Hello Lovelies :)

[redrubies]

This was completely unexpected thread. Hi @redrubies , welcome back i guess .

Thank you!

 

[umerjutt00]

So you opened one of those stores where Rick Savage goes to sell his stuff

 

[Deku]

This is such a heartwarming thread, best of luck with the antiques.

 

[gawsig]

Best of luck to you and your son @redrubies!

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

This is such a heartwarming thread, best of luck with the antiques.

Dorothy is one of the sweetest people to ever grace BHW and it is always super cool to see here pop in here.

 

[redrubies]

So you opened one of those stores where Rick Savage goes to sell his stuff

This is what happened. Some here might remember that I always did vintage jewelry on the side besides the store with the new jewelry. I don't know if anyone remembers the place I used to talk about on here where I brought the gold to be melted. Well...She closed her store. It was a very small store and the rent was only $600 a month, which is unheard of in my state. I wanted that store so bad. I found the landlord on facebook and we became friends. She said I could have the rent if I wanted.

Well I couldn't get a license to buy gold from the police dept no matter what. I was like what the heck, why is this happening to me? I never do anything wrong. Then the father of the girl who had the store said he couldn't get a license either. He sent three other people to apply and none of them could get a license either. I then found out that the police refused to give a license to anyone because they did not want that kind of store in town any more. I was so upset because I wanted that store more than anything. A perfect way for people to bring things to me that I could buy. I would buy gold, sell what I wanted and melt the rest. I could also buy antiques to resell and display in the store. And the rent was dirt cheap. I was crying, that was how upset I was, and I'm not the type to cry over business matters. But having that store was my dream because she had a big following and I know that I could have made it bigger with my knowledge of internet marketing.

So I was down in the dumps and two of my friends who have stores talked me out of being upset about it. They said it's not all it's cracked up to be, and insurance would be high, utilities, etc They said I could do the same thing without the store. They were right. I don't even want a storefront any more. I can do what I do from home. I started in the local facebook groups and people were fighting over my stuff. I was like whoa, this is so cool. The facebook groups in the niche of antiques don't bring me sales. The regular old local facebook groups do. Which I said from the beginning even on bhw. Don't limit yourself to posting on sites only in your niche because you never know what the every day person is interested in. When someone buys something, I ask them if they want to go on the list to be contacted first before I put something up. Nine times out of ten, they say yes. The customer list grew and grew and now it is very big.

I sell cheaper in the local groups and to local customers, and if things don't sell here, I put them up for more on etsy. They will also go up in the website store (when I finish putting that together) for the same price they are on etsy. I'm getting quite the reputation around these parts and people I never met send me facebook messages asking me to appraise whole estates for them and saying they will pay me. And the towns with all the rich people in them send me messages that say "So and so has an antique vase she bought from you. Do you have (whatever) because I need one for a spot in the the living room." One day a woman brought her whole book club over and the women were screeching like they were at a Macy's one day sale. I don't know how this all happened, but I think I am a store without a store. LOL

 

[Mrnewbie]

Great to see you back @redrubies

 

[redrubies]

Dorothy is one of the sweetest people to ever grace BHW and it is always super cool to see here pop in here.

Thank you so much for your kind words! I missed you guys, you especially! Every time I come across something from the Wizard of Oz when I am at estate sales, I think of you, Dorothy, and the red ruby shoes.