The Antiquer's Rant: Why Antique Malls Are Going Out Of Business

Post from a fellow blogger..

The Antiquer's Rant: Why Antique Malls Are Going Out Of Business

A little Homage to Decatur: Happy Hannuchristmakkah or Merry Chrismahannumas

This afternoon, the local farmer's market was filled to the edges with buggy-to-buggy traffic, a scene more common on a Saturday than on a Wednesday. I consider myself to be a very lucky person to live a couple of miles from one of the country's most diverse, interesting, and reasonably priced international markets, and if that means burrowing my way through the crowds every so often, then I'm okay with that. The market is open every single day of the year with two exceptions: Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. That's it. Besides having a little restaurant inside with a vast array of homemade ethnic hot and cold dishes for under $5 a pound, the DeKalb Farmer's Market is a true melting pot of cultures from all over the globe. It's one of my favorite places in the Atlanta area, not just for all of their selections, but because of the way I feel when I'm there. The sounds, smells, textures, and colors all blend together with the smiles of all the people who shop and work there, and it's rare that I don't bump into at least one person whom I know whenever I'm there.

The market happens to be walking distance to another very cool Decatur landmark, Kudzu Antiques Flea Market, one of the longest running antique flea markets around, and one of the few places that has been around longer than my business! My very first shop location was about half a mile from Kudzu, and I still know a majority of the dealers who have their shops there. Karen Kennedy is one of the dealers there, and her vintage clothing and jewelry remains to be some of the nicest and most authentic around.

Speaking of my first shop, I originally rented out an old mill house in Scottdale, GA, a little city adjacent to Decatur. The rent was cheap and the financial risk low...Old Mill Antiques, owned by Jerry Kicklighter, who was also my landlord, specialized in refinishing furniture, and to this day, they are still a very "old-school" type antique store, owner operated, and to my knowledge, no website or online presence. Mr. Kicklighter had been an accounting professor at a local college before he retired and invested in a string of old houses and turned them into a little antique village. While times have certainly changed immensely since he first put out a shingle and set up shop, on the rare occasion that I stop by, there is a certain old time charm that remains everpresent.

I guess being the end of the year, I am finding myself a bit reflective, possibly spurred by my trip to the market earlier, a reminder of my little home and life that I have created and remained in for so long now. Even as I am setling into my "true" middle age status (yikes! that sounds kinda scary!), and I have my plans to downsize as I pursue my yoga and nutrition studies, I still can't see myself moving away from this area. While I plan on eventually selling my home, I would be perfectly fine to move a block away in a smaller place. I guess you can say I truly love the neighborhood...no, the community...in which I live. A place that has continued to be there for me, and I can only hope to be able to continue to reciprocate. Twenty five years ago, Decatur was a sleepy town with only a couple of restaurants and bars and a shop here and there. Today, it has become a real hot spot and a great alternative to going OTP (outside the perimeter) for shopping, culture, and entertainment.

I've only touched the surface of the many gifts Decatur has to offer, of course. Besides the antiques here, I am also very grateful for Decatur Yoga and Pilates, a little yoga studio where I had only planned on taking classes initially, and now I find myself immersed in yoga both as a student and a teacher. Life can certainly throw you a curve ball here and there. While I have probably have spent 99% of my time on the planet within about a 10 mile radius of where I am sitting right now, I have no regrets thanks to the beauty and grace that can experience by being here. Yes, Paris is great, the Greek Isles were amazing (and I cannot wait to go back...soon!), and I want to see the world all I can, I have a feeling my heart, my home, will remain in Decatur.

Business is ALWAYS Good

A long time ago, I don't know if it actually happened or if I read it, the question, "How's business?" was asked, and it was said that the answer should always be:

"Business is always good."

I didn't really understand the significance of that question or answer, though as time has passed, I understand it now.

The headlines today have not been very positive, and the climate that has been created lately aren't very encouraging. In the US we have been inundated with many bleak forecasts regarding the overall economy, as well as both large and small businesses.

I began my business when I was around 20 years old by filling up a little old mill house in Scottdale, Georgia (not to be confused with Scottsdale, Arizona) with yard sale and flea market finds that I had stored under beds and in wardrobes and sideboards. Within a short time, I realized I had found my niche, my passion, and for nearly 2 and a half decades, I am still in business. While the venues have changed and my focus has evolved, The Family Jewels is still in business. Four presidents (soon to be five) have run administrations since I first opened my doors, and Madonna has metamorphasised from a virgin to a 50 year old divorced mother of two. Yet throughout all these years and the multitude of changes that have happened all around the world and within myself, one thing remains the same: Business is always good.

