My booth opened and Anthropologie giveaway!

 Look, y'all! IT'S MY BOOTH!!!

I'm so excited! The big day arrived with a minimum of drama and angst....
My booth opened today at the Antique Mall!

It was less than 2 months ago that I began blogging about my dream
of opening up my very first booth, and here I am!
I have to say, I really am quite thrilled with how it all turned out.
It's not perfect, but I'm proud and grateful for all the help and support
I've received from my family and friends.....that's YOU!

In celebration of this momentous event, I'm having my first giveaway!

I'm offering one lucky individual a $25 gift card from my favorite store and yours,

 

Anthropologie!

Awesome blossom, right?

There's more to this giveaway, 
but first some more pics of my booth!

 

 

And finally my two Jethro's, my Handsome Husband (left) 

and Dapper Best Friend hoisting my sign in it's future space!

Whew, that makes me tired (and giddy!) 

just looking at all these pics again!

The owners of the mall seemed to be super happy 

with my booth, and even suggested that the local newspaper 

could do a feature on my booth to drum up some publicity.

 But back to the Celebratory Giveaway....in keeping with the 
Anthropologie theme, the winner will also receive 
this gorgeous  Anthropologie Cloche!
 

Beautifully hand painted and distressed in a rich taupe/tan finish, the dome is a strong wire and has an iron knob at the top. The dome is removable and separates from the base which has feet at the bottom to raise it slightly. It measures 10" by 9 1/2".

The patina is just perfect for any style decor, 
but especially for those of you partial to the Jeanne d'Arc Living style. 
And if you're wondering who the super cute instant ancestor is in the photo, 
it's my very own mother! This beauty retailed for over $100 
when I purchased it awhile back, and it's proudly graced my living room 
for the last year or so. Now, in celebration of my booth opening, I want it to be yours.

 

 To have your name tossed into the proverbial hat, here's what ya do...

If you are a follower or become a follower, you get 3 chances.

If you leave a comment on this post, you automatically get another chance.

That's all there is to it! Easy, right?!

I'll be drawing the name of the lucky winner one week from tomorrow on Sunday, October 11th.

In closing, thank you all so, so much 
for being a part of this amazing ride with me.

Here's hoping all your dreams come true, too.

~ Anne

 

More Warrenton goodies, and the kitchen sink...

Well, not literally the kitchen sink.
But I'm sorta using this post as a catch-all
for several things buzzing through my mind tonight.

It's my dutiful and longsuffering husband fixing up 

my newly refinished dresser...that I painted and tea-stained all by myself! 

Supervision provided by the cat as per usual.

 I'm going with using the cat picture as my lead photo, since:
1. Whenever I post a cat pic, y'all go nuts over 'em.

2. Vintage Sue, Version 2.0, my new Junkin BFF, loves cats.

Firstly, lookie loo at the most expensive thing I bought in Warrenton last Saturday!

Pictures hardly do this justice.

It's vintage French lace, and I'm going to be using it as a backdrop to cover up fugly pegboard.

All together now....ooooh, ahhhh

Look at my pups in the background acting like they're not at all impressed....

Okay, stay with me here, people. On to the next topic.

Here's my new business card holder for my booth....

It's a porcelain soap dish!

 

Cute, right?

Moving right along.

I debated about this last thing for a good long while.
I hate to offend, and I hate to seem ungrateful or unappreciative or just plain rude.
But I've decided to go with an award-free, tag-free blog.

There have been a handful of generous, thoughtful folks
who have given me these undeserved awards,
and I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
But I really, genuinely feel that I'm no better or smarter
or more talented than anyone else...that, and I'm afraid that given how
frantically busy I'm becoming, I still haven't given proper due
to the last couple of people who bestowed these on me.
And I'd hate to appear to just be flat out ignoring someone. That's all. Let's hug it out, k?

And now back to work.

Must start packing up my breakables
for the booth move Saturday morning.

Holy cannoli, that's tomorrow!!!!

Warrenton Regrets..

"Regrets, I've had a few:

But then again, too few to mention...."

