The Week in Junk & Booth Chatter

As usual, I hit a good amount of thrifts this week.  Let's see - I went to Goodwill Wednesday and  Friday, Potter's House on Wednesday and the Super Cheap Thrift today.  I guess that's only four trips.

99¢ was the magic price for this brand new make it your self Rubber Stamp Kit.  I think I will make my own tags for my booth that have my booth number, name of my booth and a $ sign on them.  Then I can just fill it out, punch a hole and tie it on.  Cheaper than those stupid string tags we are supposed to use.  

I got this basket hanger at the SCT today for $2.00.  I've been looking for a way to display some of my baskets in my booth, so this is the perfect answer.  I have a knack for finding vintage handmade baskets and I have been having good luck at selling them, so the hunt is on for MORE!

An assortment of old board games.  The hockey game and the Concentration Game will be sold.  I like old games like the "Squares" game and we have been on the hint for an old metal Chinese Checkers game.  The Scrabble Tiles were added to my growing collection in my craft supplies.  

These four old books were only 10¢ each at the SCT today.    For some reason, the bindings and half the covers were covered in making tape.  I thought that I could still sell them to someone for nostalgia, so I bought them despite the making tape.  But, when I looked a little closer, the tape peeled right off and the books are in really good condition.  Whey would someone cover them in masking tape?  Your guess is as good as mine.  To the booth they will go now.

Although this is a Golden Book, it is very adult like in it's content on Native Americans.  It has detailed instructions to make actual powwow regalia and real teepee's.  It's a keeper.

I am loving these Dick and Jane readers.  I bought the one on the right a couple of weeks ago and found the one on the left yesterday.  The are keepers too.  

A few odds and ends.  An old hand painted cutting board, vintage address book, sweet pink and black bowl and a crepe scarf with Marjorie embroidered on it.  All for the booths.

A hand-painted Nativity to be put away until next year.  It was only $1.00 and someone put an awful lot of time into painting it.

This tin was an ebay purchase.  I rarely ever buy anything on ebay anymore simply because I don't need a darn thing but I love the hunt too much.  I had some ebay bucks to spend, so I bought this sweet little tin for a couple of dollars.  My maiden name was Richardson, so that was a no brainer.  I think it will look great full of flags in my 4th of July decorations.

Lastly, two things that I paid RETAIL for - I know - sit down before you fall down!  :D  I got an Amazon Gift card for Christmas so I decided to buy somethings to make me happy - two huge rolls of Baker's Twine and a box of paper straws did the trick.  I've already made a few things out of the straws.  I also wound a bunch of twine on old clothespins and threw them in a basket in one of my booths.  I think they will sell - I would have bought one!  There are people in the world that only need 100 feet of Baker's Twine and not 4600 feet like me.  

Forgive me for all the booth chatter.  I don't want to become one of those blogs that is ALL ABOUT THE BOOTH.  Having one booth has been a learning curve for me and now having a second one is really teaching me a thing or two.  The first booth - the Trading Post Booth - I mostly sell things from the 1960's and 1970's since this is in a college town and it is frequented by college kids and a hipper crowd.  It is located next to a Pawn Shop and across the street from a HUGE Thrift Store.  People go to that area and visit all three stores and save their money until they find something they want to buy. Owls, mushrooms, avocado green and orange are good sellers in this booth.  At this booth, I always make my rent, commission and make about $100.00 on top of that.  Not a lot, but it gives me a little bit of a hobby and some pocket money.  I have been int his booth for a year and a half. I straighten it once a week and take in new stock about every two weeks.

 The new booth - The Locals booth - is on a busy street in a small town that has antique stores and flea markets from one end of the street to the other.  People come there strictly to shop and to buy things.  Here I sell all things vintage, but mostly from the 1940's and 1950's.  I wanted things to sell in this booth, so I started off pricing things really inexpensive.  And the stuff sold - Fast!  So, I started pricing things a bit higher and....they still sold...Fast!  Not only do I sell a lot of vintage things, I am having a good luck with vintage supplies - old Probe cards made into words and banners, marquee letter packets, letterpress letters, new old stock food labels and lots of other fun things.  I'm delving into making and selling a few things and having good luck with that too.  I have been in this booth since November 10th, with the store having limited hours, no advertising and a Grand Opening only two weeks before Christmas, yet I sold quadruple the amount of my other booth in this new store.  I have to straighten this booth twice a week and take out new stock once a week.  

Today I took in three huge shopping bags full of stuff and these two ladies pounced on it before I even had a chance to put it out.  One lady bought over $50.00 worth of things and I didn't even have to work it in.  Awesome.  :)  They loved everything I had and they were gushing about it all - even things that weren't their style - they still appreciated it. That was a fun time for me to actually see customers in there all excited grabbing things up.  

The best part is saying I HAVE to go thrifting to find things for my booths!  Ha. (Which is a big old lie because I have a crapload of stuff here in my very own house to sell.  But, hey, any excuse, right?)  I can't wait for yard sales and finding heaps of good stuff to put in my booths.  And now, I am off to bed to dream of driveways full of old chippy old chairs, and picnic baskets and mountains of vintage holiday stuff........Sweet Dreams.