What's Going On At The Antique Shop?

We have dealer space available for anyone in the area interested in renting space. Selling the antiques and collectibles, refurbished shabby chic or country cottage created pieces is a great way to generate some extra income. My rent is the best you will find in the area and I don't tack on any additional fees or percentages. Some of the shops charge anywhere from 5% to 20% on top of the monthly booth rental fee for a wide variety of things such as tags and labels, credit card fees, bags and protective wrappings, tape, cleaning, etc. I have heard of some pretty wild extra charges that shop owner's are placing on their dealer's.

Anyone who knows me or has been in the shop will tell you that I am very particular about what I allow to be sold in the antique shop. I want quality, ready to use items but I am open to anything. I believe that there is a buyer for just about everything we put out for sale. For the items that don't meet my "quality control" standards there is the option of placing your items in our monthly BASEMENT SALE.... that's right, we have moved our parking lot sale to the basement so that we can have special sales throughout the winter months.

The new antique shop website is finally just weeks away from going live. This has been a 2 year struggle for me to get the new site developed and functioning. I have given away quite a bit of money to people who claim to be able to give me what I want but in the end don't deliver.

Items from the store will be available for purchase on the website, this includes consignments and dealer stock. I am really excited about this and can't wait to get the new site up and running.

Don't forget, we take items on consignment and have the best prices you will find on quality antique furniture, vintage furniture, giftware and new items. If I don't have it in stock I can probably find it for you through our extensive network of dealer's and consignor's.

I am very excited about several items we have recently taken in on consignment; a 1920's bedroom set including a bachelor's chest, a coverlet dated 1852 from PA which includes the name of the weaver and the person it was made for, a beautiful antique chaise lounge chair that has been beautifully recovered, a 1800s girls sampler, vintage Hummel figurines and many more wonderful items.

We are holding a class in November on how to determine the value of your antiques and collectibles. The class will cover resources available and professional's that you can turn to. We still have our free antique reference library in the shop which is available for use during normal business hours.

Speaking of business hours, I will soon have the shop open on Sunday afternoons and our days off will switch to Monday and Tuesday. I have to be closed sometime to keep up with my online sales and shipping.

Please stop by or call if you are interested in renting space. I look forward to meeting you.

My Antique Shop and the Ghosts Within

I have come out of the closet about the "living history", spirits or ghosts that live in my wonderful, now 1 year-old antique shop.

If you would like to read a recent newspaper story, albeit not entirely accurate, you can do so on this website - http://sunpublications.com/200907222512/news/haunted-house-eery-things-are-happening-ghost-hunters-confirm.html and yes that is me in the pink shirt who looks like she is about to fly away.

If you would like to hear some of what they have to say you can do so on this site - www.mygrannysatticantiques.com/evps/ be sure to turn your computer speakers up loud and listen closely.

Soon to come to the shop, after we work out a few glitches, is a Victorian Dress-up Parlor for little girls and a tea room.

I would love to hear what you think about all of this. I was a healthy skeptic about these types of things until I opened the shop and started spending most of my waking hours there.

Have fun and please stop by whenever you are in the area.

Here is the group that has come out to the shop and performed 2 different investigations. They captured the EVPs or voices on tape that I have linked to as well as the most recent EVPs or voices on tape that I have yet to post. Paul, Michelle and their team are great people to work with, they have been sweet enough to allow me to stay on both investigations and I did rather well thank you very much. Link to Missouri Paranormal Research - facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=100000141578156&ref=ts myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mopararesearch

Haunted Antique Shop, Cliche but Mine Is

It is official and I have gone public with the fact that my lovely, wonderful Lenexa, Kansas antique shop has what I refer to as "living history" aka ghosts or spirits. You can now read about some of my experiences in the shop  - Haunted Antique Shop Lenexa, Kansas

It was difficult for me to finally accept and admit what I had been seeing, hearing and feeling for almost a year now was real. I had too many people having experiences in the shop for me to simply ignore what I knew to be true.

There are not scary, jump out and say "boo" spirits they are gentle, playful and at times very noisy energies that for whatever reason have decided to stay in the shop (formerly a home built in the early 1900's) either because they lived there and love it or are just hanging around for the heck of it.

You see this type of thing on TV and never think that it will affect you, bully to that. Thank goodness I have been documenting almost everything that has happened from day one and now have hardcore evidence to prove it.