Oops sorry, just channeling a little Frank Sinatra there!

All in all, my trip to the Junkin' Shangri-la
known as Antique Weekend in Warrenton was a huge success,
both personally and God willing, professionally.
I scored some truly amazing one-of-a-kind finds for my shop,
met and made some incredible new friends,
and took home enough warm and fuzzy memories to last me until,
oh, I dunno, at least

April 2010.  ;-)

But if forced to enumerate some things
I'd like a "do-over" for, here's my list:

1. 
   Wear more comfortable shoes. Yes, my cowboy boots were way cool and kick-azz,  but I came home with a blister on my right heel the size of a lemon. Cow-patties be damned, next time I'm wearing my Birks!
   
   
2. 
   Bring more cash. Seems like a no-brainer, but cash rules.
3. No 3......is actually no 4. Blogger is jacking with me today.
4. 
   Plan on spending more than just one day. I mistakenly thought that our inability to secure lodging in the immediate vicinity would be a deal-breaker. This native Texan shoulda just whipped out an atlas and did the math...lots and lots of affordable rooms to be had in Austin, and it's not that far away.
   
   
5. 
   Actually refer to the map/guide inside the Show Daily Guide Book before the drive back home. Another Captain Obvious mistake. It has a handy dandy cross reference guide in the back to help you locate just where to find which vendor sells what.
   
   
6. 
   Quit rationalizing about all the reasons why you can't go back....already spent too much money, gotta get the booth stuff ready for Saturday, blah, blah, blah, baby fishcakes.....just DO IT!!!! It's like Disneyland only better, it's like Canton on steroids (I totally stole that last bit), it's the most fun you can have smack dab in the middle of nowhere in a cow pasture!!!
   

One thing I don't regret?

This schweeet little purchase right here...

Have you ever seen anything like it?

If you have, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

Cute little Asian inspired crusty child's toy chest, 

or as my husband is wont to call it, the "ugly baby thing".

It needs a little love, but once I give it a good spit shine and some polyurethane, 

it'll be ready to head to its happy new home.

Come see me at Water St. Antiques in Kerrville, Texas, 

for the ugly baby thing and lots, lots more!

I'm legit now!

The card says so, so it must be true!

My business cards and my store banner arrived in the mail today,
and I'm feeling an odd mixture of glee and doom.
Is this even the least bit normal?
I mean, they actually look professional!
Yikes, people are likely to expect something from me now.

True, it's not on the level of a tent in Warrenton
or my own brick and mortar store, but it's sort of a big whoop for me.
Baby steps, I have to keep reminding myself of that.

On the agenda for this week....work my day job as an RT
at the hospital for the next three days (12 hour shifts, ugh),
Church on Sunday like the good Catholic I am,
followed by a quick trip to Trade Days in Fredericksburg.
Before ya know it, you'll be seeing my smiling face in Warrenton!

I'm not due to take over my booth until the 1st of October,
so I still have a bit of time to beef up my inventory
and brainstorm some display/vignette ideas.
Does it always feel like no matter how much time you have to prepare,
it's never enough? No? Just me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

For all of you getting ready for the big shows in just over a week,
my thoughts and prayers are most certainly with you.
God willing, we will be sharing a tent one day in the not-too-distant future!

Happy Trails!

~ Anne

I rented my very first booth today!!!!!!!

 This is the banner I'll be hanging in my booth!

Do you think that was enough exclamation marks in the title?

Naaaah, I think not. Here's a few more...  !!!!!!!!!!!

Can ya tell I'm just a wee bit excited?

Doin' the happy dance here,
I cannot believe that it's FINALLY a reality!

Here's the scoop:

This is where I'll be located.

It's a well established antique mall with tons of foot traffic.
It's a gorgeous, two-story, turn of the century building
complete with creaky wooden floors and a tin ceiling.
It houses over 20,000 sq ft of antique bliss! Here's a few interior pics...

Lots of nifty retro signage above the front entrance.

Didn't I tell ya the tin ceiling was pretty rad?

