Earlier this evening I decided to try to find blogs about antiques that I could follow, comment on, learn from etc. The only ones I found are in USA – nothing wrong with that I hasten to add, all my ebay sales this week have crossed ‘The Pond’ (thank you American buyers!). But does no-one in UK blog about antiques? Maybe they just don’t use wordpress? More research needed, I think.
I’ve bought more than I sold this week. I’ve had more people in the shop wanting to sell things to me than wanting to buy anything. I suppose it’s a sign of the times. I’ve had the usual offers of Old Country Roses tea-sets and EPNS items. No-one wants to buy either of these and so many people want to find a new home for what they have. Sadly Tyrone Crystal is sliding in to the same category. All I can do is advise people to hold on and wait for trends to change. Fashions come and go in the antiques business too, you know.
I was offered a part house-clearance this week. The lady of the house had been quite a collector and her descendants needed to clear the house as it had been sold. I always find this a sad part of my work, as I try to help bereaved relatives with the practicalities of sorting through a loved-one’s collection. Usually the business woman gets left behind on the doorstep and I advise them to keep the best treasures within the family and pay them too much for the remainder! (Memo to self : persuade business partner to do the valuations from now on. He’s a man).
Occasionally people ask me to sell items for them in the shop. I don’t mind as long as we agree the price. This week though I was asked to sell something I really know nothing about – a vintage fur coat and a vintage little fur stole. All I knew was that furs appear to be out of fashion here in Northern Ireland, even if they are vintage and therefore long dead. My research among local dealers in vintage fashion has done nothing to change my initial impression! We’re a nation of animal lovers over here. I wouldn’t even display the items in the shop. I sort of wish I’d refused to take them in, but the owner is a nice lady so I’ll try to help. I suspect they’ll end up on ebay eventually. For now they’re in the cupboard under the stairs!
I re-arranged the shop this past week too. It was becoming a bit too cluttered and untidy even for me, which is saying a lot. People say they like my shop because they can see everything properly – that was in danger of no longer being the case, so drastic action was called for – in the shape of a local car-boot trader who relieves us of items we don’t really want or like, and we relieve him of a few pounds at the same time.
So the shop is tidy and organised for the start of a new month which could surely only be better than the one just gone. I’ve always found September to be one of the worst months of the year for antiques sales (the very worst being February). Presumably people have been on holiday and then got the children back to school and need another payday to recover – I know the feeling but no holiday and boys to college and university. In October organised people start thinking about the dreaded Christmas shopping, so Braid Antiques is ready for them. We’ll be just as ready for the people like me on Christmas Eve!
As always there’s a selection of items on the website at www.braid-antiques.co.uk.
