Steve said I should title this post “No Rest for the Weary.”  Life has been non-stop since we did the Round Lake Antiques Fest last weekend.  We had a great show.  I came back with pictures to share and stories to tell, and I have barely had a chance to sit down since then.  I haven’t even gotten the pictures off the camera yet.  I am not complaining (well, maybe a little) as we have been busy with house calls, sales, auctions and other buying opportunities, as well as preparing for another show tomorrow.  We had to take a load to the shop in Hudson because we’ve had such good sales lately.  All good things, all the way we want it to be.  But without a break, and I’m beginning to need at least a little break. 

Tomorrow is the Wood Bull Antiques show, in Milford NY just outside of Cooperstown.  This long-standing one day show always generates a lot of energy.  It is one of the few shows that still offer “early buying” and get a response.  People, mostly other dealers, pay a premium to get onto the field while we are setting up, and get first pick of the merchandise.  I have spoken to several dealers who have said they will be there bright and early, and that is encouraging.

There will be a fun mix of dealers, with styles ranging from primitives to mod.  We often buy well at this show in addition to selling, so it is doubly fun for us!  Check the details on my Show Schedule page, and come out to see us.  After tomorrow, I will make a valiant effort to get some pictures and fun stuff up here.

I can hardly believe it is almost the end of June.  But it is, and the good news is that the time has come to get ready for our fave antique show of the year - the Round Lake Antiques Festival next Saturday and Sunday, June 27 & 28.  We love this show for lot of reasons, many of which I wrote about here last year.

There is a ton of work to be done this week in preparation for our departure Friday morning, and I am excited to plunge in.  We try to bring everything to this show, so we need to do some digging around here looking for the hidden treasures - stuff we have bought and “tucked away” (read: forgotten about.)   We also have an afternoon’s work pulling cupboards and other bigs out of the barn to wash and organize.  I need to spend time sorting and pricing jewelry and linens.  And then there are the little details, like a trip to the DMV to register the trailer, and an appointment to get a hitch installed on the new van.  So it will be a crazy week, but that is okay.  It will culminate in a hopefully busy and successful show complemented by time spent relaxing and enjoying good friends and good food.  What could be better?

I will get back here this week with some sneak peek photos as we pack and prepare for the show.  Make your plans now to attend - its a very fun show to shop, and worth a trip!

It feels late coming this year.  Even as the seemingly endless winter finally faded, it took a long time for spring to arrive.  But it’s official - it is now our favorite time of year here at Tandem Antiques.  

I don’t care too much about the streams thawing out, or the sap running (although I do love maple syrup.)  What captivates me about spring is the stuff coming out.  As the snow melts, and outbuildings are accessible again, people remember all the things stored away.  And they call the local auctioneer to come drag it away to sell, or they pull things from attics, barns, cellars and garages themselves and display them on their lawn for sale. 

What could be more fun, really?  And while the yard sale items are often not what we are looking for (baby clothes, plastic toys, candleholders from Wal Mart, more baby clothes) there is always the chance that at the next sale, around the next bend in the country road there will be something great.  The next sale is going to be the one where they are cleaning out Great-Aunt Hilda’s house which hasn’t been touched since 1973, or unpacking Grandpa Elderberry’s boxes from the old country.  Right? 

Hope springs eternal.  Nothing proves that in quite the way that we antiquers do as we get up in the pre-dawn hours every Saturday morning, and leave home clutching our travel mugs, newspaper classifieds and mapquest printouts.  Or spend an entire day picking through lots at a country auction, eating hotdogs and drinking bad coffee waiting for the objects of our desire to come up.  Some folks might call it crazy, but we love it. 

We have found some nice things so far this season, but we haven’t hit the truly awesome sale.  Not yet.  But Saturday is coming, and I saw an ad for an auction …

We spent most of last week in Brimfield MA, at the gi-normous thrice annual Brimfield antiques fair, a conglomeration of a dozen or so different antique shows held in dusty close proximity on Rt. 20 in this little town.  I shopped the Tuesday shows and then we set up and sold on Wednesday, at Hertan’s field.  The weather was great, attendance was high and the sales were very good.  We stayed over and shopped May’s when it opened on Thursday morning, and then headed for home.  It was a tiring but fun week - lots of walking, lots of looking.  At one point Tuesday afternoon I felt I couldn’t take in any more visual information - I was overloaded.  But a glass of wine, a decent dinner and a good night’s sleep was all I needed, and I was ready for more each morning. 

We didn’t find as much to buy as I hoped.  There were lots of things I wanted to buy, but seeing as how we say this is a “business”, I was limited to things I thought I could sell for more than I paid.  Oh, well.  But we did buy things - on Tuesday I found some jewelry, a pierced porcelain compote, a really cool food dome with screening and a pair of sreetlight covers. 

