Local treasure alert: Value Village, Shrewsbury

Oh you guys, you have to see it!  After stopping by to pay this month's booth rent, I wandered through the Value Village that, in case you guys didn't know, is right next door to Kenrick Antique Mall (so, you know... two birds, one drive!), and they have such an awesome little red and white vintage Ross girls' bike.  It's like... Americana, made of metal, and sitting in the thrift store waiting for someone who has use for it, which I don't.  So if you're interested, here it is.  Not in mint condition; wish the seat didn't have that tear, but it's so cute!

Organization station

Hi.  My name is Kim, and I'm a junkaholic.

But you already knew that.  I've lamented my increasing resemblance to a hoarder on many occasions.  What you might not know, is just how clear the resemblance is.  I don't collect vintage treasures and send them straight to my booth, or arrange them neatly on shelves.  There's so much of it, and it's so disorganized, that it's gotten quite out of hand.

If disorganization (to the point of slovenliness) were a crime, I would turn myself in at the police station, and maybe they could teach me some skills behind bars to rehabilitate myself.  But as it's not, I've turned myself in to the organization police in the form of my lovely and talented friend Melanie, seen here modeling a beautiful brown lace Mad Men era dress from my collection:

Perfect fit - so pretty!

Melanie has ever so kindly agreed to help me tackle the overwhelming mess I've made of my spare room, God bless her, and while I don't expect this:

I can't believe I'm showing you this mess!

To somehow magically morph into this (courtesy of the Container Store):

I do hope to be able to, you know, get to everything, and maybe even sort things into seasons and categories so I can be smart and prompt about what I put in my booth when.  So stay tuned.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to bring you good tidings of great strides in organization, that will make other vintage treasure-hoarders like myself proud, if not the Pinterest organization pinners.  And any advice you might have?  Appreciated, as always!

New roommate, more garage shopping, plus an announcement

It's been a long and very busy week for me (because of my work and life schedule, I tend to think of Monday as my Saturday, so the week is just ending for me).  It was a day of 4 12+ hour workdays in a row, including Saturday night when I didn't get home from work and picking up the church van until almost 11:00 PM, and Sunday I was busy from 7:00 AM until almost 11:00 PM again, not to mention the fact that a roommate moved in this week.  Meet Mary Poppins, who is currently engaged in a death match with my tablecloth, but is otherwise practically perfect in every way!:

Mary Poppins is a very young mommy rescued from a farm.  She has been
fixed and litter trained, and has moved in to my house in the city.  Her babies
are finding homes at the Kirkwood Animal Hospital, if you're interested.  And
yes, I'm even thrifty about this.  She was free, from a friend at work whose sister
owns the farm on which she had her 9 kittens (she's not even a year old herself!)   

I feel bad for Mary Poppins that she moved in during a week I've been home so little, but we're bonding in fits and starts, and she's been a very good girl - no broken treasures, no litterbox-related incidents, and I'm very hopeful that after awhile I will adjust to her dander and stop being allergic to her cute self.  I am currently having a blast saying things like "Aw, Mary Poppins is chasing her tail", but when I talk to her I usually call her Poppy, except when I'm singing to her "It's a Jolly Holliday with Mary", which I can't seem to stop doing.

Oh, and look - I may have figured out why I needed the cool old chicken-housey thing I got a couple of weeks ago:

Mary Poppins' new house?

Anyway, as you can see, it's been an awfully busy week, and I'm still on a no-thrifting diet at the moment, so I had to shop the old garage for items for the booth again this week, but I'm pretty sure it's all stuff I've never posted before:

4 small smoked glass ashtrays?  Change trays?  I love love love the monorail one!

Royal Haeger Aztec Gold vase in a fun atomic shape in shiny, shiny gold.  So glamo-funky!

Pair of pretty embroidered napkins.

I had a matching kitty in the shop, but somebody already snapped her up.  If you're reading
this, kitty buyer, there's now a matching pup, albeit in less awesome shape than she was.

Two teacups and a sugarbowl from the Anchor Hocking Rainbow Glass collection.

Glasbake casserole.  Don't know the name of this cute pale green pattern.

I added several other items that I apparently failed completely to photograph, but here's how the booth is looking now:

See all those hats and purses and awesome vintage clothing?  if you're anywhere near St Louis, you might want to hop on over to the 2ndhand Moon Facebook Page for an announcement on an exclusive sale on all clothing and accessories!

And don't forget to check out all the great linkups I'm linking to:

Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday, Cap Creations Thrifty Love Link Party, Her Library Adventures Flea Market Finds, and Me and My Shadow's Magpie Mondays.

