Still working on this blog thing LOL - As time goes on I am sure I will get the hang of it. Right not I type faster then my brain thinks and since I am a member of the male species I guess that is normal!
At the end of this month our store will be working a booth at the Greater Springfield Garage Sale at the Fairgrounds in Springfield MO. We will have a booth dedicated to helping anyone who walks in find out what they own and what it may be worth. This is our second year doing this and we had a blast last year when we did not know anything. Now I know that I know less then I did before. The great thing is we have some great vendors with expertise in a lot of different areas helping man the booth.
One of the greatest tools we have is the computer. We are able to get online and serach a lot of data bases to help the customers determine what they have. Without a doubt one of our greatest tools is worthpoint. Once we are able to indentify an object we can then use the worthpoint data base to help determine its aproximate value. Many times we see items that have sold in prior years but have developed our own system to use the worthpoint value, when it was sold, and come up with a realistic value in todays Market Place.
Many times people want to know how we find out what something is and what it is worth. Patience! Sometimes it is easy. Just google a name and description and out pops a list of sites that talk about it. Other items are more problamatic. Then it becomes a detective process. Plug in a description, color, size, anything that pops to mind. Often that will still not help but then you need to use common sense and quickly scan all the results of what comes up in a google search. When you find something that is close to what you are searching for - read all about that item. The narative about it may give you a clue in how to describe what it is you are looking for.
Don't get frustrated - keep in mind that you want to have fun in your detective work and don't be afraid to ask anyone you know questions about anything you are searching for. Finally when you find something that is really odd or unique and can't quite lock it down - search for clubs that may be able to help you find out what it is. For example if you have an old tin car - you may find a tin car club with members willing to help you find out what you have. Always be polite and if you find it is not worth what you thought don't get mad at the messenger!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
In the beginning
Well here goes my first foray into the world of Blog!
It has been a long ride from the world of construction to this point. When faced with unemployment after the collapse of the construction economy, I had to have a job. At 56 my employment options were limited at best. Taking stock of my work experience I was pretty limited in what I could do. My early years were spent in the Air Force. Then in the late 70's I left the Air Force and began a career in the concrete pumping industry. All my eggs were in one basket and when the economy tanked and the company I worked for filed bankruptcy I was left with nothing. My company stock was worthless and the company had stopped contributing to the 401K program years earlier.
I had no intention of giving up and was determined not to go on unemployment. I needed a job. I spent a lot of time trying to find a new career where I would work for myself, not some corporate rolex jerk. Some years earlier a friend had tried to talk me into joining with him to open a flea market. I thought he was nuts and gave it no thought. With limited option available I remembered his idea. He had long since retired and was not available to open the store. I then contacted a fishing buddy that actually worked for me before I laid him off a year before I was laid off. I told him I had an idea for both of us to have a job. We could open a flea market. He thought I was nuts but with nothing else to do agreed to listen. As we talked and explored the possibilities we visited flea markets and antique stores all over the area. We made a list of what we liked and did not like. A business plan began to develop in my mind and eventually I put it on paper. The next step was to get financing. So with NO retail experience, no experience in antiques, collectibles, or flea markets I walked into a local bank with my plan and asked to borrow money. Not a bank I had a relationship with, but a bank that my research had indicated would be willing to listen and consider my plan.
That was the short story of the beginning. In retrospect I wish I would have kept a journal of how and why we built the store the way we did. One of the hardest things to not do is explain our formula for a successful store. I don't want the competition to know what and why we do things! My blog is really going to be a mismatched dialog on a lot of topics - I hope anyone who reads this won't get too bored.
It has been a long ride from the world of construction to this point. When faced with unemployment after the collapse of the construction economy, I had to have a job. At 56 my employment options were limited at best. Taking stock of my work experience I was pretty limited in what I could do. My early years were spent in the Air Force. Then in the late 70's I left the Air Force and began a career in the concrete pumping industry. All my eggs were in one basket and when the economy tanked and the company I worked for filed bankruptcy I was left with nothing. My company stock was worthless and the company had stopped contributing to the 401K program years earlier.
I had no intention of giving up and was determined not to go on unemployment. I needed a job. I spent a lot of time trying to find a new career where I would work for myself, not some corporate rolex jerk. Some years earlier a friend had tried to talk me into joining with him to open a flea market. I thought he was nuts and gave it no thought. With limited option available I remembered his idea. He had long since retired and was not available to open the store. I then contacted a fishing buddy that actually worked for me before I laid him off a year before I was laid off. I told him I had an idea for both of us to have a job. We could open a flea market. He thought I was nuts but with nothing else to do agreed to listen. As we talked and explored the possibilities we visited flea markets and antique stores all over the area. We made a list of what we liked and did not like. A business plan began to develop in my mind and eventually I put it on paper. The next step was to get financing. So with NO retail experience, no experience in antiques, collectibles, or flea markets I walked into a local bank with my plan and asked to borrow money. Not a bank I had a relationship with, but a bank that my research had indicated would be willing to listen and consider my plan.
That was the short story of the beginning. In retrospect I wish I would have kept a journal of how and why we built the store the way we did. One of the hardest things to not do is explain our formula for a successful store. I don't want the competition to know what and why we do things! My blog is really going to be a mismatched dialog on a lot of topics - I hope anyone who reads this won't get too bored.
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