La Vita Squisita: Booth 36 at The Antique Gallery

That's Me! I am now the Booth 36 vendor at The Antique Gallery in Bartlett, TN (6044 Stage Rd if you are in the neighborhood). I love visiting this antique mall and have been a long-time customer. Every time I'd visit, a little voice would say, "You can do this...and it would be so fun..." I've heard that voice say that very thing many times, and too often "fun" would start to seem like "work," which I already have enough of. So far this has been a lot of work, but so much fun! I have two simple goals for this booth: have fun with this new hobby and break even each month. Easy, right?

So how did I get here? A few weeks ago I was at a different antique gallery, and I saw a fateful sign that said, "Booths Available." Hmmm...I do have a lot of collectibles that I've been trying to get rid of. Lots of them have been donated to Goodwill, and while I don't really regret the donations, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were really too valuable for such a fate. Selling them in an antique store seemed so much more humane. So I asked, just out of "curiosity" how much a booth would cost. Well the answer did nothing to discourage me or the voice (which, it turns out, is also me).

My adrenaline began to pump a little as I headed over to The Antique Gallery to ask the same question. Of course walking in the door of that place, (it was the Piggly Wiggly when I moved to Bartlett over 16 years ago) you are met with a rush of Vintage and Antique and Collectible, with a smattering of Kitsch and Junk that renders you helpless. If you are the kind of person who doesn't really think you need a Lay's Peanut jar brimming with old cupcake toppers until you are face to face with one, and then you are kicking yourself for not saving every cupcake topper you ever had your hands on so that you would now have such a jar for yourself because Look-What-They-Are-Worth-Now, and you are seriously considering paying $28 for just such a jar, well then, you know how I felt.

With H's support, I reserved a booth that is small enough for a beginner. The good news regarding this booth is that the former occupant has done well enough here that she is moving to a bigger booth. Ah, dare to dream...

In the mean time, I have been going through my collections at home, setting out things I can part with and saving a few treasures for myself. I have so many wonderful antique sewing notions. I have also been pulling things from my mother's attic--the collections our family amassed, mainly my dad who is the King of Junking, Thrifting, and Scavenging. That man wrote the book on gleaning treasures from junk piles. Some of my earliest memories were of going to the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores around Nashville. He referred to the second-hand stores collectively as "The Junk Store." A trip to The Junk Store always meant "new" toys and books and whatever. We had hoards of "whatever." Frankly a little too much "whatever." My mom's attic, which is floored the entire footprint of her house is lined on either side with shelves made of nailed-together 2x4s. Those shelves are well-stocked with an inventory of old toys, books, dishes, and endless supplies of "whatever." It's like an antique store you have to stoop over in to shop (and occasionally crack your head on a low-lying beam). Just right for seeding my inventory.

For now, my booth is empty and waiting for me to stock, and my stock is sitting staged on my dining room table waiting for price tags, which I have printed and just need to fill out with all the pertinent information: Booth #36; item number; item description; and of course price (very reasonable!).