A Few Finds and a New Venture…Maybe!

Haven’t been out hunting much but I did find a few good things at my neighborhood thrift store this past week. Despite all the visits when I come out empty-handed, this tiny Silicon Valley store still yields exciting bits from time to time.

Last week I spotted this carved wood box with lock and key (that work!). Isn’t it fabulous? It’s made with a light-weight wood that smells slightly spicy. It’s a striking vintage piece with very little damage. It has a Black Forest look, but I don’t think the wood is right for Germany or Switzerland.

And I found this Replogle Mars globe. I actually picked it and set it back on the shelf and continued shopping, but then went back to it. It just seemed like it could be something good.

And darn it was! Turns out it’s from the 1970s and even this smaller size (6″) without a stand typically sells in the $60+ range.

Online I bought a designer 1988 Thorp sterling silver and gemstone brooch. The seller had marked down the price and I had some eBay bucks to lower it a bit more. Hmmm. I researched the sold comps and they indicated there was definitely more meat on the bone.

I also bought a collection of vintage silver charms for $48 from an eBay seller. No super duper ones, but half are good enough to list separately, like the mechanical inmate in jail. Others will be grouped in a lot.

These vintage Zodiac charms sell for $20-$30 each.

So I’m happy with my few buys. I’m trying to be choosier. 🙂 What I’m not buying these days are lower-end collectibles. I’ve never been interested in them personally, their profit tends to be minimal and they don’t represent the vision I have for my store. But, that said, I do follow a couple of vloggers who love collectibles (particularly figurines) and do well selling them. It’s good we all have our niches!

Been thinking about how to “up my game” and I have decided to open a store on Chairish.com. The commission is a tad scary (30% if you have less than 10 items, 20% if you have 10 or more) and it’s a curated site so every thing has to be approved. But it’s got a lot of great items and I think more interior decorators/designers and well-heeled folks shop here so possibly more expensive things will sell quicker? Maybe?

I was thinking I wanted a different name from my Etsy store (which is Lion & Lamb Vintage), but after hours of tossing around ideas with no result, it came to me as I was watching TV. A character on “Father Brown” said “Oh, don’t be so cloak and dagger about it” and I thought that’s it!!!–Cloak and Dagger Vintage.” A perfect name for a mystery fan like me and kinda fun. Here’s my store front which I will likely play with some more!

So far the few items I’ve submitted are “in review” and are not available for purchase. We’ll see if this site is worth the effort for me. Hopefully it will be another viable selling platform. If not, I’ll lose nothing but the time I spent.

Hope you’re finding great things.

Happy hunting,

Karen