I can't say I've always adopted that attitude, to be honest. I have had times where I commiserated about how things were changing for the worse, not better. I have had seasons in my shop where the money seemed to roll in and others when I wondered if I had seen the last customer that would ever grace my doorway. I saw eBay change for me from a profitable venue to disappointing a best. I had times when I wondered if anything would ever sell again.

But through it all...and this may seem like a tree-hugging, granola-girl, hippie-dippie attitude...the universe has continued to provide. Sure, sometimes maybe it seemed to provide more than at other times, ultimately, my basic needs have been met. Always. The funny thing is that sometimes the final picture of what I really needed wasn't what I had envisioned it to be, but all highs and lows considered, life is good. So, I am not rich, living in a mansion, or world reknown. And I haven't been awarded scholarly degrees or a Nobel Peace Prize.

Life is good. And if you ask me, business is good. It's good not because of the amount of merchandise I am selling or the overall state of the world economy. It's good because it it's good. Really good. For all these years I have gotten an education in life, and I have met people from all over who have given me a connection to the world. I have been able to live in a nice home in a lovely area with friendly neighbors and a loving group of family and friends. I've been able to raise a child and provide him with the love and support he needs to now be a well adjusted and successful college student and individual. And I have also been able to have the freedom to pursue other interests and to fill up my life with things that matter to me.

So, how's business? If anyone asks, for me, it is always good. And for that, I have yet one more thing for which to be grateful.

PS: Thanks for all your support to my online shop!

Passions...and some of my history

It's a cold and overcast morning in the usually Sunny South, and instead of braving the elements, I decided to stay in and work. But on what? And it got me to thinking about passions. Not of the romantic type, mind you, but of the passions that drive me. As I settle into my mid 40s, 43 to be more exact, okay, middle age if you must, I find myself more reflective on life and on devoting my time to what really lights my fire.

As a teenager, I just wanted to grow up, so I flew through high school as quick as I could so I could graduate early and play house with my boyfriend. I thought I knew everything, as most 16 and 17 year olds do. In fast forward, I began college, worked various jobs, and by about age 20, I had discovered my passion for buying and selling antiques and collectibles. Long story short, I was waiting tables and my best friend Walter, began showing up at the restaurant wearing these amazing rhinestone brooches from the 1940s and 50s that he bought from a little flea market around the corner. I had already been going to yard sales, mostly out of necessity as I couldn't afford to furnish my home with new items, but when Walter turned me on to these glitzy works of art, a passion was sparked. I had to have them. At first I wanted them all. I wanted to go to every yard sale, estate liquidation, flea market, and antique shop and uncover every treasure there was. I wanted more...more ....MORE. The restaurant was sold to a new owner who fired most of the old staff, so I was suddenly without a job. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.

A sudden firing, my father's death, dropping out of college, and meeting an antique shop owner who hired me on the spot...my path for the next 23 years was set in motion. Within about a year, I had rented an old mill house that was part of a small antique village of old mill houses, and The Family Jewels was born. My jewelry interests expanded from rhinestones to Victoriana, Edwardian, art deco, art nouveau, bakelite, sterling silver and more. And I found that with jewelry came other collectibles: mesh and beaded purses, old powder jars, celluloid dresser sets, crystal decanters, hatpins, old ivory fans, flapper dresses...the list goes on. I found turn-of-the-century tiger oak sideboards, birds-eye maple vanity sets, kitchen collectibles, American art pottery, occupied Japan figurines, old postcards, advertising memorabilia, antique paintings, copper bedwarmers, and so much more. My little shop filled up and I quickly began making a name for myself. I met a man at an antique show, we fell in love, and spent days, even weeks, traveling around the the countryside. We hit every state from Florida to Pennsylvania...yard sales, antique shops and malls, flea markets and shows...no stone unturned. While we found great treasures at every turn, we actually created our greatest treasure...a bouncing baby boy. In September of 1989, Alex was born. I was 24.

In a few years, I moved my store to the trendy Decatur Square and my business shifted from a little more than a hobby to a full fledged business. I was a single mother by then, and my son and I went to work. He cooed and gooed in his little playpen while I bought and sold antiques, vintage jewelry, and collectibles. I became more than just a business in Decatur, I was part of the community, and Decatur became my home...a place to work, live, and raise my son. I loved my shop and made friends and longtime customers who remain in my life to this day, though eventually the internet was born. After several years of resisting the new technology, I finally succumbed and began dabbling with eBay and online auctions. Suddenly my client base expanded from the metro Atlanta area to all around the globe. I began shipping items to China, Australia, Europe, South America, not to mention all over the U.S. The world began to get smaller. in May 2000, I moved my business online and closed my bricks and mortar store in what was considered at the time to be the big "Bricks to Clicks" movement...I had gone cyber.

