I Love Being Part of a Christmas Wish Come True!

I know I've told you before how much I enjoy being a 'matchmaker' and helping people find items that really make them happy.

This week I was blessed by a story that a buyer shared with me,  Actually, it brought me to tears, though that's not all that hard to do...I'm a real crier and even get weepy at commercials!

Back to the point...
A woman bought this Christmas stocking, shortly after I'd listed it.

Here's the message that she sent me about it:
"I just have to thank you for making an almost impossible Christmas wish come true!  Last November my parents were in the process of moving closer to home, closer to her grandbabies.  In the grueling process of moving, a Christmas tote was accidentally left behind at the storage unit.  Unfortunately, in a matter of minutes, the tote was stolen.  The only thing worth any sentimental value was my mother's 1960s Christmas stocking.  She's been devastated over it.  Her mother had written her name on it; it was one of the last things she had from her mom.  My grandmother suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  I plan on having her write my mother's name, to the best of her ability, on the top of the stocking.  I have been searching for this stocking for days now.  I never thought I'd find it!  Thank you so much for making a Christmas wish come true!!!!!"

I'm getting all teary again, just typing this (of course)  I'll never get rich selling vintage stuff, but I've been made richer by far for being a small part of someone else's happy experience!

Things Don't Always Work Out...

A year ago, I was busy fixing up a second booth at the antique mall, right next to my original booth.

The second booth on move in day.  Check out the ugly walls!

Week one, moved in -- trying to live with the green walls.  Bad idea

Two booths seemed like a great idea at the time!  I wanted to have more room for furniture and larger pieces, have one booth be more mid-century than the other, and (hopefully) clean out the barn and reduce inventory in the basement.

Week three, right after I painted the walls...with everything still in it, of course (why do it the easy way if you can make it more difficult?)

Things don't always turn out the way you expect them to, do they?
*The furniture moved very slowly -- even though the economy is better, most people seem hesitant to spend the bigger $$ and are more likely to buy smalls.  *No matter how popular mid-century is everywhere else, it's a slow mover in our little pocket of Michigan.  What sells well in Ann Arbor or Royal Oak just sits at the mall (I see this in the other mid-century booths, as well, so I know it's not just my stuff).  The only exception is kitchenware and Pyrex, in particular.  *The barn got a lot more empty, but the basement didn't.

Last weekend, I moved out and went back down to one...

One of the five car loads of junk merchandise leaving the mall...

It was much easier to move everything out than in...
I took out things from both booths that had been there a while, which are now destined for the resale shop or thrift donation (it's always funny to see my own items at Salvation Army!)  As much as could fit in the remaining booth was moved in.  Everything else was sorted into the right box for resale, future mall sale or donation.  5 car loads later, it's all back in the garage, barn and basement, so I'm right back where I started.  Except that I'm MUCH wiser!

Move out day.  (I think I left it looking better than when I got it)

It's hard not to feel a little bit defeated, though I'm choosing to take the 'Thomas Edison' point of view...now I know what doesn't work, so I can concentrate on what does!

Everything that could fit in #165 is in there -- it's bursting at the seams!  I don't think I've ever had so much stuff on the walls.

Here's a funny thing, though...Just to show that I'm completely addicted to vintage, as I'm leaving the mall with car load #5, I see something I just have to have -- this very cool styrofoam sleigh!  My car was so full that it had to ride in the front seat, but it still came home with me.  I can't quite decide what to do with it.

I might fill this sleigh with wrapped boxes and put it on the front porch or to one side of the fireplace near the tree.  

I owe a HUGE thank you to Mr. KV, who took a day off of work on Friday and gave up his Saturday to help me move stuff, hauled tables, chests of drawers and bins around, kept me focused and on-task, and took several carloads back to the house.  Pretty nice for guy who wanted stuff to go away rather than come back.  That's true love!