Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

A while back, I came across a colorful dresser in a photo and thought that those folks who follow my HowToConsign Pinterest pages would enjoy it, on the board Going wild with paint! I wasn’t overly fond of it (I think it would make me dizzy if I had it in my bedroom) but it was different, and looked like it would be easy to duplicate. And since the very reason I pin to the boards there is to show the buying public that resale outlets are full of stuff with latent possibilities, I saved it to pin.

But then I looked more closely at the photo itself and admired the staging of the piece. The props. The background. How the swirl was emphasized by the birdcage and the half-sun. How the stool was just perfect and how the instrument and case balanced the whole thing out.

So I decided against posting it as a consumer inspiration, and captioned and pinned it for those who merchandise used goods: resale shopkeepers. That cunning conch shell… and the blue (!) wine bottle.

But the public has spoken. This one pin of mine has been repinned on 2854 people’s boards (probably more by the time you read this post)… and I’m guessing that few of these folks are actually shopkeepers who are saving display and selling ideas.

So I was wrong. I misjudged the appeal of this photo… people apparently are pinning it because they like the retro-hippie tie dye look of it. And a valuable lesson is once again learned: don’t rely on my own taste, but let folks choose for themselves. The peridot ball gown with crystal beading on the mermaid tail? Someone will probably love it. I’ll probably wish I had 2854 of them to sell.