Preparing to haul furniture

Winter is fast approaching us in the South. I am already day dreaming of summer to be here again. I am preparing to haul furniture and accessories to Sweeten Creeks Antiques in Asheville, NC in the next few weeks and I hope and pray the weather will be nice. I have talked to many dealers that travel to Asheville and they all reassure me that I should have a great business there with my fair prices on unique custom painted furniture.  By the way, I base my prices on how much I have to pay for it and not the actual value of it.  I spend a lot of my time searching for good deals on quality pieces. I have, however, paid more for some pieces only because they are a rare find and I will probably never find another one like it.  I always gravitate to the unusual style of an old piece, ornate moldings and don’t forget the legs…. I love legs with rusty old castors. In the early 1900’s people did not have air conditioning so furniture had to withstand the heat. Can you imagine 98 degrees with no air conditioning and you have to cook too?!!!  These antique pieces have withstood many years of weather, a house full of children and everyday use and they are still in great shape.  It amazes and excites me to find a wonderful piece of our history that has traveled across the country and made its home in the South.  Here’s a great example in the photo's above……I found this mid-century modern chest which is a very popular sleek style and a designer told me to price it at $350.00.  It is solid as the day it was built, the drawers open and close like butter and it has the original pulls. It is painted in a pale blue chalk paint, lightly distressed and heavy waxed.....And best of all,  I am selling it for only $185.00.

Its up to YOU!!

I don’t crank out as many custom painted pieces of furniture as I should and some pieces sit in my garages for months until I have a vision of what I would like them to look like finished. That is probably not a good business practice but sometimes it’s not all about the money……it’s about your reputation as a designer.  I want my customers to be excited about buying a custom piece from me and know that it will look beautiful for years to come. All antique furniture has flaws….some more than others, so I take the time to make minor repairs, drill holes for new updated hardware, replace damaged castors, etc. so these pieces will last with everyday use for another 100 years.  I use the best chalk and milk paint I can find along with the waxes and glazes.  Trying to save money in products really shows in the finished piece.  I tried that years ago and it makes a huge difference in the durability of everyday use.  Does it affect your selling price???  Of course it does. I will pay more for a well-built piece and drop my profit margins, than to buy a piece of crap and cover it up with paint.  Don’t forget that old saying, “You get what you pay for”.  Would you rather spend a few dollars more and get a fabulous custom painted antique that will look great for years or would you rather save a few dollars and buy a painted piece that looks good for now.  It’s entirely up to you!!

 

Sometimes we just need a change to move forward

It’s been awhile since I have posted anything. I have been so busy hunting, painting delivering, etc. I just haven’t had the time. I have been trying to find another location for my shop and hopefully if everything goes well, I will be moving to a new location and only selling in Greenville from my home. It is stressful enough trying to keep up with my inventory without having to deal with other issues at my current Greenville location. Here’s a quick rundown of my recent custom designed pieces….most of them have already found forever homes.

On a Mission

I am on a mission to turn part of my garage into a working studio and have many of my finished painted furniture pieces arranged in a display setting. I accept most all major credit cards which makes it so much easier and a convenience for my customers. I will be uploading photo's on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thebluedoorofgreenville?ref=hl) of the pieces I will have available that you can purchased directly from me. So when I get them uploaded and you see something you may be interested in, you can contact me via Facebook and we can set up a time for you to stop by. I live on Woodruff Road so it is sort of in the middle of everything. I will continue to have my shop at Southern Estates Antiques. They have been very good to me. Time permitting, I hope to also participate in some of the market events. PS: A few of these pieces did not last long and have already found new homes but I wanted you to see them anyway.

Tip of the Day

I have been trying for weeks to have the time to write on my blog. I, for the first time, participated in the Vintage Market in the Park in Greer this year and I had so much fun meeting and talking to people. When everything slowed down a little I walked around and spoke to other dealers. Over all, for me anyway, it went well. Of course, I was exhausted so I took a week off from painting anything. That’s a hard task for me. Usually it takes days to prep and finish furniture to my liking so I always try to have a few pieces of furniture ready to go in advance. Retail is unpredictable. I like to keep things moving, so I always try to keep my prices as low as I possibly can, which means I have to search and search myself to buy as low as possible. In the past few years painted antiques are very popular so more and more people are doing it. Keep in mind that paint covers up a multitude of sin such as water damage and falling apart furniture. I think that old saying holds true for this industry……you get what you pay for. I personally had rather pay a few dollars more and get a high end quality antique that will last another hundred years with proper care and maintenance than to go home with a piece of junk. Look for shabby chic not just plain shabby. Lol Well, that’s my tip of the day so go shopping and have fun!!

Sharing Knowledge

I haven’t been on my blog in a while now, so I thought I would pop in and say hello and tell you about my latest news. Working with dark waxes and stains are sometimes tricky, so I am always open to new ways to improve and perfect my techniques. I met an old pro a while back (in painting, not age) that gave me some great advice on how to work with my dark waxes and aging techniques and I tried it on a table this past weekend and it is an amazing transformation!! I just stood back and said “wow”, I love it!! I have learned that a confident successful artist is always happy to share some of their knowledge with others. Of course, if you are in the business it is never wise to share everything you know. I am so excited to use my “new” knowledge on so many more pieces. Stop by my shop at Southern Estates Antiques and let me know what you think. Here is a few pictures …….. I tried to get a close up but you still can’t really see the richness of the colors from the photo’s.

Hurry up Spring....I am ready for you!!

It will soon be Spring!! This weekend was wonderful and Selena and I sat on the patio enjoying the warm sunshine. I went to an estate sale yesterday and that was fun. I usually look for old antiques but not primitive antiques so much, but I lucked up on some great pieces and I went to work. I try to have unique designs on every piece and I was very happy how these turned out. When I am trying to come up with a design I want it to be something that will blend in with todays modern slick lines and be an accent piece to a beautiful space. I don’t have my own shop so the people at Southern Estates meet and talk to all of my customers when I wish I could be there to do it myself so I can give them the background on many of my antiques that have a lot of history. I have been fortune enough to meet some of my repeat customers and its lovely to hear that they are enjoying their purchases from me. Here’s some photo’s of my latest pieces and a few of others, too!!