End of October…

It’s finally cold enough in the mornings to turn the furnace on to take the chill off the house. Alas our fairly new furnace has decided not to cooperate. We put a call into our furnace guy days ago and haven’t heard a peep. In hindsight we should have checked to see if it was still working weeks ago. But we didn’t so we are layered up till we can get it fixed. (Today my husband thought I looked like an eccentric old hippie lady with my layers of unmatched sweaters and wild freshly washed hair! 😂)

We have decided this year not to pass out candy on Halloween. Each year there are fewer kids that stop by. Last year I had a total of 10 which left a whole lot of leftover candy. It’s rather a shame because I loved Halloween as a kid and as an adult enjoyed being on the flip side passing out candy and seeing all the costumes and excited kids. This year we’re going out for wine and appetizers instead!

Sales the last few days…

On the vintage biz front, sales have picked up nicely which is encouraging for this fourth quarter. As well as some newer listings selling tout de suite there were things that had been in my store for years that finally found a home, like the brass bowl and plate with inlaid turquoise chips. They had such a great Boho vibe that I thought for sure they would sell quicker than they did.

“New” additions…

All of these came from that big private pick. I thought this antique plaster baby Jesus was a sweet one, likely once part of a nativity or creche. Sadly missing one finger, but still. It has glass eyes and real lashes on top.

Love these nine antique dark gold bullion metal wire tassels that I removed from the bottom of a small Italian Rome tapestry where that had been added by the previous owner.

And this Victorian-era shell encrusted picture frame was a rare find. Again not in perfect condition, it is shell after all, but wonderful AS IS.

All of these remind me of things I see in the pages of the Giannettis’ “Patina Style” book. A fav of mine with its appreciation of worn items.

Plans for the rest of 2023…

I won’t be doing any serious sourcing these last two months. No need. If I do head out to a thrift store, flea market or such it will be just for fun. I’m going to stay focused on listing. And more listing.

By December I’ll be slowing down and by the 19th I’ll put my stores on “vacation mode” for a bit. I’m done rushing around dealing with last-minute Christmas orders which almost never arrive in time anyway and you end up with a disappointed/angry customer through no fault of your own. No thank you!

I’ll close for now wishing you happy hunting,

Karen