New plant display up and running

I finally finished the live plant display at the store today. A very generous donor paid for the table and frames, which really helped keep the costs down. I had to wait for my handyman, Justin to stop by to hang the leaves and last frame. I hurt my back this past weekend and really can't lift anything. The gold leaves are really a wall light and it would be so cool to have it wired so the lights work but that wasn't going to happen. 

It was funny that people wanted to buy the frames and I kept saying no, had to wait until the display was done so I could take a picture for the donor. Not the best business practice but we're not really following traditional business model. The wall turned out the way I wanted now I just have to see if it sells plants!

I had to make a sign asking customers not to squeeze the plants to see if they're real, it was making a hot mess on the table.

Table $200

Frames $80 plus one donated

Gold Leaf light $80

Cooking

I don't cook as much as I use to when I lived in Cupertino. Main reason is I don't have to make Annie's meals anymore, so having to cook isn't a priority anymore. I do miss it!

The store is also close to  a lot of resturants, even thou I don't like most of them, it is easy to just get something to go. When I worked at the Dr's office, we couldn't leave the office, so I had to make my lunch. I do miss shopping for groceries every few days that was a fun hobby.

This is a one of my go to recipes when Mees is here since he likes pasta. I always have to stash of gluten free pasta in my pantry and bacon in the refrigerator. Bacon makes a great favor base for a lot of dishes. Nothing super fancy but uses whatever I have on hand.

Cool Auction Finds July 2021

I still have a booth at Cottage Crafts in Campbell, which is about an hour away. It's a challenge to keep it stock with new stuff but I've been there for years and Tami and George are the best. The pandemic didn't help but now that things have opened back up, finding cool and interesting things has been the major challenge. Since I live so close to the Michaan Auction house, going once a month is easier ,but it's a very popular auction so getting a good deal isn't easy. 

Their online site is really good, so it makes it easy to bid from home. Everything else is just like any other auction house but that's another story. 

This vintage kerosene lamp is old school glam camping back in the day.  The milk glass shade is an added bonus! 

 The sewing machine drawers came in a lot with other things not as interesting but this is what I wanted. It's the second one I've found and really sells well. Nice piece for anyone into sewing or crafting. 

Update Auction and a little rant

Well I took a risk and bid on a lot of purses and it was a bust. My first instinct was not to bid but I started seconding guess myself, which we all know isn't a good thing. So $500 later, nothing was real or even close. I do plan to sell off what I can so it's not a total loss but not the money maker I had hoped for. As they say in the business, lesson learned. 

So I wanted to post here and not on my Facebook account because I may piss off even more people. There was a very detailed business plan done for the store. It was clear thrift stores do make a lot of money for the non profit it supports. Covid changed how all thrift stores handle everything and I think really improved the process. I find it interesting the older folks who get so upset that things are not going back to the old ways when they could drop off anything and the store had to take it. They are unwilling to listen to or even try to understand the new business plans are put in place to help stream line and reduce costs. Yes, even non profits have over head costs that have to be covered. One of the biggest bill most thrift stores have is getting rid of the trash. With my store we don't have the space to handle trash, nor the budget. We don't even take the boxes or bags people bring their items in because it would fill our recycle bins within a day. When I have to deal with these very angry ladies, I see someone who can't handle change and has very unhappy life. I know this is a very small % of donors who come into the store but it does put a dampen on my day for a few hours. 

Auction Weeks July 2020

It auction week and yes, I'm a big auction rat. What's fun is there are other rats in my pack who enjoy the hunt as much as I do. 

One of the positives of managing the store is looking for interesting fixtures/display pieces. It's not something the store really needs, but it does make us stand out from the other stores. Our front windows have sold a lot of us, so I feel it's important to keep up the interest. Almost everything in the store is for sale so I also have to choose things that can be flipped for a profit. It doesn't have to be a home run every time, base hits are good too.

I did take a huge risk and buy a one lot of purses, which had some well known labels.  I hope a few are real and I will make a profit.  It's not something I would risk the store money on unless I was sure. My purse person was on vacation so I wasn't able to get confirmation what I was looking at was the real thing. Fingers crossed I made a good $500 investment. 

Auction Week July 2021

It's auction week!!!! I love going to the preview in search of finding that hidden gem. This is a well shopped auction, so it's very hard to get a good deal but even with that you see things you don't see at the smaller auction houses. 

First off is the butterfly art. I saw the photo online and was wondering what media made it so iridescent.  I was thinking sea shells or special glass. When I saw it in person I was totally surprised! The whole thing is made from butterfly wings. It's not something I would be able to sell in the store, even if I wanted to but it was still very cool to see. There were a few more pieces in this collection but not as dramatic as this one. 

At the store on Saturday we sold out of so many things, shelves were bare. On one hand that is a good thing but it does force me to get the plant section pulled together sooner than I had planned. I saw this table and the creative ideas started flowing. It's about 9 feet long and handmade from exotics hardwoods with a hand forage metal design in the center. It would make a great center piece to the plant section. A generous donor offered to pay for it, so I could go full retail on it. I hoped because of the length, no other dealer would want it. I'm bidding against someone and at some point even with the donor's offer to cover the cost, I will have to stop. As cool as it is, the donor's money could go to more important things the store or shelter needs. So we will see at the end of today if the table is coming to the store!