On the road again.

Thanks everyone who was been keeping me busy!  I have had no luck with job applications so working this full time and that’s a good thing as I have 2 items waiting for shippers.  We are on the way to Pittsburgh for the weekend and hoping to hit some thrifts as I always find good stuff there!   Fingers crossed!  I will do my best to assist shoppers over the weekend as needed.  Last weekend I arranged a shipper while I was hanging at a music festival so I am good at multitasking. 

I just swapped out my booth space this week!  Most of my glass is gone bacause I had no room for a shelf with the day bed in there.  Stop by if you are local!  I am currently offering 20% off with a college ID for the month of August.  KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY students welcome!  I have great college dorm and apartment gear.  Daybed is priced at $150 (less discount with your ID) and it is ready to use.  Not perfect, but I put new foam in the cushion, washed the cover and sanitized the bolster.  Also included is an atomic cover you can toss over if you like.  Perfect for extra seating and doubles as a guest bed.  Priced to move!  Nothing in my space is priced over $80 right now!  I have some great wall art too!  Why buy new stuff when you can start your vintage collection young!? Here is a few shots of the revamped space!  Hours are 10-6 WED THROUGH SUN. Also note I deliver furniture!!! I would gladly deliver anything to the area colleges so if you have a child or grandchild going to school nearby and want to arrange a gift of furniture, reach out!  I can flex on my pricing if you buy direct.  

This mammoth mirror shadow box is mint and so cool! I left some items on the shelves so you can see how neat it is.  It is heavy so you’ll want to anchor into the studs. I think I priced it at $80.  It is worth much more!  

LINENS! I have a new rack and filled it with some great table cloths, placemats and scarves/table runners.  Also Indian Kantha quilt throw pillows.  Please leave the hangers on the rack for me and take the item and tag to the front.  *Indian Kantha placemats also available in my Etsy shop.

Dish towels.  Insanely snarky and nice large square size.  Primitives by Kathy is famous for their towels.  I have camping themed and retro themed complete with alcohol humor.  **I have all of these listed in my eBay shop for you out of towners!    

Pillow cases!!!! Camping themed.  New in package.  Buy here or in my eBay shop. 

Door mats!  I have a few Dorm Sweet Dorm mats, a striped one and some camping theme.  There are 2 TOASTED FRIENDS AND MARSHMALLOWS/HAPPY CAMPERS LIVE HERE mats out there.  I only have 4 total.  They are now discontinued I believe so chances of me restocking are slim.  I you have not picked one up, now I’d the time.  Also on eBay until they sell out.   

Here’s another look at the linens rack before I added the daybed and removed the shelf of glass. 

NEW ITEM

I have not listed this yet as I want see if I can replace the brass ferrules, many are missing.  It is a gorgeous 2 pc sectional in awesome cobalt vinyl.  Comfy and in really good condition.  You can arrange it in a corner or like a couch.  If interested reach out.  I will deal with the ferrules next week.  I found some but need to measure.  They seem to be $10 or so a piece and I will need 8.  I think it is worth investing in to bring it back to it’s glory.  Here is a peek.  

the Heywood corner table is in my project stash.  I can restore to order or sell AS IS to those looking for an easy project. I will get it listed soon but it is available if looking.  It is perfect for this set up!

Also picked up this amazing Austin Productions post modern sculpture by David Fisher, Russian American artist.  She is entitled the Stargazer and stands 2’ high.  If you are looking for a stunning sculpture she is in very good condition!  

She is awesome from every angle! 

Thanks for your support!  I have some exciting news to share! One of my restorations will be featured in the November issue of Berks County Living Magazine along with 4 other local Etsy sellers.  This is really great for me as my goal this year was to work with more regional clients.  Can’t wait to see what the writer does!  Have a great weekend! XO Malissa

Researching 101

Whether you think you found a gem in your Granny’s attic or you are searching for the piece of your dreams and don’t want to get ripped off, at some point you will want to do some research.  For sure the internet has made researching items so much easier but you need to use your head and good sense to come out on top. Provenance makes or breaks value so the more you know, the better you can make decisions.  

I found this piece, NOW WHAT? 

Makers Marks, Tags, Stamps, Signatures.  All of these tell a story. If you are fortunate to have a piece with any of this information, it will greatly help you in your quests!  There is a great community of enthusiasts and collectors who have vast knowledge of makers, designers and their works who post blogs and updates.  Start your searching on google, Facebook, Instagram and my favorite, Pinterest.  There are many ads and catalogs posted either for sale or just as a reference.  These are valuable resources! 

