Booth Update Checker Berry Bowdon Georgia

Been a little while since I made a post as I have been busy trying to get my website up and going while doing an update on my local booth in The Checker Berry Shoppe in Bowdon Ga.

When I get my domain name retrieved from a previous service I had (and it has not been easy) I will share my new website with you.

Looking forward to get everything completed by Monday so stayed tuned.

In the meantime I will share with you what I spent my day working on today.

Showcase of Artisans & Upcycling Vendors "Friends" Week 4

This weeks showcase shines the spotlight on local artist and business owner Michael Smith. Michael and his wife Kellie own K & M Coffee Co. in Tallapoosa, Ga where you can find a few of his beautiful creations along with other local goodies while enjoying the best coffee in West Georgia.

Enjoy a few pieces from his collection below (bottom right is created using vintage glass insulators).

Make sure to go by K & M Coffee Co. to see these beauties in person or check out their newly opened online store on Etsy at MiKellsCreations .

The process used when creating these lamp shades begin with each piece of glass being individually wrapped and soldered together. Some of the lampshades include as many as 275 pieces of glass and can weigh in at 18lbs.

Each lamp is a one of a kind original as he creates his own patterns.

Showcase of Artisans & Upcycling Vendors "Friends" Week 3

This weeks segment showcasing vendors I have met and admired in my journey thru the fun/interesting world of antique, craft, resale malls will be located at The Checker Berry Shoppe . I choose this mall again for my week 3 spotlights since so many talented friends and fellow vendors call it home. I wanted to show some of the many bright and bold colors of spring. Jane P. and Debbie have such an eye for stunning color in their presentations I just had to share a few of their creations.

Jane P has 2 lovely booths on the main floor of The Checker Berry

I have always loved Jane P's floral Bridal Bouquets

Debbie is full of energy and has a unique variety of items sprinkled through out the mall

Showcase of Artisans & Upcycling Vendors "Friends" Week 2

This weeks showcase shines the spotlight on a local artist and good friend Debbie Thigpen. I met Debbie back when I was still getting my feet wet in the antique mall circuit. She came into a shop I was in, struck up a conversation and we have been good friends ever since.

Debbie works as a special educator in our local school system and spends her free time junking and creating. I have always told her she has a great eye for the unique and highly sought after finds. If she decides to ever quit her day job she could make a good living picking and creating her art work. Her work is reflective of farmhouse/vintage and it always amazes me when I see what she has come up with next.

Enjoy a few pieces from her collection and go by The Nest On Bradley Street to see more from her and other local artists.

Becky owner of The Nest works hard to bring her loyal customers a wonderful variety of vintage furniture, gift items while proudly promoting local artisans and products.

Showcase of Artisans & Upcycling Vendors "Friends" Week 1

The Checker Berry Shoppe located in Bowdon, Ga. right in the heart of Main Street and recognized as the oldest antique mall in the West Georgia area. This warm and friendly mall is currently the home to over 40 dealers, several have been their since opening.

I am starting a new segment featuring some of the fine dealers and the variety of items they offer.

I would like to start with 3 friends and fellow vendors that join me in making The Checker Berry Shoppe a fun and exciting place to shop.

Lovely decorated space by Teresa

Sweet little vanity by Peggy

A nice collection by Denise of Junkin Chicks

Checker Berry Spring Celebration

The Checker Berry Spring Celebration is an annual event where you can come enjoy refreshments along with 2 floors of shopping to help bring in the season of Spring. Many items reduced for this event. 

Checkerberry Shop Vendor #15 TamarasTreasureTrove

With the success of my online store Tamaras Treasure Trove on Etsy.com I have downsized my presence in the local mall atmosphere.

I currently have a small space in a large local antique mall in Bowdon, Ga called The Checkerberry Shoppe. I have spent the last 8 years renting spaces in as many as 4 different local area malls but it wasn’t hard to choose which one I would pick to keep a space in while I put my focus on my Etsy store.

The Checkerberry Shoppe is the oldest Antique Mall in West Georgia  and has the fresh but classic feel of what a Antique Mall should be like when looking for some great old stuff. While shopping two floors of goodness you will also find a variety of old and new gifts, collectibles, handmade items, repurposed creations, candles and local honey.

Check out their Facebook Page @ The Checker Berry Shoppe or better yet go by and pay this wonderful shop a visit. You will not be disappointed. They are located right in the heart of downtown Bowdon, Ga at 129 - 131 W. College St.

The Treasure Hunt Begins

I started my booth with items I had collected thru the years, this seems to be the way the majority of people begin their life as a antique mall vendor. With the passing of my husband in 2007 and the loss of my job in 2008 I was determined to downsize my home and what better way to do it but to fill my booth with the treasures of my past. I was ready to let go of a few things as it was my way of trying to pick myself up and have a clean start.

With my 1st booth set and ready for business my next quest would be how to keep it full. The country was faced with a time where people were out of work (2009) and looking for a way to survive so they turned to having yard sales. It was a full time job going to what seemed like endless yard sales. I drove hundreds of miles each Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s that summer. It was a bittersweet time, people selling off their treasures including treasures from the past while at the same time mall dealers had the opportunity to acquire vintage items at a resellable price for their booths.

This was all new territory for me as I enjoyed my new found freedom of shopping and being outdoors with the sun shinning on my face instead of sitting behind a desk. I had a modest savings account that afforded me the opportunity to pursue my dream of doing something I loved. I had no idea at the time of how long it would take me to turn a profit from my new career direction but I was determined to make it a success.

I’ve listed a few of my favorite places to find product

• The easiest and most plentifully place to find product would be yard sales (this is seasonal)
• I have friends who love auctions (found out I was not a fan early on)
• Thrift stores
• Flea Markets
• Surprisingly: antique malls (booth closing sales)
• Estate Sales (I shy away from the ones that are professionally ran as prices tend to be very high)
• Craigslist

I was able to build a vast inventory with little investment that first summer.

Pictured are some of my personal favorite finds from the past. tamarastreasuretrove.etsy.com

My Start as a Antique Mall Mini Entrepreneur

Starting a booth in my first antique mall was exciting, hard work and a little scary. My first experience was in a new mall where everyone was building their space from scratch which made it less intimidating. I moved in all my furniture pieces and staged them within the space I had rented. This took a minute as I rearranged it a few times before I got it the way I wanted (it always looks different in my mind)

I recall sitting on the floor trying to polish out some scratches on a sweet little china cabinet I had in my home for years when a man and his wife walked up and asked if they could give me some advice. Of course I was eager to learn as I accepted the pearls of wisdom this couple wanted to share. The husband said he would be right back and walked away while his wife stayed to introduce themselves and share some background with me on their history in the antique business. Her husband returned with some 000 steel wool and a tin of Restor-a-finish in his hand ready to show me the quick and easy way to make my furniture look new again. I looked puzzled as I was just sure that steel wool would scratch my furniture instead of smoothing it out. He poured out a small dot of Howards on the 000 steel wool, told me to apply it in the direction of the grain and like magic, easy peasy my furniture was like new again.

Moral of the story: listen to your elders, invest in the proper tools and your journey will be easier. At the time in 2008 Restor-a-finish 1) wasn’t as easily available as it is today 2) was more expensive than most furniture polish but is so worth the money as it does smooth the finish out along with the time savings in labor which far outweighs the cost.

I made some new friends that day, good people that I still call friends today.

tamarastreasuretrove.etsy.com

In The Beginning

Running my Etsy store has afforded me the opportunity to live the American Dream of owning my own business. To make it a success you have to set aside a consistent work week and put in the hours you would as if you were accountable to an employer.

I tried Etsy back in 2009 for about 4 months and did not find it to be a venue that would bring me the success I was looking for. I believe they were still trying to find their standing in the marketplace.

I starting scouting out local antique/craft malls to try my hand at resell and fell in love with the idea of having a small shop without the risks. I rented a small 10x10 space in a new mall that was opening up in my area. This worked for me at the time since you could do this with little to no investment.

The hunt was on to fill my little shop with treasures to resell. I frequented thrift stores, other antique malls, flea markets and yard sales. I bought what I loved (the hardest thing I figured out real fast was that not everyone loved what I loved) so there was a learning curve. You have to be interested enough to learn your market and what people are looking for in your part of the world to buy for resell accordingly. I would take my treasures home to clean, upcycle and restore them to a like new condition for its next owner to enjoy.

I loved my new path in life and it was a long hard road to get to where I am today so over the next few months I will share my adventures with you that  lead me to the success I am currently enjoying on Etsy today.

tamarastreasuretrove.etsy.com