Enjoy!

Introducing the competition

It's been a little over five months now since the snowy February morning that I made my wide-eyed debut peddling my vintage wares in booth 78 at Kenrick Antique Mall, and since then, to be honest, I haven't met many of my fellow vendors.  In fact, I've yet to meet the one I'm about to introduce to you all, at least in person.  But when her booth popped up shortly after mine, I felt like I knew her, or at least like she'd be a fun person to know. So of course I I had to stop for a good look.

A snap I took of the booth shortly after I first spotted it.
I wish my walls went all the way up like that!

Our styles were similar.  We both stock vintage rather than serious antique items, generally from the 40s-70s.  We both seem to have an affection for cheery colors, toys and a bit of kitsch, and we both sell crewel work and vintage luggage, but right from the start she was brave and savvy in a few ways I'm still not yet.  This booth sold furniture, brought vintage pieces new life with bright, glossy paint and, cleverly (now you know my inspiration for finally getting 2ndhand Moon on Facebook) engaged in branding.  The booth was, adorably, called "Jack Loves Fronie".  The kind of name that sticks in your head.  So I asked my good friend Google about it, found the Facebook page and sent a message.  

We've swapped stories a bit since then, and found a few more things in common, and almost from the beginning I thought how fun it would be to do a little profile here on the blog - to share with you guys what awesome (and friendly!) competition I have for your interest when you wander the aisles of our mall.  So I finally got around to it, and now you get to meet Rachel Mowrey, proud proprietor of booth 12 at Kenrick Antique Mall.  Here's her smiling face now, with two of her adorable children:

How exactly does a mom of 3 manage to also keep up with an antique shop?
The one question I didn't ask her - every superwoman has secrets to keep!

I did send Rachel a list of questions, and here are her answers, interspersed with pics she supplied of some of her favorite items you've already missed the chance to snap up - her favorite sales!

How would you like to introduce yourself? What should readers know about you?

I'm Rachel. I'm the wife of an amazing guy, mom to three sweet kids and a graphic designer who finally realized it's ok to shop at thrift stores! I'm hooked and always feel like there's a treasure out there waiting to be found!

Gold-striped coffee carafe

Golden hearts Pyrex dish

I love your booth - you have a fun, lighthearted retro vibe. How would you describe your style? Where does it come from?

I'm starting to grow into my style, I'd say. It's definitely unstuffy, retro and eclectic. My philosophy has been, if I like it, somehow it will fit. I am drawn to mid century, but not always modern. I love pattern and color and like to pair things that don't belong in the same style family or era. I like to think of our home as my constant art work in progress!


I credit my style to my grandparents (the shop is named after them: Jack + Fronie...short for Florence), though I doubt they would take credit! I always loved the style I saw in faded photos from their youth and my mom and uncle's childhood. There was something so alluring about the 1950s and 60s...almost like a dream. Visiting my aunt and uncle's house and seeing their nostalgia on display and hearing their records constantly turning created a spark in me.

Damask chair

Fun blue floral chair

Have you always been interested in 'old junk'? What got you started?

I have always been interested in old junk! It's funny to think that it's always been in me, but as I grew older, I didn't feel the freedom to explore. As a child, I would collect small trinkets and hide them in a bottle with a corked lid and tuck it away. I'd forget about it and then, when I would discover it months later, I'd spend an hour pulling each trinket out and savoring the memory or beauty of it. As a teenager, I always preferred shopping at thrift stores but my family couldn't understand why I'd ever want things that had been used by someone else. It took hitting my thirties to realize that I'm not the only one into this sort of idea and that, actually, it's a really helpful outlet for me to express myself creatively!

A trio of kitschy big-eyed owls - so cute!

And a pair of chi-chi fancy peacocks

What's the first vintage item you remember acquiring? Do you still have it?

The first vintage piece I remember acquiring would be an old 1940s hat. I started collecting them around age 8 or 9. But a fonder item would be a rusty, vintage Clash of the Titans lunch box I got at a flea market and took my lunch to school in faithfully my junior and senior year of high school.  Unfortunately, I have no idea what happened to any of those things!

Big, bright, pretty crewelwork basket of flowers.

What's the best treasure you've ever scored? 

The best treasure I ever scored was a 1960s Plycraft Mr. Chair off Craigslist. It wasn't listed for sale but I saw it sitting in the background of someone's garage and got them to sell it to me for a song. It needed reupholstering, which I never ended up getting around to, so I resold it and now it resides with Mr. Modtomic who recovered it himself!

