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.