Mmmm, hmmm, thought so.

Hey looky, we're headed up the stairs
to where my booth space is located!

I even love the stairs here!! Get a load of that patina.
Errr, maybe I oughta turn the gush factor down just a tad, ya think?

Okay now, kindly disregard the not so cool crap other dealer's stuff
in the space right now and picture all my rusty, chippy, industrial,
dreamy treasures instead. Got that image locked in? Okay, here's my spot...

Angle #1....I'm just off the stairs,
so I'll be getting loads of traffic!

Thankfully, the cruddy looking carpet is going,
leaving me with the glorious, original hardwood floors beneath.
Yippee Skippy!

Angle #2:

Angle #3:

That black bookcase might be staying, not sure yet.
It doesn't exactly rock my world, but I guess I could make it work for me.

More views...

So whaddaya think? It's not my dream space, but it's a start!

Here's a review of the mall that I cribbed from the web:

★★★★★ by Yahoo User
This is great fun! You can spend a couple of hours here poking around the many different dealer's areas. You'll find antique dolls toys vintage clothing coca cola memorabilia books china furniture and all the stuff you can remember from either your life your parents' life or your grandparents' life. The prices are great and the building itself is vast. The wooden floors and high ceilings sets you in the mood for years gone by. Poke around at your heart's content and find a few treasures to take home. Also because it is right in downtown Kerrville take some time to walk through some of the art galleries museums and shops all within walking distance. And...stop and have lunch at one of the good eateries right in downtown - lots of choices!

Here's two of the owners. Nice, nice ladies!
They even posed for this pic for me!

I head downtown bright and early to pay my deposit.
I don't think I'll actually taking possession until after Warrenton,
so that's good news for all you dealer buddies
who'll be selling there....you hear that Theresa? Mindy? Troy?
That means I'll be making one last hurrah
to stock up on inventory. Bring your good junk, k? ;-)

Big hugs to everyone who has walked this walk with me thus far!

XOXO,

Anne

Pass the cigars, it's a GIRL!

Ain't she purty?

Her name's Fantine.

Me and my gotta-have-it-right-now, impatient self
has been seriously jonesing for a dress form for what seems like forever.
My junking budget has taken a serious hit this past month or so
as I try to stock up on merch and props and such for my upcoming booth.
So a real live, busty, beautiful broad in the form of a female dress form was gonna have to wait.

In the meantime, I stumbled upon Jules, who I introduced you to last week.

Meh. He'll still come in handy, but he wasn't what I was truly looking for. 

Yes, I admit it....I was just using him until something better came along. 

Lookin' for the Junk BBD, no shame in that, right? 

So why do I feel like such a hussy, then?  ;-)

After Mass on Sunday, I set off just down the road
for some window shopping in the fab little town of Fredericksburg. You know, home of Red and the legendary Homestead stores, yada, yada.
Oh, and to grab a bite at the yummy well-known eatery, Rather Sweet ....
OMG, if you haven't eaten there, you simply must!
This chick is one seriously talented chef,
and she's been mentioned in scads of national mags
and been on the Food Network. Just go. Get the berry tart bar. Prepare to swoon.

Anyhoo....just window shopping. Yep, that's all I  planned on doing, yessirree. 

Was doing great until we hit the city limits 

and I saw a flashing "Antiques" sign I had never noticed before. 

"STOP THE CAR"  I screamed at my junking buddy 

who was driving. Turns out it's a brand spanking new Antique Mall 

which just opened a little over a month ago. 

They seem to have terrific stuff and mostly great prices. 

And that's where I found her....

She was nestled away in a corner behind a bunch of
Pepto Bismol pink frou frou. Almost passed her by,
and would have had she not whispered to me in French
"C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer".

And with that, my resolve melted like a puddle of sorbet.

She isn't vintage, but that's aiight, I have plans to tea stain her soon.
And she comes on a really sturdy, solid rolling stand.
The best part? I was able to get her for a song,
and nope, it wasn't La Vie En Rose, either.