On Thursday morning, Steve and I waited on line to get into May’s when the bell rang, and we were eager to find something great.  We had a funny limitation, however.  Because our van was packed pretty full, we could only buy things that were little, like jewelry, or something big and hardy enough to be tied on the roof.  It ruled out a surprising number of items - no table lamps, no upholstered anything (we were expecting rain that afternoon.)   Nope, it was baubles or cupboards for us.  So of course we didn’t find either one.  Steve bought some great enamel numbers, originally from a gas station sign.  They were bigger than the rule, but at least they were flat. 

And I found my game.   I was charmed from the start - I love the early little slide-lid box, and the multitude of figural sticks, all carved into depictions of various objects - guns, spears, shovels, knives, a hand, a dog, snakes and more.  I assume this game is some variation on pick-up sticks, and I would love to know who made it and for whom.  Can’t you picture a grandfather, in his chair on the porch, whittling these wonderful pieces one by one.  The grandchildren watch him and clamor to play with them, but aren’t allowed until the whole set is finished.  His wife brings him a cold glass of lemonade, and he surprises her with a stick carved into the shape of a heart…

Okay, obviously I have no idea who made these or under what circumstances.  But that is part of my love for antique folk art - its obvious and emphatic handmade-ness allows my imagination to wander down the paths of farmsteads and villages, in and out of families and relationships, enjoying the anonymous individuals who left their craft for me to appreciate. 

So, without further ado, here are some pictures of my little treasure:

Do you love MCM but are on a tight budget?  Do you yearn to surround yourself with great design, but live in a shoebox?  Then read on …

This is definitely the coolest item we are listing on etsy this week.  A three-piece set of miniature furniture, with awesome mid-century style!  Toy furniture with hairpin legs - brilliant!  I had so much fun photographing them, and I was really pleased with the results.  In addition to being listed in our etsy shop, they are also featured on our Flickr page.

These pieces are not exactly dollhouse furniture, they are too big for that.  The table is 7″ long and 3 1/2″ high.  But we have had them for a while and they add a fun flair to wherever they are placed - a kitchen counter, a bookshelf, on top of the tv. 

And, of course, they are yellow.  A bright sunshine yellow that makes you think of summer and patios and cool drinks in icy glasses (little tiny icy glasses?)  But most of all they are just fun.  

These have no maker’s marks, so I wonder if they are one-of-a-kind.   I love the idea of someone making them for their kids, or designing them as a prototype for full-size furniture. 

We are here at my mom’s house in North Carolina, enjoying a break from upstate NY’s seemingly never-ending winter.  It is unmistakably spring here, with dogwoods, forsythia, and azalea all in beautiful bloom.  And it is Monday, and therefore time for the Coolest … something.

For some reason my thoughts went back to Christmas several years ago.  My siblings and I were trying to think of a gift for my mom.  She is notoriously hard to buy for - not because she is critical or hard to please, she just doesn’t need much of anything and is not the kind of person you give a fluffy, fill-in-the-blank kind of gift.

My mom likes angels, and has a tasteful collection.  But she didn’t need another figurine or wall hanging.  Steven came up with the idea of an antique angel cameo, and we started to look for one.  It proved more difficult than we anticipated.  I knew that I did not want a cherub or putti-style angel - too precious and cute for my mom.  And I was looking for a small piece, a size that she would really wear.  We scoured antique shops, ebay and other online sources.  Finally we found it. 

There is something very special about this little cameo.  It depicts what appears to be a male angel, simple and serene.  He is beautifully carved and set in a spare sterling silver setting.  On the back is a c-clasp with an extended pinstem that speaks of its age.   It dates to the middle or latter part of the 19th century.  Originally It was a piece of mourning jewelry, intended to be worn by a wife or mother who has lost a loved one.  But a piece like this can be enjoyed and appreciated apart from that prerequisite, and it becomes a lovely artifact of history and faith.  Oh, and if you are wondering, my mom was thrilled. 

You are ready for a change - tired of the 9 to 5, sick of working for the man.  Maybe you are retired but looking for a new challenge.  Perhaps you have always loved antiques and vintage things, collected for yourself and want to take it to a new level.  For whatever reason —  you have decided you want to deal in antiques.

Steve and I were discussing what advice we would give someone starting out in the business.  Even though everyone calls us “the kids” we have been doing this for 12 years, and have learned a thing or two along the way.

There are two distinct sides to this business, with choices to be made on each.  There is the Buying side and the Selling side.  They are equally important and both deserve thought and consideration. 

I am going to break this up into a couple of posts.  Today we’ll take a look at the Buying side of the antiques trade.  We came up with three rules or guidelines to keep in mind as you start buying for your antiques business.  They are:

• Buy What You Like
• Start Small
• Never Stop Learning

1.  Buy What You Like.  When you get into antiques as a business you can feel like you have to buy what the magazines proclaim the hot new collectible, or what the reference books say is worth a lot of money.  But I think it is important, especially when you are new, to go for the things that speak to you.  When you do this, your stock of merchandise will have a cohesiveness and personality that comes from your eye. 

