Vintage JoAnn » Antique Stores

Big News At Vintage JoAnn

JoAnn — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:06:03 +0000

I’ve been dreading this post for a while but time is running out. Saturday August 14 is the last day the brick and morter store will be open. We will be open that day from 9 am until 4pm.

Vintage JoAnn is NOT going out of business!!! We have been doing well and I’d like to thank all the supportive friends and loyal customers I’ve met!

Now that the internet store is up and running on VintageJoAnn.com that will be the primary outlet after the physical store closes. My health issues have gotten to the point where this is the only way I can remain in this business that I love. Actually the amount of work will be about the same but I will be able to work when I feel able, even during the night if I can’t sleep and rest when I’m flared up in a pain cycle.

My goal is that the internet store becomes just like the old store with hundreds of items at great prices. I will be adding things weekly so the selections will be growing steadily.

I’m planning on expanding plus sizes in the future and also vintage and antique children’s clothing.

If you live locally you can still call and come over to try something on that you saw on the site. Shipping is included in the price in the U.S. Please email if you live out of the U.S.

I will still be living at the same address & will still be available for buying vintage items, it’s just that you will need to call first as I will no longer have set hours. Even the big VJ sign will remain out front and I remain a member of the Red Lion Area Business Association. The sign will have my website and phone# instead of hours.

If you have any questions feel wecome to comment or email. Best to all, JoAnn.

To Hoard or not to hoard, that is the question.

JoAnn — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:25:44 +0000

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

Vintage Galore at Atomic Warehouse

Rick — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:32:41 +0000

The Atomic Warehouse in Harrisburg

The Atomic Warehouse is located in Harrisburg, PA approximately 45 minutes from Vintage JoAnn. Their website is http://www.atomicwarehouse.com/ and you can find the address there as well as a phone number. Also listed on the website is merchandise for sale online as well as in the store. One thing you won’t find on the website is the hours which are from 12 to 6 Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

In the words of my 6 year old niece, Kristina, this place is the bomb (pun intended). There are 2 levels of merchandise. On the first floor is some interesting vintage from mid-century as you can see in the pictures.

There is also a large vintage clothing section in the back. On the third floor is mostly furniture and furnishings including a pink refrigerator, wall hangings and pictures. There is a room with all kinds of kitchen sets, bar stools and counter seats from a diner. Lots of vintage jewelry was well displayed in jewlery cases on the first floor.

JoAnn spent some time talking with the owner – Steve. He’s been here for 8 years now and you can tell is really into and knows a lot about what he sells.

I would rate this place as must see if you’re in the area.

A solid Vintage Bamboo LR Set in Great Shape

Console Stereo with Built-in Reel to Reel

There were all kinds of TVs

Check Out the Leopard Lamp (Yes - there were 2)

Third Floor was well layed out with plenty of room to browse

More lamps

Welcome to Deluxeville!

JoAnn — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:08:45 +0000

You have to check out this blog!!!!!!! Welcome to Deluxeville. Fabulous and all things vintage.

Mary, the terrific girl behind this terrific blog, is a customer of mine and she is a true vintage fan. She wrote about me in her blog (here) and I was so thrilled!!!!

I spent a lot of time reading her blog and lost track of time! So many great links and the pictures!

Trust me – you will enjoy plus you will find lots more sources for your vintage treasure hunting!!! We’ll also add Mary’s site to our links page so you can easily find it the next ime you’re searching for vintage links.

Burning Bridges Antique Mall

Rick — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:25:54 +0000

Since we moved into 100 W Broadway we’ve been working almost every spare minute to renovate and re-invigorate the property. Lately we’ve been working on the kitchen which is about 75% finished. Last weekend I laid most of the floor which is black & white vinyl tile. There is one small section left that has a lot of cutting and fitting involved. Instead of finishing that today we decided to go on a field trip to nearby Burning Bridges Antique Mall which we’ve heard about from a number of people.

This antique mall is located in nearby Columbia, PA and is about 25 minutes away from Vintage JoAnn. This is probably the nicest and best run antique mall we’ve ever been to. Seriously.

When you walk in the front door there is a large coffee pot with cookies and snacks to your right. There are 3 floors and all are well lit, even the basement. The aisles are spacious. The booths are well defined and do not spill into each other or into the aisles. It is clean and well organized. There are plenty of people on each floor to help you, open display cabinets and carry your finds to the counter so you don’t have to lug them all over the place. Checkout is efficient and if you are in the trade and have a tax id number there is no hassle involved to use it. After you’ve been there once you will be in their system and it will be even easier the next time. And here’s the kicker – they are friendly and helpful.

While that all sounds simple and common sensical there are very few places we’ve been to that hit 30% of those attributes let alone all of the above.

There is something there for almost everyone. There was stained glass windows all over the place. I also noticed a lot of railroad items especially Pennsylvania Railroad. There was vintage clothing as well as glassware and furniture. There was also a fair amount of architectural pieces like doors, shutters and ornamental roof brackets.

There are a number of other antique stores within walking distance of Burning Bridges. We stopped at one other place and while worth the stop it did not compare, especially on the friendliness level.

So if you’re visiting Vintage JoAnn from out of town we highly recommend that you take the time to go to Columbia as well as the other establishments right here in Red Lion.