Hop on the Bus Gus- shipping updates.

Greyhound shipping updates.

Shipping on the bus can be a big drag for the ones doing the shipping. (sure, there is a bit of a hassle on the pick up end of things too, but it is worth it to save some money….in many cases ALOT of money…over hiring a legit shipper. You always have to be willing to roll with the punches. I have had a few shipments go in the last few weeks and here are the latest quirks with the bus.

My closest station (about 1/2 hour away) is Allentown. They were removed from the Greyhound computer as a shipping station because we recently had a local bus company go out of business. I cannot order a label on Greyhound’s website originating out of this station. I can, however, drop off there and pay cash for shipping. This means in order to ship with a courier on your end, I need to drive it to Philadelphia to ship. I do not mind doing this but in most cases, but I will be implementing a flat charge to cover that expense. If I need to go to Philadelphia at your request, I will tack that on your shipping price. I recently shipped to a small station in Idaho and spent 2 days driving it around to get shipped. Needless to say it’s well on it’s way, but just another dose of bus shipping reality. I see lots of folks on fb groups telling people to have the seller bus ship. I think these folks think it magically packs itself and drives itself to the station? Not sure but there is a lot of work involved and for those of us not in a major metropolitan area, it is a big expense. This shipping option is a SERVICE and in most cases, will save you a bit of money over hiring a USHIP driver. Believe me when I tell you finding cheap shipping is not an easy task and sometimes my hands are tied. If you are in California and need a large item shipped, we are at the mercy of uship unless we can fit it under the bus safely. If you are shopping for something that might be a candidate for bus shipping and want to know more, please reach out. I can explain how the process will work. We are not insured for damages going this route but I do my best to pack the item well and usually am including new moving blankets I buy from harbor freight. I also take responsibility for calling and tracking items or dealing with Greyhound Corporate. This could be a day of time if an issue arises but I take my position very seriously and this for me is part of exceptional customer service. Don’t by shy, reach out if you are looking for a larger item and I will get to work trying to calculate your best options! This is another reason to shop with a PROFESSIONAL SELLER! Hobbyists don’t really care about you or your budget.

NEW ITEMS

I just picked up some great new items from Primitives by Kathy! Camping themed kitchen towels, restocked Indian kantha placemats and grabbed a few kantha buntings (pennants) which are totally awesome for your camper or van awning! I listed 2 on etsy and dropped one off at my booth. The new towels are also at my booth and I will be adding the others to my eBay I guess. I have other towels on there right now as well. I also grabbed more of the pillowcases with the vintage camper. I had one left out at the mall but had sold a bunch on eBay. I will relist there in the coming days.

New item! Kantha bunting (pennant) for home or camp!  2 in my Etsy shop, 1 in my local retail space. So fun!  So bohemian! 

HOLY MOLY!

So my last day at the tax office is tomorrow. I will be working on some classes over the summer (unpaid) but otherwise, I am done until January. That said, thanks to all who bought from me in the last month or so! I am so thrilled as I plan on trying to make it without a legit job until next tax season! Your support has floored me and I think if I can keep this up for a while, I may be able to do it. I have lots more things to list and will be working on that in the coming weeks as I reorganize my office and storage and pack to do some flea markets and the big extravaganza coming up in a few weeks. I will announce where I will be set up and mainly plan on packing items I want to blow out. Basically, the more you buy the better the deal and I will be priced for resellers in most cases. I have a lot of stale or bulk items I bought over the last year and just want to clear out and start fresh. Thanks for shopping with me and please the best compliment you can pay me is sharing your favorite (I hope!) vintage seller with your friends. Don’t worry, it’s not a competition and I will find more so don’t keep me as a secret!!! <3 I need all the help I can get right now!

Have a great week and I will post more soon!

xo Malissa

Fun kitchen towels! I could not resist the vintage ones!  In my retail space and will be adding to my eBay soon. 

Restocked colorful Kantha placemats! These are a consistent seller on Etsy and I have given some sets out recently as gifts and they are loved! I have 3 sets (of 4) available and listed on Etsy.   

Just stating to list the fencing swords or foils on Etsy. I have a few more to list this week. Makes Great Wall decor but all appear to be in usable condition.  We were unaware if the now 97 year old participated in the sport, or just collected them! There are examples of French grip, Italian grip and a pistol grip in this lot.  These pieces probably date to the 1970s based on what I have seen.  

Today is my last day of Tax Season work!  Thanks for your continued support as I enter a new phase of my life and business!  

XO MALISSA

Caning, Asian influences, shopping with a friend and good housekeeping practices because it's the LAW.

Greeting! After a busy few weeks, I have just completed restoration of a homemade oak rocking chair with cane seat and back I picked up earlier this year.  I took it on because I have successfully replaced sheet cane early in my restoration career and decided I was ready for another go.  I am happy to report it all went smooth and the chair is now available!  Here are a few pics from the process.

