When I had a shop, it attracted lots of individuals who wanted to sell me antiques. Some of them had good stuff. Others had junk. Many wanted too much for their inherited mementos. One old guy brought me cracked and chipped tea cups and got mad when I wouldn’t buy them at any price. A… Continue reading The Story of my Picker
Category: antique
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
A month ago, California hadn’t had a drop of rain in twenty-nine days. It was the driest February since 1864. Now it is “Miracle March,” and it seems to be raining every day. I’m not complaining. We need snow to build up in the Sierras to provide lots of snow pack melt-off in the early… Continue reading Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
A month ago, California hadn’t had a drop of rain in twenty-nine days. It was the driest February since 1864. Now it is “Miracle March,” and it seems to be raining every day. I’m not complaining. We need snow to build up in the Sierras to provide lots of snow pack melt-off in the early… Continue reading Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Spring Cleaning in February
It started with a koala bear. A bunch of them. Some musicians were having a fundraiser for Australia, the fires, and the koalas. It was a donation at the door. Two and a half hours of music, and I knew three of the performers. We got there early and sat in the third row. Two… Continue reading Spring Cleaning in February
Whatever is Meant to Be
I’ve been on the hunt for bookcases for a while now. I have ten tubs of antique books sitting in a damp garage near the beach, and I think it would be good to get them into the house. I sold all my beautiful bookcases when I was getting divorced. I knew the new smaller… Continue reading Whatever is Meant to Be
Alameda Point, at Last
A few towns from mine, there is a monthly gathering of vendors selling items that are twenty years old or older. It’s called the Alameda Point Antique Fair. I had never been until today. The irony is that I had an antique shop for six and a half years. And my customers would sing the… Continue reading Alameda Point, at Last
Antiques Dealer School
When my youngest was three, I ventured out in to the real world and rented a space in a handmade and vintage store. I did pretty well, but there were problems including accounting and theft. In my affluent town, shoppers unpinned the price tags and switched them around. I quit the craft store and invested… Continue reading Antiques Dealer School
The Longest Day of my Life
Today is the anniversary of the longest day of my life. Eight years ago, the movers showed up at 7:00 a.m. I had expected them at 8:00. They had a medium-sized truck. There was no way everything would fit. I had the Suburban and the Subaru, but they were already packed to the gills. The… Continue reading The Longest Day of my Life
Another Thrifty Day at the Thrift Store
I admit it. The Saver’s Thrift Store in Dublin calls me and every other over-55 senior in the tri-valley on Tuesdays. Why? The 30% senior discount off of everything. That’s why. My massage and chiropractor appointment messed up exercise class for me, so afterward, I swung through CVS to get Sis’s meds that they’d sent… Continue reading Another Thrifty Day at the Thrift Store
Secrets to a Successful Shop
It’s true — people shop online more and more each year. So how does a brick and mortar shop make it in today’s world? I was downtown in my town of 40,000 people (in a commuter corridor of the Bay Area) the other day, and parked on the main street in front of a little… Continue reading Secrets to a Successful Shop