Click here to see the CNN article on my business and the Bricks to Clicks trend of 2000

Actually, I was in my mid 30s and my passions were shifting. I no longer had as much desire to be bound to a shop all day long, instead opting to run in 10Ks and half marathons, as well as being at home more as my son entered his preteen years. Besides my passion for buying and selling antiques, I was also increasingly interested in alternative and holistic health, nutrition, and fitness. In my late 30s, my path led me to yoga, and I was completely surprised as my passion grew to a point where I not only became a dedicated practitioner for nearly 5 1/2 years, but I am also a yoga teacher now as well.

I still love antiques, especially jewelry, as is probably quite evident in my Family Jewels online store, though today, I am much more likely to be teaching or taking a yoga class at 6am on any given morning before you would find me in line waiting for an estate sale to begin. For the past 2 years I have been in school pursuing a degree as a holistic nutritional consultant, as well getting certified to teach various styles of yoga. This summer I began my yoga training to receive my 200 hour yoga teacher training. And yes, I still drop in a yard sale or flea market on occasion.

Within the next year, I see myself finishing school and hopefully beginning my nutrition practice, weaving it with my path of yoga, both as a teacher and a student. Working with people who want to improve their well-being on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels is my passion and has been for quite some time. Becoming a more mindful yogini and growing as an individual has been a challenging and rewarding path, and finding out how little I know and having a beginner's mind is a humbling experience.

Through all of this, one passion has remained, and while at one time I thought I may phase out my Family Jewels antique business completely, I am realizing now that I will more than likely always dabble in my business to maintain that connection with other collectors and buyers from around the globe. Times change...the world climate, politics, economics, environment, technology...but for me, I am staying on my path and remaining open to evolve and grow, embracing my passions and seeking balance in them all.

What economic crunch?

Well, after much resistance in a blog created for the sole purpose of blatantly self promoting my online business, Family Jewels, here I am. No promises. I may not post everyday, or week, or even month. I tried with newsletters and little personalized emails to regular customers, and while I am probably one of the more rare types of online merchants one would find when perusing the 'net for goodies, I'm not good at long term commitments in this arena. However, here I am. For those of you who don't know me, a quick version would have to include the following:

I opened up a little shop called the Family Jewels around 1985. I specialized in vintage jewelry, antiques, and collectibles. I was 20 years old.

The shop did very well, and after a few years, I not only became a single parent to a great little boy, but I also moved my little shop to the trendy downtown Decatur Square where I stayed for about 10 years. The shop was stocked, every nook and cranny filled with authentic, unique, and affordable jewelry and collectible, purchased from local estates, collections, and around the globe. Other than New York City or Los Angeles, shops like this were (and still are) a pretty rare site.

In 2000, I closed my store to be a stay-at-home/working-mom...the internet was in full swing, and after a few years of dabbling with eBay and Yahoo auctions, I decided to focus solely online.

So, Family Jewels became www.familyjewels.us

Same phone number, same Decatur/Atlanta GA base, same proprietor. Above all else, I've continued to offer the same authentic and interesting vintage and antique jewelry and accessories with the same superb personalized customer service.

Over the past (nearly) 2 and a 1/2 decades, I have seen the economy rise and fall, yet something I have observed from a very personal level, is this: for the most part, antiques and vintage items are recession proof. Really they are. Yes, eBay and the internet have made certain things go from ultra-rare to everywhere, and prices for some things have fallen while others have risen, overall, you still get the most bang for the buck when buying previously owned antiques, uniques, and collectibles.

A jewelry store chain at the mall may have that "deal"...carat diamond earrings for $49.99 or pearl earrings for $19.99...but what are you really getting? My experience is that you generally end up with a mass produced, substandard quality item that you will see over and over again, not to mention the fact that if and when you decide to sell or upgrade, your item is generally worth pennies on the dollar of the original "sale" price.

Conversely, on my site, as well as many other online sites, for the same amount of money, you can not only find something unique and special, but often, after time it will at least retain, if not appreciate in value. Other benefits include the fact that you are engaging what I have heard called "elegant recycling", you are supporting small business, and you get to buy directly from the owner of the business...in my case...that means Moi!

So, in a time of transition...a new president for the U.S. in January, economic challenges for many, housing and credit crunch, big bail outs for big businesses and corporations, and an ailing earth suffering from industrialization, global warming, limited energy supplies, what better time to recycle. Shop from home, click and buy, and better yet, find reputable family owned online businesses (like mine) to at least give a chance first....then if all else fails, gas up the Hummer, brave onto the highways to risk getting mauled at the mall, and then...and only then...check out the large chain stores!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

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