Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Expanding the Business......




Good morning readers! How have all of your enjoyed your spring and summer? I hope you got those gardens, flowers and newly planted trees well on their way and have fully enjoyed them this year! As always I am complaining about how fast time flies and this year has been no different! It seems that the summer is a time for nothing but running to get everything done before the cold weather hits again and we are in a foot of snow! We have a while longer so keep enjoying the warm, sunny, beautiful weather for it never lasts all that long!

As fall is about to be upon us in no time.... I always am rethinking , and evaluating my business and looking into how to expand or make changes to my business to make it more interesting, reach out in different forums for accessibility , and make your journey with me interesting and pleasant! I'm always searching for options to allow for growth as a person and as an artist! My latest adventure has been something that I have mulled over many times and have finally am making the plunge! I will be reentering an antique store which I have done business with many years ago ...but now is under a new management. The name of the shop is "Red Rose Antique Co-op", formally known as the "Yellow Orchid", and is located in downtown Mansfield, Pennsylvania. Don't worry about what I am offering in my Etsy shop. I will continue my online sales and will be adding this extra selling forum to my list.


Having spent many years refinishing furniture, buying and selling antiques and having appreciation for anything and everything that is a product of times gone past...I have to admit that this is one job that I truly do miss! The process of making a handmade creation ended up being something that ended up coming naturally after spending so much time in co-ops where antiquing furniture is very much the same process and is the part of making primitive dolls "primitive!" My husband and I have entered into the antiquing process together and have a love for big, heavy, challenging furniture projects and have been the best of companions when collaborating on how to go about getting a great finished product when working with wood! My husband enjoys this activity as much as I do and is eager to return to the antiquing business. It certainly has proven to be a favorite past time that we have both enjoyed and could see ourselves doing as a retirement activity!


Now how does this effect my primitive business online with Etsy? Basically it won't change anything. I do plan to add my creations to my booth when I begin and have taken a few things out of my shop to get started. You will see when investigating what I had in my online shop are gone and this is where they will be destined to be in the near future. If there was something there that you wanted to purchase....just contact me and I will make another to put back in Etsy. I have made up to half a dozen of the same dolls in the past and only a few have I only made one of. These "one and onlys" are the creations that I plan to display in my "Red Rose" booth. I have also taken the tags to use with my dolls and will make more for Etsy. (Am I confusing you yet?LOL Hopefully my new tags will be bigger, better and I can offer better pictures when I re-add them to my online shop.) Now it is just time to get more shopping done to fill our booth and I will be adding pictures of the shop. You may want to make a trip to Mansfield should its contents, from all of its dealers, interest you.)


The "Red Rose Antique Co-op" can be located on facebook, by putting its name in your search, and has contact information and location to visit and any other information you may find helpful! I will be beginning my new journey August 1st and will be taking on a new name when I get there..." Willowtreetreasures and Antiques"...online it will be staying the same. Time to get new business cards! LOL Once we are settled I will be adding information, giving updates, and sharing pictures. For readers that not only love primitive to vintage art creations...but antiques as well this may interest you! I hope you will enjoy this journey with me! Take care and until next post....have a wonderful day!