If you are interested in hearing some of the spirits that inhabit my shop you can do so at - www.mygrannysatticantiques.com/evps you need to turn your speakers up full blast or put on headphones to hear what is being said. I have new evps to post from a recent investigation by the same group that caught these.

I have never been afraid of the occurrences nor have I felt threatened. I have come to be fairly protective of the spirits that reside in my shop to the point of having a few toys out for the children to play with. I have learned what they like and dislike such as me vacuuming the floor is not a favorite activity especially for the children.

So if you are ever in my neck of the woods drop by and say hi to us all.

The location of my antique shop

In response to a comment I received concerning the location of my antique shop and where one might find other Kansas antique shop listings;

Mike, I look forward to seeing you. I am located in a suburb of Kansas City
our town is Lenexa aka Shawnee Mission. The address is 9230 Pflumm Rd Lenexa, Kansas 66215

As for a website with other antique shops in Kansas I am not aware of one but I have a free publication in the shop "Discover Mid-America" and it lists quite a few antique shops. Each region of
the U.S. should have a version of this newspaper which is free to the public and
can be found in most antique shops.

Thank you for visiting, Michelle

Neat-o Site I Found

I just came across a pair of Hall-Mack mermaid towel holders, they are wonderful in their goldtone glory.

Then I came across this website and highly recommend that you take a gander if you are into the 1950's retro movement - http://retrorenovation.com/

When I get some batteries I will post these towel holders for all to behold.... and yes they are for sale.

Parking Lot Sale Season Starts at the Antique Shop

We have started our parking lot sales at the shop. We have items from the store, furniture that needs some TLC as well as good usable furniture and much more.

Many of the dealer's and consignor's from the shop participate and it is also open to the community to bring their stuff and a table and set up shop. There is a $5 fee for setting up but it is well worth it. We get a lot of traffic and have a great time.

The June sale is on the 13th from 10 am to 4 pm. The sale is in the shop parking lot behind the building so you need to park across the street.

If you are interested please call and reserve a space or just come on down and find some great bargains.

You never know what you will find!

I still have room in the store for dealer booth rental. I am looking for antiques, collectibles and quality crafts.

We are in the process of opening up the basement where you can find bargains on items, mainly furniture that need a coat of paint or refinishing and other items that need small repairs or just don't meet my QC for wares in the shop.

Classes start this week at my antique shop in Lenexa, Kansas

This week we kick off our monthly classes at the antique shop.

Thursday January 22 at 7 pm. we will make an altered art valentines day card using vintage graphics that I have.

If you are interested in attending please call and let us know so that we know how many kits to make. The fee is $6.00 for supplies.

913-825-1938

All classes will be on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7 pm.

Next month we will make a memory pillow.

The antique shop address is 9230 Pflumm Road in Old Town Lenexa, Kansas. Parking is behind the store.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My online antique shop site shoots craps during the holiday season

I am so upset over the fact that my website is not fully functioning at the busiest time of year.

It started out 5 months ago as a simple redesign of the website and has turned into a complete mess that I am being billed for.

My side menu is gone... where, I don't know but I cannot get it to reappear. I have not been able to add new inventory for all these months either.

So if you happen to need something for the holidays please email me and I will see if I have it in stock.

I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused any of my regular customers.

What Is Up With the Postal Rate Increase?

I realize that prices go up. I mean we are paying almost $4.00 for a gallon of gas. Thank goodness I work from home and a tank of gas will last me about a month.

But this Post Office rate increase is horrible if you ship packages. They are doing what UPS, Fed Ex and DHL have always done, charge by volume instead of weight. But they have gone overboard with it. A package that used to cost me $7.00 to ship through USPS now is double that amount plus insurance. At least with the other guys they cover you for $100 in insurance.

I raised the rates on my website when the postage rates went up but I think I am going to lower them back to the old rate and ship through DHL instead. I will also implement free shipping with a certain dollar amount purchase, I have not decided yet what that will be. It isn't fair to my customer's to have to pay such a HUGE shipping cost.

It will be interesting to see if the Post Office looses any shipping business or if they will increase their services.

Seven experts say objects not genuine antiquities - News

Seven experts say objects not genuine antiquities

This is in reference to the Tseng Family Collection of Chinese Antiquities in the Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge.