The (envy-worthy) chair itself, after Mr Mod's
ministrations (photo linked to his awesome site).

What sorts of things insipre you?

I'm easily inspired, I think. I love small towns and movie theaters, where it feels like time has not passed by too quickly. I love little details, soft light in the evening from a great old lamp, the comfort of quiet habits like cups of coffee in my favorite mug in the morning (or afternoon). I love seeing how other people take old things and give them a new spin, though, most often, I find the original beauty of things even better. As a design major, I can't avoid saying I appreciate beautiful typography, poignant photography and great illustration. But most of all, I am inspired by that sparkle in my family's eyes that comes from me thinking of them and creating spaces that makes them feel cozy and cared for!

Bright, fun, funky luggage.

Saucy electric blue mirror.

Where do you usually find your treasures? Any secrets to share with other vintage lovers like yourself?

I find most of my treasures out thrifting. My favorite spots are any of the Value Villages, Goodwills or Salvation Armies. I hit St. Vincent DePaul off South Kingshighway a few times a week since it's near my house. Most of the really great stuff comes from estate sales, but I don't often get the chance to do estates much. My biggest treasure trove is small town shopping, usually when I visit my mom in northeast Missouri. Things are much more affordable there and I stock up on lots of inventory when I travel to that neck of the woods!

Pretty buttery sofa

Dramatic red velvet sofa

Can you believe all the fabulous stuff Rachel has already sold?  But don't worry, there's still plenty for you, if you've missed out so far!  Here are a few of the items that stood out to me when I took a peek at the competition the other day:

Round suitcase

Cute toy piano!

Pretty cookware - Fire King?

Adorable bright cups/saucers

And here are some pictures Rachel provided to give you an idea of how her booth looks and what's for sale now:

Love the mushroom/butterfly wall hangings!

Great stuff on a great shelf!

The whole big lovely booth - isn't it fun?  You know you want to check it out!

 So now that you know all about my competition, why don't you come down to Kenrick Antique Mall on Watson Road in Shrewsbury and check us both out?  Rachel's booth, Jack Loves Fronie, is booth # 12 at the end of the first row as you walk in, and the 2ndhand Moon booth, #78 is about 2/3 of the way back on the east side of row 3, and both are chock full of goodness just waiting for you!

And don't forget to check out the Facebook pages:
Jack Loves Fronie and 2ndhand Moon

Now on Facebook, too!

Inspired by a fellow vintage reseller you'll be meeting here soon, I realized I'm not really doing all I can to make a success of my booth, so I've decided I should try and do a bit of branding, a bit of marketing... at least, on my little level.  So I'm going to work on a nice 2ndhand Moon sign for the lovely booth 78 to sport, and try to post about items from the booth on Craigslist regularly, not only when there's a big sale on.

I'm sure there are other things I could be doing to draw more people to my booth and increase sales, not least so that I can add more items to the booth more often and gain back some of my house, so here's my open call for advice:

For any of you resellers out there, any vintage buyers, any windowshoppers, and anyone else who might have thoughts, I'm looking for suggestions.  What has worked for you?  What has worked on you?

The first, simplest and most immediate thing I can do, I've already done:  2ndhand Moon now has a home on Facebook.


There's not much there just yet, but there will be, so stop on by and give it a Like, and don't be surprised if some special deals pop up there by the end of the month!

Booth overhaul and new treasures for the Big Sale

So I got over to the booth and spiffed it up fairly significantly.  Biggest news is I finally, in light of the no-end-in-sight triple-digit weather, took home Mitch's sexy coat.  I had intended to take it home in May, but some ladies from another booth told me that they see guys taking pictures of it with their phones, so I thought I might as well leave it, to attract the dude attention to the booth, but... it'll be back in the fall, when it makes a little bit of sense.  I replaced it on its stand with some weather-appropriate fun vintage girlie things (I forgot my camera today, so please forgive the fact that all my pictures are phone-shot):

 

In the girlie vein, I also added a bunch more awesome vintage purses:

The great little book/record shelf they are on is also a new addition, and also for sale!: 

And of course you can see in that shot some new old luggage.  It's a pretty caramel fake leather hard-side suitcase and train case.  The suitcase is spectacular inside, with a lovely peach-champagne satin interior that even includes the original hangers all racked up and ready to go:

You know I can't leave out the awesome kitcheny goodness, so here are a couple of new pieces featuring cheery yellow:

And I've teased you long enough for this one.  From what I've seen, people are listing these on Ebay from  $70.00 to $Stupid.00, but this week only, you can snatch one from Booth 78 at Kenrick Antique Mall for only $30.00!  It will go back up to its still nice price of $40.00 if it's still there when the 25% off sale is over on Sunday:

