When you have a piece of furniture to sell, take the time to create a vision. Be creative. Show the possibilities. The main point of a good vignette is to make the customer love (and consider buying) the feature item.
The vanity below is obviously from Miss Mustard Seed, who is a genius when it comes to display. She made me love this piece, which I might not have without her vision. I might have appreciated it. I might have thought it would look good in someone else's house. She took me beyond my imagination.
A vanity can be difficult to sell because a vanity is, by nature, not very versatile. MMS didn't display this as a vanity. She created a display that makes it clear it can be used in a number of rooms. Her display leans more towards using it as a desk. Still, a customer wouldn't rule it out as a vanity.
The lines of the vanity are feminine, but the paint and accessories don't read feminine. Yet it's not too overpoweringly masculine either.
The style is an early 1900's look, but the way it is displayed, even someone with an industrial style would consider it.
Black can be a harsh color when painting. But of course, MMS knows a thing or two about paint, so she did this one well. She distressed, so it's not a dull looking solid black. She also left the top wood. The knobs are lighter and fun.
Finally, the accessories she used are fabulous! The fan, typewriter and binoculars really create a great look. When MMS is showcasing furniture, she puts just enough on it to create a vision. She doesn't over-do or hide the piece.
This piece is being shown from her home, but if you ever looked at the MMS booth at Lucketts, you'd know that this is probably very similar to how she would have shown this piece there. She no longer has a booth there - her paint venture is taking up most of her time these days.
By the way, if you have an online following, it never hurts to show your pieces there for a week or two before you put them in your booth, especially if you have plenty of furniture to sell. Don't feautre it looking all tacky in your garage with tools and junk all around. Take a little time to create a display. Let Miss Mustard Seed (and many others) be your inspiration. You might make a sale from home and avoid commission - or - you might generate interest so customers will want to go to the store to see it once it's in your booth.
Word of warning - do not try to sell items outside of the store when they are in your booth. Parking lot deals are a big no-no. In fact, doing that can get you tossed out of the store.
Showing posts with label Vanities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vanities. Show all posts
Friday, February 7, 2014
Make Them Love It!
Labels:
Creative Displays
,
Expanding Your Market
,
Vanities
,
Versatility
,
Vignettes
Friday, January 17, 2014
Help - I Can't Sell This Vanity!
There are always an abundance of vintage vanities for sale at antique malls. They look very pretty in a booth, but usually take a while to sell - longer than most other bedroom furniture. Recently, two different vendors at the store I promote had to mark theirs down and down, until finally they were just $85 a piece. One of them still hasn't sold. Why?
Here's my answer. Vanities aren't sought after for every bedroom. You seldom see one in a boy's room. They are nice in a girl's bedroom if the room is large enough. Not every master bedroom needs one. A vanity would be right at home in a master decorated in a shabby chic style. It would be a harder fit for most other styles. In a family home, many wives tread a fine line trying to keep the master balanced in terms of masculine and feminine. A vanity is quite feminine. In other words, the market for a vanity is fairly narrow.
First, you have to find someone who could use a vanity - a small percentage of shoppers. On top of that, you'll need to have the size and shape and style and color they want at a price they're comfortable with. If the vanity sells quickly, consider yourself very lucky.
What to do if you have a vanity that just won't sell? I probably wouldn't mark it down to nothing unless I just wanted it gone and didn't mind taking a loss.
If you don't want to wait out that eventual sale, you could break it up and show it as something other than a vanity. It pains me to encourage someone to break apart a vintage piece. I sure hope you don't have to break up a really pretty one that's in great shape. But sometimes, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
The least drastic option is to simply remove the mirror and market it more like a desk. They often sell faster like this. Mostly because now it's appealing to a larger market. It could still be used as a vanity - just hang a separate mirror on the wall. But now, it's also a desk and might be used in a number of rooms. You just expanded your market!
A low vanity could easily be turned into a storage bench.