What a shame, who got scammed was it the family who owned these items or the library? This just goes to show you must do your research before you make a large purchase.

What Is An Antique Dealer To Do?

Where does my responsibility as an online antique dealer end and the responsibility of the customer begin?

I have been selling through my own online shop for 7 years, prior to that I had an antique store and sold on eBay. I loved the customer interaction with the store life got in the way and we had to close it. Selling on eBay became a huge problem just because of the way eBay is going.

I have learned many lessons selling through my own website but for the most part the customer's have been amazing and I have had very few problems.

When I first started the website I automatically tacked on the cost for insurance, this was a carry-over from my eBay days, but I had quite a few complaints from customer's so I made purchasing insurance an option. On occasion if I was shipping something really fragile I would go ahead and pay for the insurance out of my pocket just to be on the safe side and there were a few times where this was a good thing.

UPS owes me a few hundred dollars for items I insured that got demolished in transit and they did not make good on the insurance I purchased but that is just their way.

But what do I do if someone makes a substantial purchase on a non-fragile item and then says it has not been delivered to them, yet the Post Office shows that the item was delivered? What is my responsibility in this situation? They opted to not purchase insurance on the item and I have proof of delivery.

If you live in a neighborhood where packages are apt to get stolen from your doorstep then I recommend you purchase insurance on purchases. As a seller I cannot know what your neighborhood is like. Or do like many of my customer's and have the packaged delivered to you at work.

I really need some help on this because I do not know what to do. Am I being scammed? It has happened to me before. I appreciate all input on this situation.

Create an inventory of your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia FREE

It is very important to catalog your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia. As well as anything that you own of value or items that, in the event of a disaster, you might be called upon to itemize.

Believe me, in the heat of the moment, it is difficult to remember what you owned much less how much you paid for it.

You can now use this free program on my antique shop site to catalog you items room by room. You can then either print it out or store it on your computer and as you acquire new items you can upload the list to this program and add to it.

This was provided by an insurance group who is no longer around and I have been looking for this software for quite sometime.

So please feel free to visit this page on my shop site and start getting your items listed.

There are no strings attached, I promise but feel free to shop after you get your goods listed.

Create an inventory of your antiques, collectibles and memorabilia FREE"

Good Auction Season is Here

There are auctions year-round but the warm weather brings out the terrific auctions. I'm talking about the all day, stand in the sun out in a field, pee behind a bush auction. NO BUYER'S PREMIUM auctions.

I find some of my best items at auctions that last all day, if it is raining the deals are even better.

We also take more buying trips during the warm weather and you never know what you are going to stumble upon when you are out and about.

You might consider just taking a short day trip to some town near you and pick up a local paper to see if there are any auctions or sales that sound promising. It might prove to be well worth you time and effort.

I always come back more relaxed and ready to tackle the chores that are waiting at home for me.

How the Find the Value of Your Antiques, Collectibles and Memorabilia

So you have decided which method you will use to sell your antiques and collectibles now you just need to determine the value of the pieces. I have quite a few resources on my website that you can use to find the value but I will also give you some tips below.

If you want the value to insure an item I recommend getting a written appraisal. This way if you do need to make a claim on this item you already have the appraisal in place. If you want to find the sale price of an item then you will need to do some research.

Get our and visit some antique shops and see what the same or similar items are selling for in your area. This is especially helpful if you are planning on selling through the local newspaper.

If you are going to sell your wares online you need to research what you have so that you can write a good description of the item. There are books on just about every type of antique and collectible so your first stop should be the local library or large chain bookstore.

Once you know what you have you can then look online and see what others are selling the same or similar items for. If you are going to sell your wares on eBay look and see what it is selling for there. Don’t look at what folks are asking for a particular item, look at the closed auctions and see what prices the item has brought in the recent past. Some of the large live auction houses will post their closed auction prices. These prices include the buyer’s premium which is a cost the auction house charges the buyer on top of the closing auction price. The buyer’s premiums have gotten out of control and some houses charge as much as 40%

You can always look in published price guides to get a “guide” on what something might bring but remember that price guides are simply that…. Guides to prices. This is often referred to as “book value.” I am a tad cynical about book values and feel that price guides are simply a means of running the price up on a particular line of antiques and collectibles.