Where are the customers?

It has been an extremely slow week here at the Brick House Antique Center. I guess the autumn weather is keeping people at home.

I recently heard on one of the morning talk shows that self employed people were the happiest people on earth! I guess we are happy because we are doing what we love. I don’t know where the average self employed store owner in small town America is on the income scale, but weeks like this make it seem more like the bottom than the top. Summer brings us visitors from all over the USA and some as far away as Australia! Not many visitors this time of year.

Leafs are falling, snow will be next. I am going to walk down to the Erie Canal this weekend and get some photos to share.

A glimpse into the Brick House Antique Center

My thoughts on Scams and Craig’s list!

If you are thinking about posting items on Craig’s list, take a couple minutes to read my comments. I have been posting items on Craig’s list that also appear on http://www.brickhouseantiques.com/

I don’t have much positive to say about the buyer client that responds to my postings on Craig’s list. I consider most of them scams. What I did not realize when I started this, is that when I post to Rochester, NY the listing is still on the word wide web, and can be seen by anyone who is looking for new postings. 99% of the time when I post I get 2 to 3 inquiries that go something like this:

1st email: Hello, is this item still available? I reply yes it is. 2nd email. I am interested and my new wife and I are going on vacation. Will you please take the item off Craig’s list? I will pay you $50.00 extra for your trouble. And you do not have to worry about shipping; I will have my delivery person pick it up. I will send you the money when I get back home. So please send me your information so I can make payment. And they proceed to ask me for my personal info. BIG RED FLAG. If you are posting, do not provide your information to anyone.

I also get this kind of scam. The buyer agrees to pay your price. Informs me that they have sent a check, and expect me to send item when funds are received. (Which is what I would expect to do). Prior to the funds arriving, they send another email stating the the person who wrote the check made it out for $450.00 instead of $45.00. And ask me to wire the difference into their account. NEVER WIRE FUNDS. I believe the check they send you will not clear, and if you have already wired your money to them, it will be gone! And I have never received one of those checks that were in the mail!

That's all for now from the Brick House Blogger!

PS-I have posted new items and reduced prices on a couple of items this week at: http://www.brickhouseantiques.com/

Canal town days bigger and better than ever!

Wow what a beautiful weekend!

Canal town days bigger and better than ever! Mother Nature was on our side this time. It was in the mid 70’s both Sat and Sunday. Shoppers were enjoying the food, great variety of venders, and of course all the beautiful antiques that fill the 2 floors of the Brick House Antique Center. I have been told that it was a record breaking car show with 234 cars in show. I did not get much time to check them out, but I did get a couple photos from the store.

Are we still in recession? That is always the big question. Customers this weekend were in good spirits and spending money. Sales were not quiet as good as the past couple years, but not bad! Our local Canal Town Committee volunteers work year round to bring this event to our town, and we as merchants want to give them a big THANK YOU. I am sure that Palmyra, NY is not unlike many other small towns in America. It takes all the residence, volunteers, and government agencies to make these kinds of events happen. They can be a big boost to the local economy, and lot’s of fun too.

That’s all for now. Make it a good week!

The Brick House Blogger!

Looking forward to Canal Town Days!

Hello from the Brick House Blogger, It is a chilly day in Palmyra, NY. I think it is about 65 degrees. We are gearing up for are yearly Canal Town Days! It is a BIG deal for our town. If the weather is nice we might have 50,000 visitors ready to eat, shop and enjoy! The antique car show and parade are a big hit. We are located just feet from the Erie Canal!  What a beautiful part of history we enjoy all year long.

The Brick House Antique Center is having a store wide dot sale. The dot color indicated the percentage off. Red 50%, green 40%, yellow 30% and blue 20%. Customer love to discover a new treasure with a wonderful discount.

What’s new at www.brickhouseantiques.com? I posted a beautiful tapestry today. It is approximately 110 years old and is priced at $975.00 (which includes shipping, packaging and insurance) Also this week we featured a beautiful European Mandolin. Log on and check them out!

Than's all for now from the Brick House Blogger.

Auction Road Trip

• Auction Road Trip!
  
  The alarm went off at 5:00 am. Up and out we go!
  
  Many customers ask “where do you get all this great stuff?” I always reply, we have to go find it. We purchase at household sales, we purchase from people who call or walk in with items they no longer want, and we go to lots of auctions! Sunday we took a 2 hr. drive south through the Finger Lakes wine country to Candor, NY. Our destination: Bostwick Auctions & Gallery. They hold an antique auction on the 1st Sunday of every month. We arrived just a couple minutes after 8:00, had to wait in line to get our bidding number and then started looking through all the merchandise. What a selection they had! The auctions started around 9:15, and I did say auctions, they start the day with 2 auctions. One outside, it was only about 20 degrees and snowing that morning, and one inside. I enjoy the inside auction of hundreds of box lots, Bob was the lucky one who had to be outside until shortly after noon! He did step in a couple of times to get warm and take my goodies to the truck! When they are done with the so called projects from the barn outside, the auction continues inside for the remainder of the day. We called it a day around 5:00, and they still had stuff to sell!
  
  Tips to have an enjoyable auction experience:
  
  Ø Come prepared to spend many entertaining hours
  Ø Bring a chair, sometimes they are not provided
  Ø Have proper identification so you can get a bidding number
  Ø Know the terms of sale, some auctions don’t accept charge cards
  Ø Arrive at least one hour prior to starting time. Items are sold in as is condition. You must preview and know what you are purchasing. I always take notes, and mark a price range on my card so I know what I am willing to pay. The auctioneer will sell items very quickly so you need to be prepared to put your card in the air if you want the item.
  Ø Pay attention: the auctioneer may sell 6 chairs for 6 times the money. That means if you pay $100.00 that is for each chair! You will be charged $600.00 for the set.
  Ø One more important note, if you go to Bostwick’s go hungry, the food is fantastic!
  
  Until next time: The Brick House Blogger!

Hello! It's a cold Friday afternoon in Palmyra, NY. The Brick House Blogger wanted to give you a look into the Brick House Antique Center. We have 2 floors of quality antiques.

I know the news of the economy is not positive, but remember, we have quality items at affordable prices! Everything sold in our store is recycled from another family. We don't purchase anything new. In this economy where going green is a good thing, take time to shop through http://www.brickhouseantiques.com/. If you see anything you might like, you can call us and we will answer any questions you might have.

Purchase an Antique; it is an investment that can be enjoyed for generations!!

Until next time….. The Brick House blogger.

Hi, it’s me again, the Brick House Blogger is back, and I can’t believe I dropped this for a year. I guess that is what happens when live gets busy!

2008 Ended on a positive note for the Brick House Antique Center and www.brickhouseantiques.com. We are really proud of that with all that is going on with the economy.

My blogging call out is for everyone to recycle, reuse, and save money. That is what we do everyday at the Brick House Antique Center. All the merchandise we sell is previously loved by another family.

Shop local, shop at stores that recycle products. GO GREEN, shop at merchants that are making a difference. You will be shocked to see how much money you can save!

If you are interested in buying or selling antiques, please stop by our store, or shop on line at www.brickhouseantiques.com FREE SHIPPING on all Internet orders!

I'll be back soon, I promise! The Brick House Blogger.