Sunday, December 21, 2008

Happy Holidays To You All


Happy Holidays to all who take the time to visit and read my rambling blog.

May next year bring us jobs, a better economy, health and happiness.

From my family to yours,
Michelle
P.S. Starting tomorrow.... Dec. 22 all holidays items in the live antique shop are 10% off.
9230 Pflumm Rd. Lenexa, KS

Sunday, October 26, 2008

We Have Been Open 5 Weeks and I Love the Feedback

The shop has been open for 5 weeks now and the feedback has been amazing.

"It looks like Grandma's house" and I guess it would since the house/shop was built in 1920 and still retains the original woodwork, pocket doors, inset glass front cabinets and hardwood floors. The kitchen, even though it has been redone in white formica still has the original pantry lined in bead board. I put shelves in the bead board lined broom closet and use it for display too.

We held our first free appraisal clinic last week and it was a huge success even though the weather was a bit nasty.

Our November class will be "How to sell online" I don't have date set as of yet but will get that decided on next week. Of course this is free to the public.

Yesterday I finished my candy counter with a few of the popular yummy candies and of course Double Bubble Bubble Gum. I will soon be adding a "fudge of the week" which will be a speciallty fudge made by a local candy maker. I will have only one pan of fudge and it will be available until sold out then you have to wait until the next week for a new flavor. I also have sunflower seeds, trail mix, chips and biscotti.

New inventory for last week includes Victorian antiques and English antiques. As soon as my new website is up I will be adding some of these items for purchase online.

Next week we will start bringing out the Christmas items and begin our holiday decorating. I can't wait to work on my windows for the holidays. The store will be amazing. We have a Dept. 56 Santa's Village which will be on display and also for sale. It will be stunning.

I promise to get photos of the shop uploaded next week, they are at the shop on the shop computer.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

My Live Antique Shop is Now Open in Lenexa, Kansas

We are located at 9230 Pflumm Road in Lenexa, Kansas। I will post some photos soon, they are on my computer at the store. I still have dealer space available but it is going quickly, I accept consignments in the shop especially that of local artists, I would love to have some folk art pieces or handcrafted furniture pieces. Yet I am open to seeing what you have.

On Oct। 18 we are having a "community garage sale" in the shed behind the shop. Many people are bringing items to sell. We will also be recruiting members for FOOT or Friends of Old Town. On Oct. 23rd. I am doing a free appraisal clinic at the shop from 7-8:30 pm. Additional classes and community activities will be on a signboard in front of the store and here on my blog. We are working with a group of families who have kids and adult children with special needs and hopefully our first project will be creating beautiful Christmas ornaments that will be for sale in the shop.

I welcome any group who needs a place to meet in the evenings or Sunday to my shop। I want to give back to the community and this is just another way I can do that.

Oh my gosh what an adventure this has been। Many late nights getting inventory cleaned and priced. Obsessing over the way furniture and display fixtures were placed. Ironing aprons, doilies, table linens, cleaning windows, cleaning up from the road construction and the dust created from that, cleaning up from the leaking roof.... and on and on. I loved every moment of it and it has been very well worth the time spent.

I still have SO much more inventory to bring into the shop. My consignments have been wonderful from a Tom Seely sleigh bed to Bart the stuffed bear (he is pretty fabulous).
I kept somewhat of a journal about my experience of the month and a half it took for me to get to the point I was ready to open the doors and will work on getting that posted along with photos of the store।

My website is still being redesigned but I have found a terrific young man who is doing an amazing job and I hope to have the new site online in November with loads of new inventory.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

We Are Opening A Live Store In the KC Metro Area

My Granny's Attic Antiques and Collectibles is going LIVE.... if you live in the Johnson County Kansas area and are looking to rent "booth" space please contact me.

This is not going to be your traditional antique mall with partitioned off sections, garage sale stuff and oodles of trashy crafts. Our shop will be set up much as a department store with your kitchen section, tableware, textiles, bathroom and vanity, etc.

I have a relatively new line of clothing Muze Clothes that we will carry as well as items from Funky People. Wonderful scented soaps and lotions and much more.

We will have a "recycle center" an area with used, not vintage, clothing, good used small electronics and furniture items.

There will be an antique resource library where you can come in and research you antiques and collectible using our resource books and once or twice a month we will hold classes on a particular topic relating to antiques and memorabilia.

I am also hoping that we will be able to lure unknown artist's in to sell their works especially outsider art or tramp art. I have always wanted an outsider art gallery.... this might be it.

I go into this with very mixed emotions. I am finally expanding my business and getting my inventory out of my home, I will be able to reclaim some of my space at home. But after working at home for 8 years it will be difficult to get up and go to work everyday.

The online shop will of course still be around.

If you are ever in this neck of the woods please drop by. The address will be here on the blog as well as the website.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Read an Interview That I Did....Interview With An Antique Dealer

Nancy has several great websites and blogs.

She recently interviewed me on what it is like being an antique dealer. As usual I tell it like it is and be sure to read some of the other interviews she has done.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

I Will No Longer Make Referrals To Craigslist To Sell Items

The other day I was trying to post a few items to craigslist and as soon as I would get them posted they would get "flagged" taken off of the list. This continued, even after I changed wording, read all of the TOS, Terms of Use, etc.

I ran this through their forum and after being treated rather rudely, I started looking at some of the listing and noted that the same people tend to have numerous listings on the craisglist site.

There is no policing of who is flagged and who isn't. If your post is flagged it is removed... no questioned asked and it is the user's that do the flagging.

For many years I have recommended this as a site to sell your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia items but no longer. I do not recomment using this forum, it has a Gestapo feel and I think that the time has come for it to dissappear.

I am in the process of creating a venue for people to sell antiques, collectibles and memorabilia for a very small fee. I will be the only "monitor" and it will be a fair and respectable place to do business.

I expect to have it up and running in a couple of weeks.