The first pic is the chair as found with a blown out back.  Step 1 was removing the old cane and spline.  The best way to accomplish this is with a $40 steamer.  The steam loosens the old glue.  I would say it took the better part of an hour to work the old cane free.  Then I visited my local basketmaking and caning supply shop (yes, that is a THING!) called the Country Seat and they helped me match up the cane and spline to the right sizes.  The spline has to be big enough to fit in the channel tightly as that what keeps the whole structure intact.  Then I returned home ready to work.  After soaking the new cane and spline in water for about 20 min, I got to work using the wood pegs to insert the cane into the channel.  Working from side to side and and making it taunt.  Once I had it all lined up and inserted as I liked, I would trim off the excess, cut the spline to size beveling my ends for placement.  Then adding wood glue in the channel, inserting the spline, pounding in with a rubber mallet and my peg and wiping off the excess glue.  Overall, this project took about 3 hours of my time.  The chair looks fantastic!  If you have an eclectic style like I do, you may fall in love with the texture of caned and woven goods. Sheet cane replacement can be tricky, but it is a lot easier and less time consuming that outright caning!  Stop by my etsy shop if you want to read more about the chair. CLICK HERE

While I was at the caning shop, I picked up some material to repair a 1930's Heywood Wakefield rattan rocker.  It is shown on my Diamonds in the Rough page.  I am going to get started repair the one arm that is a little dogged up and then redoing the seat.  I have some golden yellow fabric I thought would be a good choice with the aged orange finish of the rattan, but I am open to  using a pattern.  If you want to claim this baby now I will finish it per your specifications.  Amazingly enough, the rattan is actually a very tight twisted paper and not a reed at all!  When I snapped off a piece to take it along to the shop, I was suspicious and the woman at the shop confirmed it!  I will be replacing with a reed in the area that needs repaired and hoping I can do a close match of the orange paint to blend it in.  These kind of details are always challenging and fun for creative types like myself. 

NEW ITEMS.

I just picked up a few new items that I am getting ready to list.  I love to know the history of what I find so being able to select things from the home they lived in is a fun yet melancholy part of securing my inventory.  I was able to visit a home that is getting cleaned out after it's owner recently passed on.  She was a working artist who made her living selling prints and original oils.  I am still trying to get more info on her business but she did copyright everything she sold so there were definitely savvy practices being followed.  Her home was filled with late Bombay Company furnishings in near perfect condition.  I picked up a pair of 2005 era MING style end tables in a black finish with gorgeous burl tops.  I quite enjoy the Asian style and think it would be a great match in an eclectic or boho décor.  This will be photographed and listed in the next 24 hours- hoping for no rain and a little sun! I also picked up 2 very large original oils on canvas in beautiful gold gilt lighted frames.  They are both floral subjects.  One is marked Not Copyrighted DO NOT SELL.  The other has been copyrighted and her notes show pricing and editions for canvas and paper reproductions including her asking price on the original, $4,000.  I am trying to get some more info regarding where her work was being sold and what galleries she had relationships with.  

One  of my friends mentioned they wanted me to look for a couch for them.  A few hours later a lovely living room set gets texted to me from an estate guy I buy from. Well turns out my friend was as smitten as I and trusted me to handle his deal. He got my full services including condition evaluation, pick up/delivery and a complete cleaning and sanitization.  He is handling a structural issue with the couch himself.  My Facebook page blew up after I posted the pics so I think lots of people loved it! It is Bassett Premier, often misattributed to Adrian   Pearsall.  It is in amazing condition too! Looks great in his home and I get to visit them. 💕

Speaking of sanitizing, in other exciting news, I decided to apply for a license from my state to be able to tag my own used or restored upholstered goods after I clean and sanitize with one of 2 products the state authorized to be used. I chose Steri-Fab, which is an insecticide, germicide and fungicide.  I will vacuum and steam all upholstered goods and follow with sanitizing all areas I can get to, I am certain that not all places do a thorough job with this especially thrifts, who are required to tag and any other retailer you shop with in PA.  I was letting my mall handle it for me but decided it would be something I would do for every customer I ship to. I am already following procedures but am waiting for my license to be approved so I can order the yellow tags. Buyers can remove them after receiving the item but it is piece of mind for all of us! I welcome local people to use my services! I would gladly sanitize and clean something you found or are selling commercially so you can comply with the law. Message me and we can talk about it!

HALLOWEEN

Just to let you know I have some fabulous NEW Halloween kitchen towel from Primitives by Kathy available locally at my Fleetwood Antique Mall space and currently a few styles are on ebay.  Please stop by and check them out!  ebay.com/usr/madmodworldvintage

This towel available NOW in my ebay shop or locally at Fleetwood Antique Mall!

order now so you get yours in time!  

Thanks for reading, your comments and emails!  XO Malissa