I picked up a few more treasures at my newfound junk source, 

as well as got my name on the waiting list for when a booth opens up. Score!

Here's another nifty little find which caught my eye the minute I walked in the front door:

It's an egg carrier-sorter thingamabob! A little too pricey for me,
but representative of some of the unusual things they have there.

Next installment, I'll give ya's a peek at the darling scales
I practically stole from them they were so cheap!

Have a fab Monday!

~ Anne

What's a girl to do?

Installment #22 here of "Who, ME, a shop owner? Sheeyeah, right..."

If you're a new reader, kindly allow me to bring you up to speed.
This blog was created to document and share
the birth of a dream, namely, my dream of owning my own shop.
It surely won't be a full-blown affair from the get-go...rather,
I'm looking at renting a space in an antique mall to start out,
and I'm down to the final two contenders.
At this point, I'd like to defer to all of YOU who have actual experience at this sort of thing, because I'm a bit stymied right now.

Contender #1: 10 x 10 space in a large, multi-vendor, two-story shop. Rent is $89 month, must sign a three month lease, and 10% commission to the owner. I would not be required to work at all. I'd pretty much have complete autonomy to do what I want with my space, which is a big draw for me. I want to be able to express myself creatively and artistically within my booth, and this space will allow me to do just that. It gets a pretty good amount of foot traffic, too.

Contender #2: No clearly defined space, per se. I would bring my things in, be allowed to set them up, but they mentioned that they like to move things around to keep things fresh. No rent whatsoever, but owner gets 20% of sales. You are required to work one weekend a month, as you will rotate this out with the other vendors. Right now, there are three other vendors. Six month lease. Not as much traffic. The owners are the nicest people I think I've ever met, but I'm really not digging the fact that I wouldn't have a spot that's just mine. Yeah, I'm an only child, how'd ya guess?  ;-)

Me in all my spoiled rotten only child glory...

I'm also on a waiting list at a couple of other spots,
and there are a few other malls that have expressed interest in having me,
so I'm not limited to the two I've shared with you here.

At this point, it almost feels like a no brainer~go with Contender #1.

But am I missing something here???
Is there something just glaringly obvious, a red flag,
a Whoa Nelly, a Danger Will Robinson thang I'm just not seeing in either of these choices???

Can ya help a sista out here?


This post was edited to remove
any photos not taken by myself, Anne Lorys.

Big Orange Betty

It's going to be tough to part with her
once I get a booth or shop off the ground and running.

Oh, my apologies, I haven't introduced you
to my newest family member yet.....this is Big Orange Betty.....

She's a little self conscious about her height,
being 7 feet and all. A chunky hearty farm gal
from the plains of Minnesota, donchaknow.
How she made it to a flea market in the Texas Hill Country
is likely a tale to rival the very best of Lewis and Clark!
And don't ya dare even think about calling her Ugly Betty...
why she'd just as soon whomp you upside the head
with a rolling pin as put up with that sort of sass.

One of the local antique store Proprietoresses (is that a word?)
had her eye on Betty for a few weeks prior.
I know this because said Shop Owner is a friendly acquaintance,
and we've shared tales of our latest finds and acquisitions.

On the morning I picked Betty up from the market,
my trusty friend Junker Earl informed me that Shop Owner
had come by bright and early before I had arrived
to make doubly sure that I still wanted Betty and was
planning on picking her up. ]I know for a fact
that Betty wouldn't have left with her anyway....even though I got her for a steal at $85,
Shop Owner has a glorious shop full of beautiful but pricey treasures.
Betty, being a simple gal, instinctively felt more at home with me.

So, me and dutiful husband and dutiful friend loaded her up
and off we went. Got her home and began to play dress-up....

A little strip of burlap to temporarily cover the stains....

Enough lollygagging Betty, time to get to work!

Out with the unpacked wedding china,
into your watchful bosom, old girl.

She's going to be tough to say goodbye to on that fateful day,
but say goodbye I will. My shop will need a good-hearted,
big-boned sentry like Betty to keep an eye on things.....donchaknow?