Post-Trip Life…

Yesterday, I got home safe and sound from my trip back East. Both my Jet Blue flights were fine. I made a new friend along the way (thank you Joan for making the day more enjoyable!) and my husband was able to pick me up at the airport which meant I didn’t have the hassle of getting an Uber. And there was that delicious moment when we pulled up in front of our house and I was flooded with relief and joy at being home. (My long travel day was done.) Our little front yard looked lush and verdant (thanks my husband’s watering while I was gone) and inside was clean and orderly (no dishes piled in the sink)!

And bonus all my antique/vintage items survived the trip. I actually purchased a small roll of bubblewrap the day before I left to help ensure this. I’m not sure why but I’ve never thought of packing some shipping materials beforehand. Makes sense if you know you are going to buy things at your destination!

I went to bed darn early and woke up darn early (in the wee hours of the morning), but made some coffee and decided to enjoy this quiet, dark time.

There is always a small reckoning after a trip and then it’s back to real life. So this morning as I drank my coffee I made a To Do list to prioritize my activities for the next few days. Right after “do laundry” and “tally trip expenses” I wrote “add new listings to Etsy” because I really need to jumpstart my store!

Between the typical slow summer months, I’ve also had my store on “vacation mode” twice this month which tanked my revenue. The good news is that I have plenty of fabulous “new” things to add!!

In the last antique store I visited back East, I bought this set of six Henry’s knives (circa 1930s-1940s) with bakelite handles. My research is showing these were intended for cutting tomatoes, but I think these would be great for cheese and would look handsome on a cheese board. I’ll likely split these into several lots. At 20% off, I should make a modest profit.

And these vintage seabee wood salt and pepper shakers were just a bit of folly. I knew that were’t worth anything, but so cute. And since my brother was once in the Navy, well, I had to buy them. From recent articles I’ve read collecting vintage salt and pepper shakers is waning. And I certainly see a lot showing up in thrift stores. Still I have found even “off trend” things eventually sell. And this particular pair don’t seem as common.

But the first thing I bought on my trip (and the most expensive) came with a backstory. As we were driving around our hometown I noticed that my cousin-in-law Kurt’s store was open! The surprised me because he died several years ago and I know they liquidated his stock. Well, we popped in and it turns out that one of Kurt’s good friends (also in the reselling biz) took it over. We had a good natter with him and I took a look at several of his sterling silver smalls. He only takes cash so I needed to limit my purchases. In the end I bought only one thing…this antique Gorham shoe pincushion. Turns out it had once belonged to Kurt and the current proprietor bought it from him. He offered it to me at the price he paid Kurt…which was more than I would normally spend on it, but there should be some profit left in it.

Pincushions like this, figural sterling silver pieces, were popular in the late 1800s/early 1900s and included shoes, chicks, pigs, elephants, dogs, canoes, chairs, and on and on. Prices and desirability vary. Certain English silversmiths tend to command higher prices, Sampson Mordan being one. There are newer reproductions available but they tend to lack the fine detail of the older pieces and of course the lovely patina.