The Face of Vintage

One aspect I enjoy the most about my job is the hidden views I get. If you go to an average sale, it's being held by the grandkids or a dealer. When I go in a week before the sale, I meet the woman who lived a life surrounded by the vintage beauty we all now adore. 

Here's one of my charming clients, Irma. She's 87. She lost her husband a year and a half ago. Now she's moving out of her house to be closer to her children and needs to pare down. She was referred to me via her friend who happens to be one of my clients. It's been so much fun to teach her about the values her items have. To see her face light up in surprise is such a blast. I love this part of my job.

Antique telephone exchange box! Click here to see more photos. 

What I find fascinating is what she has and how it relates to her personally. She has a wicked sense of humor, is very down to earth, I'm selling her memories, her life momentos and the vintage beauty she's always surrounded herself with. The piece above was a memento her husband always kept on his desk to remind him how times change. 

Sift-Chine Sifter, well loved. Click here to see more photos. 

This sifter is from her kitchen when she was first married. She met her husband during the war and they married while he was on a brief leave. She remembers keeping her bedside light on all night long for months, somehow hoping the light was keeping him safe from harm. 


He returned to her in early 1945. Imagine the fun she must have had sifting flour for bread, knowing she was going to be feeding her husband at last! I so admire the grace and patience these war wives had in waiting for their mates to return.

1920s silk crepe de chine Wedding dress. Click here for more photos. 

This was her Mothers wedding dress. Her mother, Dorothy, was married in 1922. What a blast to experience the fashions of the roaring 1920's! Her Mother came from a well to do family, thus this silk layered creation with giant roses on the hems. I'm hoping to find a picture of her Mom wearing this! 

Early 1900's Gibson Girl photograph. Click here for more photos. 

This is her Mother, Dorothy. I love that she's wearing the trendy Gibson girl hairstyle so popular in the early 1900s. In this photo she's 17. Just imagine the life she led. Married in 1922, gave birth to her first daughter in 1924, then twin boys in 1926, then another daughter in 1928. By the time World War II rolled around she was a grandmother living in rural New Jersey. 

1950s Ladies Fascinator Hat with Veil. Click here for more photos. 

Irma remembers this was her favorite hat. She says that when she wore it people would always duck down to look into her eyes. It made her feel mysterious when she wore it. I think hats go a long way to adding mystique & intrique into relationships-let's help Kate Middleton bring them back into fashion! 


Keep in mind that Irma isn't sad to let her items go. She's tickled pink that people think her things are worth having!! 

Behind the Scenes

While I'd like to show you my antique brick loft filled with vintage, that just ain't my reality. We're bootstrapping a business so the office is actually a big room in the back of my house. There are 4 glass desks from Ikea, a shipping table (that's actually an old flour bin table), a huge 12' long chalkboard, indoor/outdoor carpet, and  a view of the backyard. Not exactly my dream space, but it functions well for now. 

This Haley. She's in charge of our inventory & shipping. She wears about 25 hats around here and helps out with a little bit of everything. 

Several people help make Nachokitty what it is. I've assembled a fantastic team of people to help grow our little business. We're evaluating items, taking inventories of estates, meeting with clients, doing appraisals, listing items on Etsy, and shipping. It's never boring around here, especially when you add the curious 2 year old into the mix. 

My desk is a hodgepoge of little tidbits I find interesting. The silver plate top hat reminds me of Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland. (I really liked him!) The Danish modern witch on her broom and wooden rabbit are neighbors. Along with the wood Nachokitty, these items all sit on top of my giant Mac screen. The owls, hat form I got from tippleandsnack, and grecian goddess scored at the thrift store are all photo props. 

Down in front is a collection of items I need to identify that I also like a lot. A small porcelain jointed doll with silk clothing, a sterling, marcasite & onyx beetle, & a brass bear. (the bear is more for looks-I don't think he'll find his way into my shop.)

Here is Kaelle, researching a cool blue & white porcelain vase. Lately she's been the queen of dollhouse furniture. We all have to be really flexible, because we never know what's going to come in from an estate.

The view outside our office is fabulous. Chickens wander by occasionally, the dog takes in some rays, and my children frolic. Right now we're photographing old quilts on the closeline. 

And here's a cartoon that pretty much sums things up. A happy zoo around here, filled with vintage goodies, laughter & good music. 

How to find what you've lost & avoid doing the laundry

It was an open weekend. On Friday I was filled with such hope-the whole weekend stretched empty in front of me. Anticipation filled the air.

Antique Mother Goose book-I love this rhyme and illustration

I started off thinking that I'd tackle a home project. While it's been interesting to see how big the clean laundry pile can get without falling over, I suspect its demise will come soon. I started in on folding laundry. That lasted around 4 minutes. I realized that folding laundry is likely my least favorite thing to do on the planet. I'll happily feed the pig slop, clean out the chicken coop, clean a messy kitchen from bow to stern, but not laundry.

This glimmered at me from the bottom of the box

It feels so futile. I wash, I fold, I put away. Then a small being running by at lightening speed grabs from the bottom of the newly neat pile in the drawer. Boom. Clothes everywhere, again dreaming of the day they'll be folded again. Unfortunately, I tend to get dressed the exact same way, so my bedroom isn't any better.