Now what do most people ask first when they post in a group to crowd source provenance? HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH? The short answer, nothing if no one wants it. Half the battle of reselling your items is getting it to the audience who does want it and is willing to pay market value to get it.  Any legit retailer, myself include, has overhead which needs to be included in the selling price.  We are trying to cover expenses and make some money on top of it.  If this job was easy, everyone would be doing it.  It’s hard work and in 4 years, I am still not making much of a profit nor contributing to my personal finances so keep that in mind when you support the retail industry.  If anyone is getting rich doing this at this stage, i’d love to meet them! 😂

Let’s talk about some great places to start sleuthing.  Google and Google Image will pick up large auction house listings, first dibs and other online sales.  Use this as a start but be leery of claims unless there is significant proof of provenance.  There are a lot of false claims coming from the highest end markets.  

Ebay can be a great place as well and always remember to search current listings and then go one step further by clicking ADVANCED followed by checking the box for SOLD listings.  This will get you realized sales.  I also consider the source because there are many facets to retail.  Ebay does attract collectors so an in demand item may realize for top dollar, however, a lot of large items are PICK UP ONLY so to me, that seller it not really experiencing the full national market which can affect his price.   

Once you think you have figured out the origins of your piece, you can move forward into other realms.  I love Pinterest for this and have found many original ads and catalogs there.  Ebay also has been a great source for this.   

Art specific items can be fun.  I have found info in the American Art Archives of the Smithsonian, local art museums have libraries as well.  I did find a search engine (worldcat.org) covering libraries and the art museums around the country are also in the search.  I have twice used resources at the Philadelphia Art Museum and it is easy to reserve, make an appt to view and then you sign in at the desk and get a visitor’s pass.  This pass lets you spend time in the building perusing the current exhibits before you leave as well!  Parking in the residential area behind the museum is free for up to two hours!  Also note that you may even find a published book or exhibition catalog! Some leads do not amount to much but you will find out more as you go along.

Exhibit catalogs and resources I perused at the Philly Art Museum researching Marie Cuttoli and my Fernand Leger tapis which to date is my most valuable find. 

Pay sites?  I have paid for day use of ask Art and the like.  Not that impressed and most of the info was publicly available anyway, Sotheby’s and Christie’s are searchable direct.  

Print or Original?  One trick to help you determine if you have a print is to use a magnifying glass.  A print will show all the tiny dots in the ink from the printing process.  An original will not have the dots.  I started by checking a Picasso print I had so it was easy to see and then looked at my piece and it definitely was not a print.

This auction had the piece listed as a lithograph.  It is indeed an original sketch. I have no reason to believe this artist made copies as of my research to date.  I would like to travel to Connecticut to investigate some more in the museums local to where she lived.

Sculpture.  Most reproductions of sculpture are plaster, possibly hollow and were big in the 70’s.  If you find signatures of NPI, FRANKLIN MINT, AUSTIN PRODUCTS, they are def reproductions.  If you tap them they will ring high in pitch.  The usually have felt on the bottom. Some are mounted to a board or base but many just have felt covering the hollow middle.  The 2 original sculptures I have are both mounted on a base.  The bolt that hold the piece to the base is visible under the base.  Each piece is made out of a material that is denser than ceramic and makes a dull less bright noise when tapped...reminds me of striking rubber.  In both cases, they are signed by the artist down toward the base on the side or back of the piece.  My Mankowski piece has copyright symbol after his name (B. Mankowski) but it was a series he made to sell multiple pieces.  The other sculpture I have from Bette Fast only says FAST.  She seemed to sell her work privately and was not widely represented.

My two original nude sculptures. Each made of different composition materials but by touch and sound they are very similar and distinctly different than a plaster or ceramic reproduction. 

It really is interesting to see how the art world works.  I have seen relatively unknown local artists selling prints, copyrighting their works and making a living. They do not show up in internet searches but they were selling.  Buy what you love and find out what you can about it.  If you are lucky, you will be able to unravel some of the mystery!  

Happy New Year to all my friends!  I look forward to an even more exciting 2018!  Local peeps I will be having a clearance sale in my space at Fleetwood Antique Mall this month. 20% off everything, 10% off featured furnishings and Holiday items are all marked at least 50% off.  The mall is open until 3:00 New Year’s Eve. More items will arrive after I am done celebrating Christmas with family.  It is always the two weeks of Christmas for us! 👌😂🎄