Smith Corona SCM Super Sterling typewriter

It's in its original carrying case, and looks sharp except for one tiny spit on top where the paint has rubbed off (to give it some vintage cred!).  The keys feel nice and snappy, and a nice retrocam shot seemed appropriate to show you how great it works:

And for the fabulously zha-zha-kitschy among us, this bright pink flocked vintage shower curtain (it's brighter than this sad blurry picture suggests!):

I scored two of these, actually.  One is in the booth, and I'm currently debating whether to replace the green/brown/pink daisies in my Oh-So-South-City-Pink bathroom.  What do you think - should I go for it?:  

As for the booth, I think I made it a little more navigable.  I took out the round table that's been in the middle since day one.  It belonged to friends, so I couldn't sell it, and I always wondered if people were reluctant to walk around in there because of it.  I also re-secured the stupid slanty clothing rack with a bungee cord high up attaching it to the pegboard wall, and added this nifty new shelf:

Here's how the whole boot looks now:

So tell your friends: 25% off sale Wed-Sat in the 2ndhand Moon booth - #78 - at Kenrick Antique Mall in Shrewsbury, MO.  Tons of other booths will have markdowns too for the Independence Day sale!

And while the fireworks were cancelled because of the drought, here's a bit of Americana from the Carnival we attended this evening:

Carnivals = nostalgia.  Maybe I'll be a carnie when I grow up!

And I'm praying tonight for Selena at Apron Thrift Girl, wher I have had hours of pleasure reading about the amazing finds of her and others, and hae often linked up my own.  Visit her blog, look at some of the old Thift Share Monday link-ups and check out everyone's treasurs, then lift up her and her family if you would.  Goo night all, sweet dreams.

The moon was so handsome tonight!

New treasures (one new-new, others new in that I never got around to showing you before) and a booth update.

When I got back from my vacation last week I was hoping to have cleared out a ton of stuff at my antique mall booth so I could shift a ton of new stuff in (and get it out of my increasingly hoarder-ific house).  I was a bit disappointed.  Looking around, there were very few holes to fill.  So that day I did some rearranging.  Since I first moved into booth 78 at Kenrick Antique Mall in February, I've had a great old leather suitcase sitting on a luggage rack against the back wall, with some other items for sale sitting on top of it.  That day, I put a small old console table I had picked up in its place, and put the suitcase in the front corner, just sort of sitting there by the aisle, and everything that had been piled on it got piled on the table instead.  This week when I came in, the leather suitcase had gone!  Apparently using it as a table discouraged people from trying to buy it - who knew? Also sold: the cheery yellow retro telephone.  Two pretty substantial sales to kick off June, which is very exciting.

Also exciting?  May was my best month yet!  I only made 14 sales, but it was enough to bring me to an actual profit of almost $50!  That may not sound like much, but to me it sounds like Progress!  So while I do a happy dance around my still-cluttered living room, you can peruse the collection of lovely and wonderful things I did manage to fit into my slightly rearranged space today:

Glass carafes with various star-burst patterns.

American Express Travel Services carry-on.

Adorable sad-eyed basset hound Napcoware planter.

Tiny Oomphies multicolored lamé flats.

1940's vintage Androck nut grinder.

Pretty little quilted purse from Joseph's Shoes.

small pink and gold mid-century lamp.

Large mid-century swirl-glazed/wood table lamp.

Pair of Fire King mugs.

Another, later model Androck nut grinder.

Bright cute sherbet green stool/mini-table.

50's/60's vintage men's paisley/plaid shirt.

Of the above treasures, my favorite are:

-The Napcoware basset hound planter, which is so cute and doesn't eat and poop like a real dog.

-The first of the three carafes in the picture.  It has a very stylized handle and these slightly off, atomic-y star-bursts.

-The two lamps.  The first is so pop 50s with the pink and gold asymetry - I wish the picture had turned out better, but take my word for it, it's cute as a button.  The bigger one with the swirl glaze is a pretty Danish modern looking style that is understated enough to fit in with any decor but still have a point of view and a presence.  This was the one item I actually did just pick up on Monday afternoon when my Mom and I checked out the new DAV-serving Red Racks thrift store in Afton (my take on that coming soon).  

-Honorable mention to the shoes, because of the lamé, because of the pink satin interior, and because they're called Oomphies!

Now I'm off to Apron Thrift Girl to see how many awesome finds I'll have to peruse through there this week!  What about you - find any treasures?