Happy Fourth of July! Every year here in Florida, I actually MISS being awoken at 6am by (more…)
Archive for the ‘Slices of (my) life’ Category
It’s times like this I miss Ohio…
Posted in Slices of (my) life on July 4, 2012| 3 Comments »
Emergency costume: Thrift stores, right up your alley!
Posted in Not-for-Profit Resale, Shopkeeping talk, Slices of (my) life, tagged Halloween, holidays, Thrift on October 31, 2011|
This story of mine is a couple of years old, but still might work for you today!
In response to a desperate shopper at the thrift shop last week, we came up with this super-thrifty Halloween costume. Took him less than an hour to make this, and he promises to be the Belle of the Ball at the fancy society smash he’ll be attending.
Josh is going as “Table for One.”
He’ll take a circle of cardboard (cut out from an appliance carton courtesy of a local appliance dealer) with a hole cut out for his head so he can balance it on his shoulders. Then, he’ll cover it with a checkered tablecloth we found, allowing the edges to drape in a fetching sort of way.
On the tabletop, he’ll glue a wine glass, appetizer-size plate, napkin and silverware. The plate is filled with some plastic fruit and a “reserved” sign (donated by his favorite bistro) and the check (from an old-fashioned receipt book from same bistro.)
We found a headband to which Josh will hot-glue a bunch of flowers, so his head is the centerpiece. (I think that’s the part he likes best!)
How much it cost:
Tablecloth and napkin: $3.50.
Plate: $1
Plastic fruit: $2.50
Silverware: $2
Wine glass: $1
Headband, silk flowers: $4
Total? $14, and he still has most of the items to donate back to the thrift shop.
Note: Josh added wide elastic bands from the underside of his tabletop to swoop under his arms and back up. But he’s a dancin’ fool and wanted comPLETE stability.
The money Josh saved by not buying or renting a Halloween contest? He plans on donating it to Toys for Tots so that a child or two has a happier holiday. Pretty nifty guy, Josh.
–Kate Holmes, HowToConsign.com
P.S. Yes I know this is the 3rd Auntie Kate post today. Can you tell what my favorite holiday is? Besides 4th of July of course, and International Resale Day, which I was lucky enough to be born on. Oh and Christmas and Arbor Day and Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
Arbor Day?
Did you forget your costume this morning? Shame on you!
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, Slices of (my) life, tagged Halloween on October 31, 2011| 3 Comments »
Luckily, forgetting your Halloween costume when you’re a consignment, resale, or thrift shop owner/manager is not a major deal.
.
Assuming you wear your wares. Or at least shop other resale shops, if you sell used furniture or home decor or baby clothes…
All you have to do is make a sun headband. Or tuck a sunflower behind your ear.
Get it? You’ve dressed up as
Nothing New Under the Sun.
(Didn’t forget your costume? Tell us what you are today!)
Things I’ve told you a thousand times.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, Slices of (my) life on October 7, 2011| 1 Comment »
So, this is my 1,oooth post here on Auntie Kate the Blog.
I was trying to think how I could commemorate the one-thousandth entry here, and I played around with 1000 miles away, 1000 years ago, and all that.
Then I thought I would just give you the link to my first entry, in 2007. The jacket I left behind.
And then it struck me.
I’m a nag.
There are things I’ve told you a thousand times, and that maybe you’d like to review.
Like that first entry, about how being lazy costs you not only lost sales, but customer goodwill.
So here’s some nags. I hope they make your shop easier to run, more enjoyable, and of course, more useful to your ever-growing clientele. Which will make your profits better, too.
- Write thank-you notes. It helps cement your relationship with new customers and makes your shop stand out from the crowd.
- How to have a little fun, and make a little money, with weekend tasks. Some of which your spouse might even be willing to do.
- How important is the way you mark things down? More than you will ever imagine.
- Make your stuff interesting. For less than $10.
- Make your stuff talk. Again, less than $10.
- Watch your Internet reputation. Then, after you’ve buried the stinkers, go ahead and decorate.
What the #%$^&^$, snails?
Posted in Slices of (my) life on September 30, 2011| 1 Comment »
Thoughts upon receiving a charity function invitation: (more…)
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