Around this time last year, I started participating in pop-up markets. I had no idea what I was doing and flew by the seat of my pants through the first few. Back then, I wrote a post with “tips” for other sellers, but let’s not kid ourselves, those tips were as much for me as they were for you guys because I was still as much a newbie as anyone else. A year later, I’ve learned a few things (through trial and error mostly) and I’m starting to feel more relaxed about the process of public selling.
A lot of people ask me what kind of stuff I sell and, really, I sell just about anything vintage if it has caught my eye, is in good condition and easy to transport. I look for things I know people want and quality products are always in vogue. In a disposable culture, such as what we have today, I believe that’s why there has been a return to vintage. People want items that don’t wear out in a week. Everything old is new again and many people want to learn the skills their grandparents had. In one of the photos below, there is a great shot of a gentleman who purchased a vintage Gem-O-Matic safety razor from me. His interest prompted a discussion among the men at the sale about shaving the way their grandfathers did and what you need to know to do it right (without shredding your face!) .
At every sale, I get asked if I have a brick and mortar store. Nope. Selling vintage is something I do for fun in my free time. I’ve sold a bit through Instagram and I aspire to begin selling through Etsy, but I like selling at pop-ups best of all.
To further your idea of what I sell and what a sale is like, I thought I would share some photos and a video from the trunk show I did on September 14th. These were taken by Christian Anderson of Penamora Photo who was kind enough to do some shots for me of the event since, as usual, I forgot something in all my preparation…my camera!