Vintage JoAnn

First of all my apologies to Shakespeare. Have any of you watched all the shows on hoarding????
I have and they are freaking me out. It runs in families, my Grandma, Mom, and brother are hoarders, although their homes are not dirty or unsafe, stuff has taken over.   They are also loving, kind people and I love to visit and see all the treasures.   Grandma has been gone for years and we still remember the “paths” through the house between all her stuff. I’ve watched my Mom do the same thing over the years.
My childhood home was not crammed with excess but this hoading thing worsens with age sometimes. Mom herself is perfectly content living this way and is unconcerned that she can no longer entertain, or have a meal at the dining table, or use the living room because it’s become a storage room. Most hoarders are pretty content with it but it strains relationships. My Dad hates how the house is and they argue constantly about it.
This profession I am in attracts hoarders. What better excuse to constantly buy and accumulate all these treasures. Over the years I’ve met so many dealers of antiques, vintage items, and vintage clothing. I’ve been astounded at how many of them are hoarders. You look at all the gorgeous stuff in their shops and you think, wow! Their homes must be beautiful. Sadly, often that’s not the case. I had a lovely lady tell me she hadn’t been able to use her dishwasher for months because of all the boxes of china piled up blocking the way!
I worked in a huge antique mall in Ellicott city for several years. Many of the dealers were successful business people and sold things regularly and made a nice profit. But there were just as many others who didn’t care whether they sold any thing or not. Their prices were too high and it really just was a way for them to collect. Kind of expensive  doing it that way.
I’ve been in shops where everything is overpriced, a layer of thick dust covers everything and nothing ever leaves. Most likely, the owner is a hoader. Once again, paying rent on a shop is an expensive way to collect stuff. I’ve seen dealers buy more than they can sell and so never seem to catch up and make a profit.
Anyhooo…. Now for the dirty question- am I a hoarder???? I’ve given this a lot of thought lately. I definitly have the genetic tendencies. I’m no minamalist. lol  I love vintage stuff, decorating my home with it and love collecting, thrift shops, and a garage sale can make my heart soar. And it IS fun to be able to buy lots of things for the store. It’s a slippery slope. I do work VERY hard at SELLING and consider this a business, not a hobby. I work WAY too hard at this not to get paid! That’s why my prices are a lot lower than in a lot of vintage clothing shops. I work really hard to keep the flow going. Stuff sold, new suff coming in.
That being said, I do tend to over buy. My shop is STUFFED. There is a certain kind of customer who gets claustrophobic in here. Usually those folks are not into vintage anyway. Most people come in, survey the packed treasure trove and spend enjoyable hours going thru it all and finding gems to buy. I’ve resigned myself to cater to this kind of customer(people like me) who love this kind of shop. And believe me LOTS of people do love it! Occasionally a real crab ass will stroll in and tell me the place is too crowded. Those folks never buy any thing anyway.

So yes, I have to be careful, not to overbuy for the shop.  Our living space on the top 2 floors of our Victorian house are chock full. Not like the shop, but PLENTY of victorian stuff.  I have to question all purchases at this point and usually have to sell something to make room for a new item.  My home is very attractive and cozy, very full though.  I will fight like hell not to EVER let this stuff become more important than family and friends.  The whole crew is coming for Easter and there is plenty of room to entertain in our parlour, dining room and kitchen.  People seem to love coming here and enjoy all the antiques  and I want to keep it that way!!!

Anyhow after watching an episode of Hoaders, I usually go on a cleaning, and purging mission, and let go of quite a few bags of no longer useful items…  I’ll confesst though, if any one really knew how many shoes I really have squirred away upstairs they would be horrified.

So please feel free to comment and share your own stories and to give me any advice you want in how you deal with this topic. Cheers my little vintage vixens, love JoAnn

Filed under: Antique Stores, JoAnn's news, Spring, Vintage Clothing

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