The mirror could be turned into a chalkboard and/or coat rack and sold separately - earning you even more profit on that vanity. The base could be reworked to be used as an entertainment shelf or sink or....
And of course, if you are willing to deconstruct the vanity (fairly easy), the sides could be sold as end tables, which tend to sell rather quickly.
If you enjoyed this post, I sure hope you'll pin, leave comments, subscribe to the blog, like on Facebook, tell your vendor friends, etc! Posts like these take ages to create and it sure would be nice to have a larger audience. Even though this blog is fairly new, I sure hope it takes off soon!
Desks:
White Desk - A Swell Place to Dwell
Aqua Desk - Dead Link from Pinterest
Benches:
Top - The Centric Home
Bottom - B and Me
Other Options:
Sink - Dead Link from Pinterest
Back with Fan - Remodeloholic
Chalkboard Mirror - Refresh Restyle
Multicolor Shelf - The Smith Garage
Silver Rolling Shelf - Reuse Repurpose Recycle
Side tables:
Black Set - Apartment Therapy
White Set - Brambleberry Cottage
Quirky Red - Gadget Sponge on Etsy
Cream and Tan Set - Dead Link from Pinterest
Decoupaged - Three O'Clock on Tuesdays
Here's my answer. Vanities aren't sought after for every bedroom. You seldom see one in a boy's room. They are nice in a girl's bedroom if the room is large enough. Not every master bedroom needs one. A vanity would be right at home in a master decorated in a shabby chic style. It would be a harder fit for most other styles. In a family home, many wives tread a fine line trying to keep the master balanced in terms of masculine and feminine. A vanity is quite feminine. In other words, the market for a vanity is fairly narrow.
First, you have to find someone who could use a vanity - a small percentage of shoppers. On top of that, you'll need to have the size and shape and style and color they want at a price they're comfortable with. If the vanity sells quickly, consider yourself very lucky.
What to do if you have a vanity that just won't sell? I probably wouldn't mark it down to nothing unless I just wanted it gone and didn't mind taking a loss.
You have other options!!
If you don't want to wait out that eventual sale, you could break it up and show it as something other than a vanity. It pains me to encourage someone to break apart a vintage piece. I sure hope you don't have to break up a really pretty one that's in great shape. But sometimes, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
The least drastic option is to simply remove the mirror and market it more like a desk. They often sell faster like this. Mostly because now it's appealing to a larger market. It could still be used as a vanity - just hang a separate mirror on the wall. But now, it's also a desk and might be used in a number of rooms. You just expanded your market!
![]() |
All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post! |
A low vanity could easily be turned into a storage bench.
![]() |
All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post! |
The mirror could be turned into a chalkboard and/or coat rack and sold separately - earning you even more profit on that vanity. The base could be reworked to be used as an entertainment shelf or sink or....
![]() |
All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post! |
And of course, if you are willing to deconstruct the vanity (fairly easy), the sides could be sold as end tables, which tend to sell rather quickly.
![]() |
All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post! |
If you enjoyed this post, I sure hope you'll pin, leave comments, subscribe to the blog, like on Facebook, tell your vendor friends, etc! Posts like these take ages to create and it sure would be nice to have a larger audience. Even though this blog is fairly new, I sure hope it takes off soon!
PHOTO SOURCES
Desks:
White Desk - A Swell Place to Dwell
Aqua Desk - Dead Link from Pinterest
Benches:
Top - The Centric Home
Bottom - B and Me
Other Options:
Sink - Dead Link from Pinterest
Back with Fan - Remodeloholic
Chalkboard Mirror - Refresh Restyle
Multicolor Shelf - The Smith Garage
Silver Rolling Shelf - Reuse Repurpose Recycle
Side tables:
Black Set - Apartment Therapy
White Set - Brambleberry Cottage
Quirky Red - Gadget Sponge on Etsy
Cream and Tan Set - Dead Link from Pinterest
Decoupaged - Three O'Clock on Tuesdays
Labels:
Expanding Your Market
,
Re-Purposing
,
Vanities
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