Have you ever wondered what an antiques dealer takes to their booth? Today's post will show What I Took to My Vintage and Antique Booths for the month of January.
Did you know that I am an antiques dealer? I have been a vendor for about 2.5 years in 3 booths in 2 different antique malls. I have been a vintage and antiques collector for years and years so it has been natural for me to collect a little bit more and flip items for my booths.
Frequently asked questions about being an Antiques Dealer
Before I became a vendor, I had a lot of questions about antique malls and how they worked. These are the frequently asked questions I have heard.
What is an antique mall?
An antique mall is essentially a large building broken up into stalls. Usually, each stall is about 10 ft by 10 ft and is rented by a different vendor. Each antique mall is staffed by employees and has a central check out.
Do you have to be there all the time?
I am responsible for stocking and maintaining my assigned spaces. I tag each item in my booth with a description, the price and my vendor number. With that information, the customer takes the item they want to purchase to the check out. The cashier inputs all of the information on my tag into their computer that way I get credit for the item sold.
How do you get paid? Is it even possible to make money?
Each mall sets the price for booth rent by square foot of each stall and also takes a small percentage of every sale as commission. At the end of each month, the mall tallies up the amount of things I have sold, deducts their commission and my next months rent and then cut me a check. I make money depending on how much I sell. I take items to my booth each week to refresh and keep it looking exciting.
How did you become a vendor? I used to do craft shows in my town. I would make products, set up a booth, stay during the entire fair and try to sell my items. It's a lot of work, time consuming and I had to hear the opinions from the public of me and my products as I stood there. I poured myself into each fair and I didn't make a ton of money to make it worth it. One time while shopping at one of the local antique stores, I was asked if I wanted to be a vendor and I never looked back!
What is the difference between doing craft fairs and being an antique booth dealer?
When selling at a craft fair, you set everything up in one day and stay the entire day answering questions, selling items, taking payment and then have to tear it all down and haul it out at the end of the day. At an antique booth, you can build more permanent display spaces. You set up the booth once and then just add to and maintain it.
Where do you find all of your stuff?
Short answer: everywhere! I look for products everywhere I go. I shop FB marketplace, estate sales, thrift stores and other antique stores. I especially like to look for items when I travel! I dig through nasty garages, bins of junk and pick things up in sketchy parts of town. When I bring it home I wash and soak all the gunk off, give the piece a fresh coat of paint, soak and sanitize the linens and organize everything to take to my booths.
Vintage and Antiques I took to my booth in January
January can be a tricky month because it's right after Christmas. It can be known to be a rather slow time in the market. (But thankfully that wasn't the case for me this month -Woo hoo!)
Items that did well in January:
- brass
- silver plate
- anything red
- stuffed hearts I made from vintage linens
- hearts
- Valentine's
- mushrooms
- dog themed prints and figurines
- fruit themed prints
- cubbies and small display shelves
- candles
- lamps
I made little stuffed hearts from some damaged vintage linens I've had in my collection for a while. I have an upcoming blog post about them.
This metal file box has been in my collecting for years. To give it a fresh look, I painted it while and added a red cross to it. It's the perfect things for this time of year. I also gave the little chair a fresh coat of red paint.
These shakers have such a sweet story. I found the little boy while sourcing here in TN. It sat lonely in my booth for a few months. My family and I traveled to Arkansas for the holidays and while shopping there I found the little girl that was a PERFECT MATCH to the boy. Once they were reunited, they flew out the door of my antique booth. I miss those little cuties! I hope they are happy in their new home!
My booth is located in the front window of this antique mall. I love the yummy light that comes in during the late afternoon. I keep sheers hanging in the window to filter the light a little bit.
In the other antique mall I am a vendor in, I keep linens in one booth. I have quilts, sheets and pillowcases displayed and for sale. Whenever I find linens, I always make sure they are freshly washed and sometimes even pressed so they look and smell nice.
In January, after taking out Christmas, I added a bunch of games. This little section makes me so happy seeing all of the fun colors and game designs.
I also displayed Valentine's and red items in this part of my booth as well.
Over all, being an antiques dealer is almost a full time job because of the time it takes to hunt, clean, paint, wash and care for all of my pieces. But I love it so much so it really doesn't feel like a job! Thank you for checking out my January Finds: The Vintage Items that made their debut in my antique booth.
