What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Christmas at the Flea Market

Want to see a billion pictures of my booth?  Huh, huh, do you, do you?  I have worked on it for two days for a total of about seven hours.  That's a lot of time to stay in one small area working!  I pulled a ton of stuff.  I am getting a feel for what does and for what does NOT sell, so I pulled the dredges.  I have six full totes of items to sort tomorrow (some items coming to my Etsy store...) and then take to a thrift store far, far away.  I cannot stand to see the things I have donated on the shelves.  I feel like a Mom that left her baby on the curb when I see my castoffs sitting there. So, I take big donations to a thrift in the next city where I never go.  That way I can still go to MY thrifts and look for junk without saying, "That was mine, that was mine, that was mine.......".  

In the place of what I took out, I brought in a ton of vintage Christmas.  Two carloads, in fact.  I have been pricing it for about two weeks.  After working seven hours, loading in two carloads of Christmas and getting it all set up, the first lady in asked me..."Are you going to be putting any more out?"

Welcome to Booth #33.  There is a lot in there!  My booth is the only one in the entire flea market that is like a little store - everyone walks into it and does a 360 looking at everything.  I love it like that.  All the other booths - people just walk past while they glance inside.  Of course, most of the booths have big pieces like furniture and home decor and you can see it all when you walk by.

How do you like that 6 foot tall stocking?  I found that not too long ago.  I would hate to have to fill it up!  I mean, for SANTA to have to fill it up.....*Cough*  The tall white shelf holds the ephemera - letter car packets, Scrabble letter words, Scrabble tiles, Marquee letter words, old books, wooden letter cutouts, ephemera packets, packets of old keys and vintage games.  On the top shelf I have the owls and 60's stuff that I really don't care about buying or selling, but the do sell, so I do buy them.  I believe it using all the space I have - from the floor to the ceiling.  There's a lot to look at, but it's all neatly organized so people generally see what they want.

I attempted to get a little artsy with my displays this time.  It looks better in person.  There is a huge fluorescent light above my booth which makes it the best lit booth in the store, but makes it really hard to photograph.  Not to mention that lovely silver heating duct that is up there.  Only in Arkansas can you use Hog hats as Christmas display.

I've had this green shelf in the booth since the beginning.  It was actually in my old booth before that.  It cost $5.00 and was an ugly brown, but I painted it the lovely minty green.  People are always wanting to buy it...but, NO!

When I bought this pink shelf last week for $5.00, I hoped it would fit on top of the green shelf I already had.  I painted it white and hoped for the best.  

When I sat the white one on top - perfection.  They were exactly the same width.  
So, $10.00 for the shelves plus FREE paint I got in the mail and I have a wonderful display area.  I love the cubby effects of the white one.
I had a lot of individual ornaments that I wanted to sell.  I didn't want to try to work in a tree to display them on and I knew they would get tangled up in a tub or a box.  I ended up putting one to four ornaments in a cellophane treat bag, stapling the top then adding a folded over index card to make it look like a package.  I put them in old metal letter trays and now you can pull out a tray and look at the ornaments.  One lady was looking at them today and said my packaging was "brilliant".  Now, I don't think I would go that far, but I do think it worked out well.  I also used a couple of the Ben Franklin baskets on the bottom shelf.  One holds miscellaneous items I could't find a spot for and one holds about fifty Chalkware Nativity figures.

The cubbies each hold like items, snowmen, angels, Santas, Village items, etc.  More vintage on top and an assortment of my "Kitschmas Wreaths" on top.

Thanks for coming along on the tour.  Now, wish me luck that it all SELLS!

*My favorite and least favorite quote of the day:  "I bet all you do is shop."  Uh no, I don't, thank you.  I have a nice stockpile and, yes I do shop, but not all the time!

**One lady came in to work her booth  - her arms were loaded with Lowe's and Walmart bags.  She had stopped to buy garland, lights and ornaments to decorate her booth.  I needed those same things this morning, but I stopped at the Super Cheap Thrift and picked up a trash bag full of new garland and LED lights for $2.00 plus two dozen new red glass ornaments for 75¢.  I don't see how people can make money when they spend $50.00 on decorations.  Also, I am amazed when people come in and work their booth, then walk around and spend $50.00.

16 comments:

  1. Fabulous! Very cheerful and inviting!

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  2. Your booth looks wonderful! I would be guilty of buying someone elses stuff while at my booth (I have done it)
    Cathy

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  3. Your booth always gives me feelings of inadequacy when I think about mine. I got my Xmas in this week, but it totally lacks your charm. I end up buying something just about every time I go into work. Usually, it's just a small item that catches my eye as I walk past to my space, but there are a couple of booths I have to visit every time I am in there. Sometimes, the assistant manager comes and "reminds" me that I'm supposed to be working (as she comes and shops out of my booth). This week, she bought almost 20 dollars of the stuff I was putting out!

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  4. Well, that's it, I have to come to shop your booth one of these days and for all intents and purposes Christmas would be the time to do it!

    Your booth looks very full and inviting - just the way you want it! Seriously, I know you're going to sell a ton!

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  5. I want to come there, today!! VERY well stocked!!

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  6. Well, your hard work paid off and your booth looks terrific - and interesting! I should think you'll have lots of shoppers in there looking over all of the goodies. I certainly would!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Sandie

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  7. I would have a grand time visiting your booth! You sell all the things I love!! It looks great! Fingers crossed that you sell lots of stuff this season!
    hugs, Linda

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  8. Super Chrismassy! It does take alot of time and effort to put a booth together. Today is prep day for space planning for a show I am doing this weekend..tis the season

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  9. I love your booth!

    If I lived in your neck of the woods, i would be there all the time and would buy tons !

    There's nothing like vintage Xmas :)

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  10. I feel the same way about donating - I don't like to see my stuff in my thrift. And on the occasion where I have donated to my thrift, I'm like "why don't I see my doodad here, did they toss it and not even put it out??". I am lazier in the way that normally I get the Purple Heart people to come to my house and pick up donations. So it's just a matter of me sorting and putting it out in my driveway.

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  11. Ooh, it looks pretty! Like a Dime Store Christmas Wonderland. :) I love how you used the letter cards on the heating duct! LOL I hope you sell it ALL!

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  12. That would be me - having a booth & buying up all the stuff from all the others, justifying it with the profits I'm making from my booth sales!

    The lady with the decorations could not necessarily be in it to make a large profit, but just as a hobby or past time. Or maybe she just does very well for herself there.

    BTW - I'm coming down with Jill. She doesn't know it, but she's picking me up.

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  13. My favorite quote is "Are you going to put any more out?" Hahaha!
    Love your booth, and that new white cubby display looks great on top of the minty green shelves!

    I'll bet you will do very well with all your Christmas goodies - wish I lived closer so I could shop there!

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  14. Sir-Thrift a lot: When Jill picks you up ask her to swing by Quebec to pick me up!

    We would have a total BAST!

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  15. That looks pretty darn fabulous.

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  16. Your booth looks great! I hope it's a big success this season. :-)

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