Visiting Antique Dealer Friends January17, 18, 19, 2010

With Renninger's Antique Market behind us we went on to visit our friends Cheryl and Tom May from Moultonboro, NH and Interlachn, FL.  We all have different kinds of friends but to tell you about these friends is probably best summed up in their initial greeting to us.  "Hi! Did you bring your laundry?"  My answer - Well of course we did!  We came for a day and ended up spending three.  And you know what people say about fish and company after 3 days.  Well we're leaving tomorrow.

The first day we arrived mid day and had the pleasure of re-acquainting with Cheryl's children and grandchildren over a big spagetti dinner, all of whom are from Florida, except for Tommy who still lives and is in business with Cheryl at Antiques of Moultonboro in NH.  This is a serious Scrabble family and they put us to shame. I finally came in 2nd today.  Cheryl continued to cook, cook, cook for all of us.  It was great fun. 

Monday we all slept late until 9:30 and again Cheryl was at the ready with a hearty bacon and egg breakfast.  For the next 5 hours we discussed the Antiques business.  It was fascinating to hear the honest, open discussion of 4 antique dealers who've been at it for more then 100 if we combine all our service to this industry.  We discussed auction houses - the good ones and the bad ones.  We discussed things like taking credit cards, and also Auctioneers who take credit cards and those who don't.  Some Auctioneers charge a 13% Buyers Premium and then discount the BP 3% for cash meaning they really only charge 10%.  We discussed they why's and wherefores of the Buyers Premium even talked about the ones who now charge 13% across the board.  Or worse yet, the big auction houses like Sothebys and Christies who charge 20% to 30% as Buyers Premium so they can be more competitive with the sellers who now demand the auction houses to be more competitive. 

The big auction houses also have higher minimums and often won't take things valued under $1,000 or $2,500 or whatever their ridiculous minimum is.  We talked about NH's highest end auctioneer Ron Bourgerault of Northeast and how we both had an experience of trying to consign with his employees and had been turned away but then when Ron had realized the mistake quickly made up with our friend Tom.  We took our table to the Heart of Country Antques Show in Nashville TN and sold it for many times more then the estimate given to us at Northeast Auctions.  The value of an antique is so nebulous and is quite often based on the knowledge or the appeal to the person doing the valuation.  So if a person has less knowledge they'll quite often suggest a lower value.  It pays to get different opinions on value!

Our disucssions revolved around what our each of our respective shops grossed. We also discussed what we used to gross 5 and 10 years ago.  We discussed demographics of the past and also what and whom we anticipate the collectors will be in the future.  We discussed the wholesale portion of the business which has virtually disappeared.  Our shops are more retail now then ever before.  We had a spirited discussion of the finer physcological details of a hoarder vs. a collector vs. a dealer.  We only live 15 miles from our friends in NH but we talked more today then we do all year. At home in NH when we see each other at auctions we're all too focused on buying and selling but today was quite enjoyable....again we were working but it was thoroughly enjoyable.  I learned so much.

After we talked and laughed exhaustivly, we finally got motivated to go out for a drive around 3:00 in the afternoon.  We checked out this mini town which took about 1/2 hour.  We adored the peace and quiet as much as the old fashioned Victorian cottages which used to surround the Orange plantation which burned so long ago. 

It's Martin Luther King Day so there were no Dentists on duty but just one more day for Frank to get a tooth fixed and we'll be back on the road.  We have some great things planned ahead of us.  Can't wait!