Whining About Knick Knacks: Lovable Or Clutter In An Antique Shop?

Should Owners Of Antique Malls Read Their Dealers The Riot Act? No More Bric-a-Brac

Is it me or do you all agree that there is a lot more bric- a- brac (worthless knick knacks) out there mingled in with a few decent items when you go shopping for antiques and collectibles?

Is The Internet Gobbling Up All The Good Stuff For Online Selling Venues?

I have been hearing for years that the internet and all the online selling venues have gobbled up all the good stuff leaving the left overs in the brick and mortar Antique stores.

Antique Stores Cluttered  With Tschotskes

I'm now seeing more and more of some of my favorite antique haunts cluttered with a lot of tschotskes and "smalls'. And the truth is, many of these "smalls" are the kind of things that I often would find at Goodwill.

 Antique Dealers Come And Dealers Go Each January

As January approaches, there are a lot of dealers who will pack it in and decide to leave their booths at a group Antique shop or close their stores after the holidays. This happens every year and the changeover usually brings new booths, new stores and new dealers. They arrive with a fresh bounty of STUFF and do very well at the beginning. But the trick is being able to keep up quality of your inventory and to attract new customers  throughout the year.

What Comes Around Goes Around

My husband jokes that all of the dealers just buy from each other and sooner or later your junk ends up back to you. There is some truth to that, but I even hear dealers telling me that they are buying less from other dealers in the very same  group shops where their booths are and that they visit regularly. Friends tell me they used to come home with more goodies than they brought into sell, but now they leave  empty handed.

Are You Seeing More Bric-a-brac For Your Vintage Comfort Zone?  

So I would like to hear from my readers.....are you seeing more bric a brac in Antique stores that you like?
Should owners of these stores read their dealers the riot act? Or is the economy so poor that the owners of large (and small) group antique shops lucky to have filled thier booths?

Top photo courtesy of http://loveshackchic.blogspot.com/2012/05/found-antique-markets.html

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists