Etsy clearance sale!

If you go see 21 bridges let me know you find it and what scene! I hope to go this weekend! 💗

I am motivated to down size my inventory as I get ready to work some full time contract work. Plus I could use some Christmas money as I don’t see me starting much before January at this point. I am slowly moving more inventory over to my SALE. I have a CLEARANCE category on Etsy and that is where you will find the markdowns. 20% off and many have free shipping. I have started featuring items in my social media and honestly, I have some cool stuff, My long term goal at this point is to downsize and get out of Smalls. I have not been to a thrift store in months and have not bought any Smalls at estate sales. I have backstock to add and will be taking things out to my space in the mall as things leave out there. If I have something not on sale and you want to negotiate, that is fine. I like bulk buys so if you want a few things that will get you a better price. I am planning to continue on with furniture and restorations but end the franticness of trying to ‘make a living’. I can’t physically process and sell what I need to do that I can make a respectable wage. Teenagers are crazy expensive. Every time I turn around my kids need hundred of dollars for this field trip or that band trip and guess what, I am only a few years away from 2 kids in college and I am starting to panic. This can not sustain our family and I need to get a real, paying job. And bonus if I can stockpile some money in a retirement fund while I am at it. So here I am, making a plan. Will see how this full time temp job goes cause if we all can handle it (including my mom who has to step up to be kid Uber after school), I may start my quest earlier than the year and a half I have given myself (kid #1 will be driving and then I am free). I love what I do. I am hoping and praying I can get a job related to what I am doing…..in some capacity. I have created a wonderful thing here and this year, I will probably beat $40,000 in sales, my biggest year yet. But it’s time to get off the hamster wheel and work for someone who values my time and compensates me for it. Self employment is not for the faint of heart or for those of us who need a steady income. It’s a constant juggling act. The good thing here is I can still operate in whatever capacity I choose! I choose to specialized in furniture restoration and will continue. I won’t care if a piece I pumped hundreds of dollars into is still waiting for a forever home in two years if I have a paycheck paying my bills. Things have changed. Etsy is far from reliable. Chairish is still growing but not as I have hoped. eBay has no respect for sellers. Making it alone is just impossible and selling local for me is not profitable. So here’s some things to tempt you. Come buy your gifts with me. I appreciate you! Check back often for updates as I may add more items as the month rolls on! Thanks as always for your support and for helping me be the best I can be! You guys trusting me to restore, source, ship and deliver your items have given me a wealth of experiences and expertise. 💗 Malissa

I am featuring sale items daily on my social media! Stay tuned for more as the days go on!

Booth Space Ramped up for fall!

Stop by the space at the Fleetwood Antique Mall (Hours WED-SUN 10am-6pm) featuring the newly paired chrome dining set!  It is super adorable!  I spent a few hours yesterday at the mall swapping things out and adding a bunch of new and delicious items!  2 gorgeous ceramic Christmas trees that have been restored and a ready for a holiday display to call their own, retro kitchen items like a chrome cake plate and fun stacking aluminum canister set plus some linen items....the perfect holiday table cloth for that table and a great red and white gingham apron which fits my plus size!  You know and I know that plus size vintage is always a treat to find!  I also added 2 great pieces of vintage luggage!  Whether you repurpose them, display or use them as intended, I only buy this stuff if it does not stink like grandma so rest assured, their condition is usable.  If you are interested in the table set, please reach out as I would gladly deliver or meet up if you are in the region.  It is one service I offer that many others do not!  Scroll through the gallery below for a sneak peek!

I am at this point in time finding myself with a little breathing room as I just found home for MANY larger inventory items over the last few weeks.  Yea!  Organizing my garage and inventory areas so that going into the holidays and winter I am in a good place.  I have fabric on order from Joybird and will be starting to work on getting the Brasilia chair set I have ready to sell.  If you are in the market for a chair set with gorgeous turquoise seats....let me know!  I ordered PURE WATER, which will look fabulous with the deep walnut finish.  I have lots of restoration work to do on the chairs so will be getting started on that before the fabric shows up.  Do not forget that I have a trade relationship with Joybird!  I am able to buy things at a discount but would gladly be your liason if you plan to place an order with them.  The more items that I sell, the deeper discounts I can earn and I was told they can still work out the 12 months no interest financing for you if you go through me!  They just revamped their trade deal and I am doing very well on the fabric now!  They do require 5 yards minimum, so if you find yourself in need, maybe I can help you out there by buying and selling you off what you need.  Definitely keep me in mind for that.  I use lots of fabrics to recover seats so I would definitely be willing to do this. 