Additionally, it is wise to buy what you like because in reality not all of it will sell (even if it is all fabulous) and you will end up living with some of it.  You might as well love it. 

2.  Start Small.  Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to start big, or expensive.  Feel your way.  Even if you have a lot of money to invest in your inventory, don’t be in a rush to spend it all at once.  It is better to offer good things that you have chosen carefully than just to have volume.  

More than once we have watched someone start out in the business, come into local shops and auctions and buy too much, bid too high for things that we knew they would not be able to make money on, and try to be a big shot.   But the pattern is usually the same — that person comes around less, and spends less, as he realizes he cannot make money on things at those prices.  Often he closes up altogether.  It is less costly and less embarassing to start slowly and learn as you go. 

3.  Never Stop Learning.  This business, like most, is always changing.  What was hot last year may be dead this year.  And while its not all about buying what’s hot (because we are buying what we like, remember?) you still don’t want to buy using old information at old prices. 

         Example:  White ironstone.  I love 19th c white ironstone, and we have it at home.  I used to sell tons of it.  8 years ago I would do a show and a quarter of my booth would be gorgeous, rich, ornate white ironstone.  But the market for ironstone fell off, and the prices went through the floor.  So do I still buy ironstone?  Yes, because I love it.  But I am more choosy about what to buy and much more cautious about what to pay.

Another side of Never Stop Learning is simply to pay attention.  Take note of what sells easily, and what you can’t give away.  Watch what your competitors buy and how much they pay, especially the ones you admire.  If you are interested in something - say oriental rugs, or mid-century lighting - buy a piece.  Take it home and see how it feels and how its made.  Do some research.  Then sell it.  If it felt good, then seek out another one and buy it.  Learn a little more and then sell it.  Some dealers learn by poring over reference books, and I respect that.  But we learn the most by handling items that have attracted us, and passing them on to someone else who sees their value.

So that is it for our first installment of So You Want to Be an Antique Dealer.  Obviously this is completely subjective and based on our quirky viewpoint, so don’t take this to the bank as the basis for a small business loan.  But we hope there is some nugget of value here for you.  We welcome your comments and feedback. 

I know, I know.  The Coolest is supposed to run on Monday.  I can’t explain it - I lost almost a week in here somewhere.  However I will try to make it up to you by sharing the best piece of industrial furniture we have found in quite a while. 

This 19^th c. worktable came out of a elderly printer’s shop in Virginia some 15 years ago, and has been tucked away in an upstate NY shed ever since.  It has a wooden base, with massive 4″ square chamfered legs and a big drawer that pulls from either side of the table.  But its best feature is the worn soapstone top wearing its fabulous authentic patina with pride.  This thing rocks!

It would be fabulous in an artist’s studio or as a fixture in a retail environment, but it is just crying out to become a kitchen island - with its stone work surface and shelves for pots and lids underneath. 

 So come on down to our shop in Hudson NY - Warren Street Antiques - and check it out for yourself.  I have included a few pictures of other items in the shop to entice you. 

It must be Monday.  I know because its time for our weekly “the Coolest” post.  And this week the hands-down, no-contest winner of the Coolest badge is Flipper, our fiberglass dolphin.  He resided in the window of Warren Street Antiques, our shop in Hudson, for exactly four hours before being purchased and taken away.  But he was great, and we were proud to own him even for such a brief period of time.

Flipper came out of the backyard of an aging Victorian mansion in upstate NY, hoop and all.  He was removed by Steve and his dad (after purchase, of course) with some effort.  Steve brought him to Hudson last Friday, convinced he would look terrific in the shop window, and worked hard to suspend him there (fishing line, I think).  We were happy to sell him - there are no bad sales these days - but it was a bit of anticlimax that hardly anyone got to see him.

Hence, he must be shared and appreciated here.  My apologies for the crappy cell phone pics. 

I love photography, but I am a bad picture-taker.  Or maybe I should say I am a bad recorder - of events, family life, my children.  Thank goodness for my mother-in-law or we might not have any record at all of birthdays, Christmases.  I am more apt to be snapping a picture of some interesting lichen growing on the patio than I am capturing the family reunion.  

Last year Steven and I went to New Mexico, just the two of us.  We chose Albuquerque because we wanted to go somewhere in the Southwest and we had free tickets on Continental Airlines.  I found a wonderful little bed and breakfast called Casas de Suenos, right in the Old Town, so we didn’t even rent a car.  It was a short but magical 4 days.

We bought our new camera right before we left, and took lots of pictures.  We discovered upon our return, showing our photos to friends, what an odd perspective we have.  Our ”tourist” pictures are all of color and texture, form, light, graffiti and bridge underpasses, signs and decay.  Oh, and rust.  One friend patiently sat through our slideshow, and then said, “You went to New Mexico, and brought back pictures of dirt.”  Not just any dirt - beautiful dirt.  She just doesn’t get it. 

Here is a bit of travelogue, Tandem style: