for initial sorting.   Sorting became an organization task, separating the boxes as: 1) picks for resale, 2) yard sale designation, or for 3) personal retention.  Sister M took her Rav4, and they were loaded to nearly max capacity upon returning to WV when the trip's task was complete just 60 hours later.  The total job is not finished, but this was a really good push to make a dent in the family's project.

I joined M&J Saturday morning for what ended up being a twelve hour day to sort all of this:

Additionally, there were large items along the floor in the foreground (not pictured).  We had a system going:  M and J alternated unwrapping everything and making a first pass at cleaning items in the washtub just behind these tables.  I was in the area to the top and right of this frame, on the computer, listing and indicating for each of us.  There were a couple of neat collections among all the stuff, like this array of shaving mugs (with some glass mixed in this photo below):

Twelve hours later (72 for M&J), we'd managed to shift stuff from one set of boxes to three distinct piles of boxes.  For the record, my husband thinks we're crazy, but enjoys seeing us happy and having a good time together on our ventures.  This was my designated pile:

Sunday, I spent another eight hours (two with M&J to go through the linens received), and six unpacking my stuff, and cleaning what hadn't been cleaned. 

I started soaking linens while unpacking these goodies:  

I brought home a nice set of glasses with a 'C' monogram (nice coincidence that one of the family's surnames begins with the same initial as mine), a wonderfully large brown transferware tureen and underplate, Noritake china service for six + additionals, and Nippon blue & white china, including serving bowl with lid.  The lid to the tureen may show up on a subsequent treasure hunt, but for now I can think of several other ways to use it besides its intended purpose. 

Yesterday I finished resorting all of my stuff, cataloging what's in each box, and the linens are clean and folded (another five hours, totaling 25 hours for my involvement alone).  Everything's now ready to get ready for resale, lol, which will entail pressing linens, tagging and pricing items, and carting them to our antique mall booth space for styling (do you think we're crazy like my husband does, lol?).  M&J each have their own stashes to do the same with.  How fast and by what method each of us operates is as individual as we are.  We do, however, collectively & cohesively style our space vignettes from each, to achieve an overall complemented look.  And, of course, how fast it sells is almost totally out of our control.  One thing's for certain:  we're better at hunting & gathering than we are at eliminating (we tend to indulge in long periods of fostering finds before letting go).

J's gone back to OH, and sister M and I have plans to reset the store very soon, starting with a couple of large furniture items recently acquired.  We plan to break down a couple vignettes, relegating some smalls for an upcoming community yard sale in September, and bringing in some of these recent finds.  Hopefully, I'll have photos of all that by next week.

August....yes, August, is THIS week!  And with the last few days of break in the weather temperatures and humidity, it actually feels a little more like Fall here!  This October my younger daughter is getting married, and I've been gathering vintage items for that for over a year.  Next week family will be hosting a shower for her, and we've decided to have it at my house, mostly for ease of parking.  Somewhere in between I'll be forced to move a large portion of my guest room furniture and my basement boxes of vintage and antique items to allow plumbers access for some updates being planned.  

Never a dull moment, but hopefully some breaks in between to come up for air.  I thought summer was supposed to be lazy!  Are you taking in deep breaths with all your activities?