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Care to share advice?

Candy Allen, contributor

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I've been pulling things left and right out of my garage and basement in hopes I have enough to set up at a flea market or possibly to fill a space at a shop.  (Most of it is in my living room now). I am in Ohio and an hour away from the Hartville Flea Market which can draw upwards of 10,000 people!  Any advice on where and how to begin to sell my junk treasures?  I have been a collector of junk for many years and I need to show my husband there is actually a calling for the stuff I love and decorate our home with ;)   

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Comments (7)

Junk_Sophisticate writes: Thank you for the site info, Kathy! The photos are fantastic and make me want to go even more. I am going to try to go and will be sure to stop by your booth.

Posted: 2:10 pm on September 8th

shabbychick writes: Junk Sophisticate - Burton is a good show - here is the website: www.geaugaantiquesmarket.com - for details. We're in space A-10 (in front of grandstand) - praying for good weather!!!

Hope to see you there! Kathy Posted: 9:11 am on September 2nd

Junk_Sophisticate writes: Hi Sue ~ Thank you for the compliment and I appreciate the very specific details you provided in your response. Especially regarding price point which I know comes from years of experience selling to the public. Your points are exactly the information I needed to hear.

Thank you Shabbychick ~ It is good to hear you second the praises of fleamarkets and are doing well and having fun while doing it! And yes, I am within 35 minutes of Burton and didn't realize there was such a large show that close by! Woohoo! Since I'm not familiar with it I may just stop by this year and shop and wait til June to set up. Thanks so much for the heads up!

Good questions Stacey. I'll be seeing if anyone knows these answers. Thank you for the kind words too...it's very motivating!

Hi Italianpeasant! I recognize you from the HGTV T2T board (I'm Odetosimplicity but haven't posted in a while). I remember viewing your clip on TV with Robin Swoboda! Very cool! I'm seriously thinking about checking out Quailcrest so I will definitely look for you if I do.

Posted: 1:28 pm on August 28th

italianpeasant writes: JUNK_SOPHISTICATE,i will be doing quailcrest herb fair sept. 5th in wooster, come & check it out! a few from this board are coming, stop in & introduce yourself, i'll be the girl who looks like "elaine" from seinfeld :) & will be up spread out all over the place with whitewash. Posted: 1:00 pm on August 28th

TheBlessedNest writes: I'm so glad you asked this question, I've wondered the same thing! Here's another question to go along with this:
Do you have to do any legal paperwork before selling at flea markets or do you just send any taxes (if any?) in later at end of year? Any other advise out there? I've been curious about this!
I love your stuff, too! I'm sure you'll do well if you decide to sell!!

Stacey Posted: 11:38 am on August 28th

shabbychick writes: Sue's definitely got it covered - great advice!! I'm in Ohio too - Mansfield. My friend and I started with a small space in a "shabby chic" store about six years ago, but switched gears and started doing fleamarkets. We sell at Burton (not too far from you I don't think - it's June and September); and Springfield (May & September)!! If you're familiar with Hartville (and it's close by), that would probably be a good one to try to get your feet wet - see what sells, etc... We also do another show in November in Columbus.

Fleamarkets have been a great market for us (shabby chic/cottage furniture and vintage home/garden stuff - old stuff painted and "repurposed" NEW again), and we've made some excellent contacts with shop owners who make sure they stop early to get the best stuff! I send invitations/newsletters out to regular customers to remind them, as well as send to a few "prospects" that I find around the state (on our junking travels...). We've met some of the nicest people who visit us every year, and developed friendships through our shared interest and love for all of this old "re-loved" stuff!

We really love doing fleamarkets (love "decorating" our space and meeting people) - and it continues to give us an "excuse" (as if we need one) to keep on shopping, and provides us with some $$$ for our annual girls' trips!!!

Good luck - and keep us posted! Kathy Posted: 11:23 am on August 28th

suewhitney writes: Hi,

Well, first of all there are some items in this photo that I would buy in a heart beat. I think others would be interested as well. You have a good eye. If I were you I would test the waters at a flea market first. A flea market is less of a time and financial comittment. If you find that you enjoy this then you can rent a space at a store.

Here are some tips:

Price point - Keep things affordable. I find that items $60 or less seem to sell the best.

Be true to your style - Offer things in your booth that you love. Don't forget they may be coming home with you again. Also, this will create a sense of consistency in your booth.

Display, display, display - It's the same idea as location, location, location. Spend some money making your booth beautiful with flowers, plants, and other props. Also show people how they can incorporate your junk into their home. For example display the metal basket as a plant holder or do a table setting with some of your pieces.

Location - Try to get a space where you know there will be traffic.

Most important - Have fun!

I hope this helps. Let us all know what you decide to do.

Take care,
Sue
Posted: 10:40 am on August 28th

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