He almost got recycled with the box-he blended

I finally settled in to list items. Found all kinds of interesting do-dads in a plain box I'd completely forgotten about. Oops. You know that feeling when you find a box tucked under other things at a yard sale/church sale/grandmas attic and realize you're just about to open a treasure? I pretty much get that feeling every time I open a box around here. I keep finding things I'd totally forgotten about.

And I just thought it was pile of old newspapers!

So, to sum up my weekend. I listed a bunch at my etsy shop. That's good. I sold a bunch. That's great. I spent a lot of time with my three beautiful daughters. That's fantastic. And I had a late night movie streamed off Amazon with my hubby. *sigh* Life is good. The laundry can wait.

Avatars, Logos & Your Identification

Nachokitty

I'm someone who is a visual learner. When I remember things, I think of the exact action I was going through at the time it happened and what was around me. Makes it easy to remember my keys.

Perfect pottery logo piece by bitofbutter

So when my favorite sellers change their avatars, it completely throws me for a loop. I cannot identify with them at all-unless I happen to run across an item I saw last time I was in their shop. The only exception to this are sellers with strong memorable names that made an impression. But even that can be dicey without the avatar to back it up.

Simple visual would be a perfect logo by tippleandsnack

I see my avatar as my logo. Hostess isn't going to tweak their Twinkie logo. Every time an iconic brand even changes their logo a little, the public flips out. Remember the Gap fiasco a few months ago?

Now I know, we're just minor players in the giant world of commerce. Hardly iconic. But that doesn't mean our customers identify with our brands any less. When it comes time to buy that Valentine or Fathers Day gift, don't you want to be memorable?

An ideal hip avatar piece by vimvigorvintage

Your logo doesn't have to be something you're selling. It can be something that gives the flavor of the type of goods you offer. Check out this little owl. He would be an ideal logo for the right hip shop.

Mid Century logo, simple & clean by mascarajones

Perhaps a more mid century look is what you're after-something that stands out but is unique. This beautiful bird would do the trick. Keep in mind, your logo should be clean and clear. The most visually striking aka memorable avatars are those that are easy to see.

If you don't have a specific avatar that you depend on, this could be a good time to nail down your identity. It's January, a time of renewal, and a good time to do any necessary tweaking to your brand. I'm working on my overall online identity and getting it solid. A bit tricky though-someone bought Nachokitty.com and isn't using it! Grrrrrrr.

The Client side of things...Part 2

Ok, I am on a roll with customer stories from the past (which still provide lessons for me today!). When you are active in the antiques trade, you need to hustle just like any other business, be it Wall Street or Silcon Valley. It takes constant innovation to uncover new clients, new treasures and do it before others do! Sometimes the great finds are right in front of us. In this case, a very careful read of a printed newspaper. While the news keeps saying newpapers are dead, I found that only be to be true for a certain audience. The older generation still depends on the paper for their news and for buy/sell classified ads.

Back in 1999, I was glancing through the classifieds of the San Francisco Chronicle. I happened to notice an ad for "vintage space rockets, all kinds. Must sell fast." I called and drove the 50 miles up to San Francisco's Chinatown that afternoon.

The neighborhood was tightly packed, with Victorians all squeezed together like sardines. The street was so narrow that the high buildings blocked out the sun and it felt dark and opressive. I wondered what I was walking into. Down the block I could see a bustling shopping district, with the smells of roasted duck & fish wafting up the street.

When I arrived at the house, steep narrow stairs led me up to the front door. I was greeted by an older man dressed in levi's and a kimono and a sparkle in his eye. What was I getting into? He led me back outside to the front of the garage door. Due to the narrowness of the street, the driveway slanted steeply down to the garage.

He opened the door, ushered me in and quickly shut it. He was worried about city officials spying on his renovation. What a "renovation" it was!! He had dug out the space under the house. I stood on a ledge looking down into a 15' x 25' pit 18 feet below me, filled with boxes. I looked up to see the underside of the house 12 feet high above me. So much for earthquake safety!

He led me down a narrow flight of stairs to the far corner. Under a tarplan he pulled out box after box of 1950's and 60's space toys. Robots, rockets, ray guns and aliens. I'd never seen anything like it. I knew these things had intrinsic value, but I had no idea of actual values. These weren't brands I knew off hand.

All counted, he had 6 large boxes packed full. He didn't want to do a commission deal. He insisted I buy them outright since he was leaving the country the next day. He named his price, I haggled just a bit and paid a fair amount, given his need for cash. He was very rushed and I wondered what he was in such a hurry about. It only occured to me later on the drive home that he might be avoiding the law. (I mean the police-not the county officials who would freak out about his teetering house. Who knows why he was in such a big rush.)

I ended up buying it all for $700. It was a fair deal for him to get the instant cash and it was defintely solid investment for me. (a bit risky since I buying blind, but I had a gut feeling) After I researched all the items and worked hard to sell them, I made that money back several times over. My only problem was that many of the pieces were identical, so I had to be careful not to flood my own market! So after a few years they were finally all gone.

I never forgot the toys, mainly because the size of that enormous basement with the 30 foot ceilings never left my mind. Some clients are more memorable than others, that's for sure! And sometimes the most amazing treasures are right there under our noses. Or in this case, under our neighbors houses!