Looking FORWARD........I have purchased some small gifts to do a BLACK FRIDAY PROMO!  Look for an announcement via social media and blog closer to the big day.  I am excited to be able to score some goodies from my wholesaler, Primitives By Kathy, to make this happen.  I enjoy their offerings although many do not fit my business scope or price points but these gave me a great idea!  If you ever poke around on their page and see something you can't live without, please let me know as I am only an hour from their warehouse and visit every few months to buy.  I can buy anything in their catalog!  With that said, DO NOT forget I am also listing some of these items in the ebay shop!  I am having a steady stream of sales there and plan on listing more but still trying to get off new account restrictions.  I think I have 6 sales left to reach that goal.  If you are out of the area, please pop over and check out some of these great NEW WITH TAGS items that make great gifts! 

We are about a week out from the fall Antique Extravaganza that comes to Kutztown and Adamstown 3 times a year.  If you come shopping, please remember my mall is just south of Kutztown on route 222 (1/2 hour north from Adamstown and generally priced lower)!  Reach out if you need any tips on the area!  I will be glad to share my shopping spots with you.  And you can PICK UP ANY ITEM in my online inventory at the mall, please reach out a few days before you are in the area and I will make sure it is there for you.  Ideally, I would love to meet up with you if my schedule allows.  Please reach out!  I love working with my customers face to face and the mall space has really allowed me to do that!  NEW ITEMS ARE BEING LISTED ON ETSY ALMOST DAILY as I try to get through my backlog of inventory I have been collecting all summer and ramping up for the holiday season!  CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY and follow my social media!

Thanks as always, for caring about what I do and following me on this journey!  xo Malissa

Some items in the ebay shop right now.....

Shopping and something new to restore!

Fall is getting underway, even though we are still battling unbelievably hot and humid temps here in PA!  I have been finding lots of goodies and am slowly trying to get things researched, cleaned, and listed in preparation for the busy holiday season.  In the mean time, I have been packing, shipping and delivering lots of cool things for folks!  Things are on the move now so if you are keeping an eye on my something in my shop, now is the time to commit!  Some of my last few items were sold to friends and I THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support!  I can tell you I now have a forest of CERAMIC CHRISTMAS TREES in the process of being touched up and repaired.  I plan on taking a few to my booth space to sell locally, but if you are looking for one, reach out and I can send you pics of what I have.  I just love them!  They make great heirlooms to pass down as well.  I sold 3 or so last season and they really are just great to have for your holiday decorating, in small spaces or in the office! 

Great chrome kitchen set!  That is RIGHT!  I found the perfect table to go with the atomic Dixie kitchen chairs I have!  Now they make the perfect little dinette set for a retro kitchen and feature dusty blue atomic print on the chairs, grey cracked ice formica top and lots of chrome.  If you are in the market for a dining set for a smaller space, this one is adorable.  The table also features 2 end leaves that store internally on spring loaded hinges.  A little bit shabby, this set can be used in any retro kitchen area, 50s theme or even shabby chic and farmhouse.  I consider myself more of a purist, but you do not have to be to work this stuff into your home! 

Restorations coming!  I am really trying to get through and list as much as I can so it is ready for the holiday shoppers.  That also includes working through a stash of items I need to restore.  I just ordered 5 yards of PURE WATER from Joybird which I plan on using on the Broyhill Brasilia chairs I have.  They need a bunch of structural work but I want to get them listed soon as many will be looking for chairs for their holiday tables!  Turquoise and Walnut is a divine combination!  I still have more Heywood tables to do and hope my life quiets down just a little so I can get through them!  Never enough hours in the day!  I also just picked up a super fabulous Eames fiberglass shell which I have determined to be a 2nd generation Zenith in the color Greige.  I am super stoked to tackle this and have just ordered the rocker base from modernconscience.com in black powder coat finish with walnut rockers.  I cannot wait to put it together and work some magic on the fiberglass.   If this goes well, I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more shells.  Herman Miller is not the easiest to find in our area but this chair is such an icon and it is so cool to be able to bring this back and much improved.  It originally had an X base, which is common for a Zenith production piece.  There is one tiny crack on the edge of the fiberglass so I hope to be able to reinforce it as to not deteriorate any further.  Keep your eyes on the blog as I will definitely be writing about this process.  The chair will be living with me.....at least for the time being.  It is small enough, I hope to fit it in my living room.  My house is full of projects so much more fun to come. 

I am loving the walnut legs with this GREIGE seat and cannot wait to see them in person.  Greige is a made up word, or Portmanteau.  A hybrid of Grey and Beige.  Apparently this color type is picked as THE HOT paint and decorator color for 2017!  As always, I somehow find myself on the cutting edge of design totally by accident!

Expect a total revamp of the booth space in the coming weeks.  I'd love to work the chrome table set into it for the holidays.  I also have been picking up some fun kitchen items I'd like to feature in a fun little display. 

Bruno Mankowski update.  I added one of Mr Mankowski's bronze medals to my now collection.  Is it very heavy for a little thing and just gorgeous!  I am officially a collector of his work!  This medal features Asa Gray, a botanist.  Have a look!  Thanks, as always, for giving my blog a read!  I do get feedback from my readers and I am glad you are enjoying! xo Malissa

Coming up for air, but still adding things to the inventory.

The Christmas rush has started!  My small items are moving out the door!  Pyrex sets, holiday decor....it's going!  This is very exciting and I am still trying to get everything out the door in 24 hours or less.  I will be stressing about last minute shipments and I can tell you UPS STANDARD will get things to NYC in one day.  But do not push your luck!  I would gladly upgrade your shipping but you need to reach out to me so I can quote it for you!  Anything going by bus really needs to get out this weekend to have a chance of making it.  I can tell you my NYC bus shipment usually arrive in Port Authority the next day after I ship, but with holiday travel, we cannot assume anything at this point. 

NEWS

If you have been to any of the shops or the web site this week, you may have noticed I have commissioned a new logo! 

Also on the move is the new Chairish shop!  I am up 6 listings, approved and live!  I am hoping to reach a new market of designers and collectors and am looking forward to my first sale and going through the process.  I will be cross listing pieces in the shops and prices will vary accordingly.     

I continue to tweak things on the web page and hope everyone finds it helpful and easy to use.  There are a few things that bother me and I will continue to tweak! I am all set up for commerce and am limited in what I can have listed, so will keep the web direct deals to items that do not fit etsy's strict criteria.  I have some new vintage themed items for sale!  They will make great stocking stuffers!  Also, I picked up a fabulous set of T-Vac chairs by Ron Arad for Vitra.  Only designed in 1999, these are too new for etsy. Ron Arad is a London based Architect and Designer who has been dubbed the hottest of our modern designers.  I thought these were definitely in line with my offerings and scooped them up! Buy direct for best price! 

Set of 4 Tom Vac Chairs by Ron Arad.....SEXY!  Click to visit the listing and BUY DIRECT!

Also new this week are a SUPER set of 7 Lane Perception dining chairs!  They are an awesome Danish inspired style, but with all the great construction of American made era furniture.  The seats are very large, everything is super sturdy and these lived their whole lives to date with one family who raised 11 children!  I have update with new vinyl seats, tended to some finish issues ending with some new lacquer and glued up some weak joints.  They are ready to ship and will look great around any walnut table.  Please check out the Perception line if you are unfamiliar.  Designed by Warren Church, this line incorporates a sleek Danish style and these seats and some of the tables incorporate a floating look.  Drawer faces feature woven cane.  It truly is a nice line and is very collectable as many of the era Lane pieces are.  They are fairly easy to find and pricing is reasonable. 

Super 7 piece set of Lane Perception dining chairs restored!

Next up.....freshly picked!  Check out these cuties!  The ever popular Carter Brothers Series 200 Scoop chair and a great sturdy slat bench!  They are both in great vintage condition with appropriate wear.  Both will make a great accent to any space. 

Carter Brothers Series 200 Scoop Chair features bent ply seat.  Very low and sexy!  Awesome avocado green vinyl upholstery!

Awesome sturdy mid century slat bench!  IDing these things is near impossible.  Not marked.  MUCH sturdier than the last one I had so definitely a better brand. 

Thanks for much for signing up for my mailing list!  I appreciate you guys following along with my endeavors!  Hope you all have a fabulous holiday and please reach out if you need a last minute gift!  Don't forget the Franciscan Starburst items I have for sale right on the web site!  I do have some exciting plans for this spring and I will wait to unveil them until official.  In the mean time, your support is helping me reach my goals of saving MCM!  Have a super holiday!!!!! xo Malissa

SAVE 10% OFF ALL ETSY SHOP INVENTORY NOW THROUGH DEC 24th AT MIDNIGHT!  Use code: MERRYKITSCHMAS at checkout!  I rarely put my furnishings on sale so NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO SAVE!!!!

Holiday Updates plus coming attractions.

Hope you all are gearing up for a great holiday!  I am still working very hard to get some projects turned over and listed before the end of the year.  I have lots of things in the queue for the winter months so keep an eye on the listings and instagram!  At anytime, feel free to email me if you would like first dibs on something that I am working on!  I would be overjoyed to have a serious buyer lined up before I am done and would gladly send you personal updates on the project. 

Also, please note that to avoid being stressed out before the holidays, if you require Greyhound shipping for your purchase, please allow 2 weeks. It generally takes about one week but I do not think either one of us want to stress out about a shipment that close to the holidays.  If you are willing me meet me within an hour of 2 of where I live (eastern PA), I would gladly accommodate you right up until the holiday!  I also would gladly add a card or make any special accommodation for you, please reach out!  I am still feverishly trying to get all orders out the door in 24 hours or less, shipping quotes to you in about the same time. 

++++COUPON+++++  I have lots of great gift items for vintage lovers of all sorts besides my awesome furnishing finds so please pop in to the etsy shop and have a look around.  I do my best to keep my prices below other etsy sellers so know you are getting a FAIR PRICE...PLUS....I have a coupon code right now for 10% off ANY PURCHASE in my shop $25+ for use now through Dec 24th midnight.  Thanks for supporting a small business this holiday season! xo

In the SHOP.....

I am currently working on a set of 7 Lane Perception dining chairs in Walnut finish.  They are very sturdy and have generous seats....good for those of us who are not petite!  Quality American made mid century furniture is being sought after and Lane in particular has really spiked in popularity.  I have just put all brand new black vinyl coverings on the seats and will be working on any structural tightening and finish issues next.  I hope to have them ready to ship in the next week or 2.  If you are in need of some walnut chairs, please give them some consideration.  They have a great Danish style without the larger cost.  This large of a set is definitely not an easy find without hunting and pecking it together.  It was actually in the same family all of these years....with 11 children.  That should tell you how well made it is!  Here is a PEEK!

Naked chair...down to the foam!

Ready for wood work!

5 of the 7 looking great but hogging up my living room!

NEW!!!!!!!!!!! I am now on Chairish.com! I currently have 2 listings and neither are etsy appropriate. I may continue to list things over here but I am testing the waters for now. Just listed is a FABULOUS set of 4 Vitra Tom Vac chairs designed in 1999 by Ron Arad. He is a very influential designer and artist of our current time and these chairs are not only top of the line in construction, the design is totally rad and will be great with your MCM! They are also listed right here on this website at a reduced price, so please, now that you are in the know, shop direct for best price!

NEW RETRO THEMED GIFTS!!!!!!

I added a new page to the site, EXCLUSIVE ITEMS FOR SALE.  Here you can purchase direct from me!   The Tom Vac chairs are available here as well as the awesome Franciscan Starburst kitchen towels and pillows!  All prices include your shipping.  Please send friends!  First to purchase through my web site will get a thank you gift as I have no idea what to expect and may have to work out some kinks!  I will continue to offer things here that do not fit etsy's criteria but are things I feel fit well with my shop!  Hope you enjoy!  This will also eliminate me having to send out paypal invoices to handle these transactions like I have been. 

Sorry I am quite long winded in this update but things are really heating up around here and I plan to bring in the New Year with even higher sales goals than this year!  I have already beat my sales goal for this year, which over tripled what I sold my first year out!  Thank you so much to all of my customers for that and I hope to continue to source, restore and find homes for even more worthy mid century furnishings next year!  Your support allows me to keep saving this stuff and that makes me very happy!!!!

Have a great holiday season and just remember that I am here to help you so please reach out to me at any time!  xo Malissa