Dear Vintage Friends....!
I hope this post finds you all enjoying a FANTASTIC week....! As it seems more often than not these days I'm literally 'all over the shop'....Running here....Running there....Running bloody EVERYWHERE in a mad flap trying to get everything done....So busy if truth be told I don't know whether to laugh or throw my hands up in the air & just BE DONE WITH IT sometimes....Rather than sit & wallow though, I thought it might be a good idea to write a series of posts on what it's actually like running a
small TINY Vintage Reselling business full time....It may very well serve as a deterant for anyone out there who thinks we're all leading a GLAM, carefree life surrounded by neat vintage stuff....**wink**....!
So....To start....When I resigned from work this past January it was done so after careful consideration & contemplation....Mr SVJ & I have no debt other than our mortgage which is in GREAT shape due to spending the first five years paying above & BEYOND the minimum payment....!!
I'm a frugal girl by nature & was happy to pay 93% of my wage towards our home & made a game of seeing how much I could scrimp & save from the amount I was left with each fortnight....! I don't BUY retail/new....EVER....Unless of course you count the Stoopidmarket but then I shop at Aldi so that doesn't really count & as our fruit & vegies are purchased at the Dandy Market each Tuesday....It counts even less....!!
I digress though....
The point is I didn't just resign from work....I sat down, looked at our finances, put a business plan together & weighed up the risks....CAREFULLY....If it wasn't for the support of Mr SVJ & his SECURE income, I wouldn't have been able to leave my job....PERIOD....!!!!!
Alas....As FRUGAL a girl as I am though....I started my business with NO capital other than a home filled with yummy vintage furniture & homewares that I would be able to sell as required....There were NO funds in my business account to act as a buffer so I was reliant on my LAST pay packet AND the proceeds of my stall at Fryerstown in January to get things going....Add a couple of well timed tax returns into the mix & I've managed to keep my head above water these past 6 months....It hasn't been easy though & I'm NOWHERE near drawing a wage....!!
Due to my
tight constrictor like budget, I need to pay as LITTLE as possible for my Treasures....There is of course a downside to this....Rather than buying in bulk STRAIGHT from Pickers who've spent the time sourcing Treasures themselves, I need to do the leg work myself....And this involves time....Lots & LOTS of time....!!
On average, I spend a
MINIMUM of 35 hours a week just trying to find NEAT stuff....These hours are spent in the car driving from one end of Melbourne to the other as well as country runs & costs me around $150- a week in petrol....
Then comes....The PROCESSING....Which is the NUMBER ONE downside for me (next to the FREAKIN' paperwork)....Because my Treasures come to me
as they are filthy, broken, almost BEYOND hope....I then need to clean, repair & decide how far to refurbish a piece to get it to a state that I would then be happy to have in MY HOME....!
Today for example....I spent from 6.30am to 11.45am out the back cleaning my stuff....Bent over, scrubbing my heart out....The yellow rubber dish gloves protecting my hands perished within the first hour so I did the rest 'commando' & have bruised & bloody knuckles, scratches up my wrists & a few more bruises up my shins for my efforts....
In the end....I was left with a pile of ALMOST ready to go pieces....!
In this lot there are several small projects requiring spraying with metal poly....I also need to cut a piece of ply to fit the black atomic looking 50's magazine stand & paint it a cheery red....
Mr SVJ will be happy with these yellow storage containers I found him for his 'bits'....!
I was initially a little bummed when I found this orange enamel piece as it was missing one of the containers....Of course all I need to do is pop a terracotta pot in there with a succulent & away you go....!!
Galvanised crates, wire bird cages, wooden & metal stools, Willow trays & buckets....DELICIOUSNESS....!
This one's a KEEPER....This is the THIRD one of these I've found over the last 12 years & each time I say I'm gonna keep it I end up selling it....Well not this time....It's STAYIN'....!!
Just in case you're wondering, it's a hospital maternity ward bassinet....K-E-E_P-E-R....!!!!!
After the BIG STUFF was cleaned & drying I started on my textile pile....This is a YUMMY barkcloth curtain I salvaged to sell as fabric....I've NEVER ever found a penny weight before....Usually, lead fishing weights were used etc....This time around I found TWO coins dated 1959 & 1962....**smile**....!!
So there you have it....PROCESSING day at Casa SVJ....
Cleaning heavy items = 5 1/4 hours
Cleaning, sorting textiles = 1 hour
Loading van to go to storage = 1/2 hour
Unloading & reorganising AT storage unit = 1 hour
TOTAL = 7 3/4 hours
** My days not finished though....As I'm off to the The Vintage Shed to restock tomorrow, I need to spend a couple of hours sorting what stock I'm taking down, pricing it, adding the info to my spreadsheet & loading the van....But that's a WHOLE new post....! **
NB: there's probably another 1 1/2 hours worth of work in the items requiring additional work/repair but as it's windy today, I can't spray....This means, items go into storage tagged as WAITING to have work done when I can fit it in....!!
** If you have any questions re this post & PROCESSING day, feel free to ask....I'll answer any & ALL questions in the comment section....!! **
This post was not written to illicit sympathy....Just sayin' it as it is & keepin' it real....I AM hoping it might provide 'food for thought' for anyone thinking of taking the plunge into the world of vintage furniture & homewares or indeed for anyone who visits me when I have a stall at the Market thinking the clean, repaired, YUMMY vintage item READY to place STRAIGHT into your home I'm asking $20- for is TOO much to pay....**wink**....!
Well I gotta go....I still need to get ready for The Vintage Shed before I can even THINK about organising something for dinner....!
Cheers for now,
Tamarah :o)
