The Demise of Retail Shopping

Have you heard? Retail is dying. People still shop but not in retail stores like we once did. I’ve been reading and hearing lately that the way we shop is changing. Malls around the country are standing empty just like downtowns did when the malls were built. Even the big box stores are closing being forced out like they once forced out many mom and pop businesses. Here’s a report about it. 

If you haven’t ordered something from Amazon you are in the majority. Many people have Amazon Prime. We pay monthly for the privilege of getting free shipping as well as digital movies, books and music literally at our fingertips. Online shopping is replacing store fronts. 

There are many advantages and some disadvantages to online shopping. Many times you have a huge selection and you can comparison price. You can search for exactly the item you want from the comfort of your home. Recently I was shopping for drawer pulls for a dresser I was painting. I went to several stores including a big craft store that I prefer not shopping because of their support of organizations that I do not support.  But when I’m desperate I go there. They had the pulls I liked but they were $5 each. Often this retail craft store will have the pulls at half price. But not that day. $40 was too much for me to use on a dresser to resale. While waiting my hubby to foo oath shopping in a sports store I searched online using my phone and found 10 beautiful pulls  for $15 from Amazon and they arrived 2 days later. That’s what is killing retail. Online you have multiple selections, fast delivery, easy payment and you can buy from home, your car, vacation or anywhere you have cell service any time. 

Of course there are disadvantages with online shopping. If you like to actually touch and feel the article you are buying you are  not going to do that online. This is especially true if you are buying clothing. And if have trouble finding the right fit in clothing, online clothing shopping will be difficult for you. I recently decided to try Switch Fix and luckily everything fit perfectly. Switch Fix is an group that will choose an outfit for you based on a survey of your likes, activities and preferences. Again ending the need to go from retail store to retail store putting an outfit together. Here is my first Switch Fix and thanks to losing 100 lbs over the last year and a half everything fit. 

Another disadvantage is the delay in arriving. With Amazon Prime most packages arrive in 2 days. Anything shipped USPS Priority Mail will usually arrive in days. Shipping costs is also an added disadvantage when you not using a service like Amazon Prime. 

Damage in shipping is another disadvantage. I’ve had good luck with shopping for the most part. A set of foam tiles in a plastic box was delivered from Amazon but the box was cracked. After contacting Amazon I was given three choices of which I chose a 30% refund which I thought was very fair. I was delighted to receive an email that since I was such a “good” customer  they were refunding all the expense and my grand daughter’s teacher ended up with a free box of foam tiles. Let's not discuss how "good" a customer I am. 

For elderly folks or those that do use computers the demise of retail shopping makes it harder and harder for them to find the things they need and want. I order things for my 91 year old mom all the time. Most recently a carpet sweeper. But many people in this situation don’t have someone to order things for them. 

What does this mean for small business owners like me? It means I should be prepared for change. Boutiques and specialized stores are still surviving. Many in those small downtowns that were displaced years ago by big malls. With the addition of great restaurants, craft beer businesses and other unique stores places like the antique store where I have two booths are surviving.  There is a trend to buy handmade and artisan products. And thanks to Joanna Gaines, from HGTV’s Fixer Upper, antiques and vintage items are all the rage now. 

But a business like my antique and collectible business cannot rely solely on a storefront for all their income. We have to have addition revenue sources. I sell on eBay, I have an Etsy shop (GoodsonVintage) , I sell on Facebook Marketplace and occasionally to friends and family as well as the store where my booths are located. Many vendors like us sell at Vintage Market Days which are much like the craft shows of years past. Some even have their own "Barn Sells". 

So we live in a rapidly changing world. Being prepared for changes will enable to deal with these changes in a smooth and seamless way.

Remember to buy what you love. 

Is It Vintage or Antique?

What's the difference between vintage and antique? 
Are these vintage or antique? 

Folk Art Barn in Goodson Vintage Treasures
at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, NC. 

Thumb oil cans in Goodson Vintage Treasures 
at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, NC. 

I've been asked this question many times, and it's something I've thought about a great deal. Since my business name is Goodson Vintage Treasures and my soon to be functional Etsy shop will be Vintage by Goodson ( long story but my original business name to is too long for Etsy).  Is "vintage" just old and "antique" just really old? 

At the shop where I have my booths, they define antique as 50+ years old and vintage as 25-50 years. I think that's a good place to start. 

The terms are really relative to where you live also. In the eastern  half of the United States you tend to find things that are much older than the western half. But in England they laugh at 50 years being an antique since they have buildings and items centuries old. In that perspective I think an object would need to be at least 100 years old.

The value of an item also determines whether something is merely old or an antique. A beautiful 100 year old, oak dresser or vanity is definitely an antique. But if it is beat up or has been ruined by water it may be completely worthless.

Antique Dresser in a Booth at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, NC.

Of course, your age also affects how you perceive the age of an object. When I seen items that I received as a wedding gift 46 years ago labeled as an "antique" I get a funny feeling. Like I'm getting really old feeling. The adding machine is just like one my mom used when I was growing up, and my husband and I received a piece of this glass new when we were married.

Fron a booth 
at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, N

Fron a booth 
at Just Around the Corner in Lincolnton, NC. 

Toys are an area that reflect this. I view toys of my mom's era, 1930s, as antique. I'm not sure at age 90 she appreciates that though. My son, age 45, views toys of my era, 1950's, as antique. But I often see Star Wars toys in antique stores like he had as a child. 

I'm calling this tin top vintage. 

So as a rule of thumb I'm going with my store owners definition of "antique" and "vintage". Even though sometimes it hurts a bit. Remember, just buy what you love whether it's vintage or antique. Oh and by the way I think the first two photos are both vintage. 

When to Close A Booth Space

This blog entry is really more for those who have a booth or are interested in having a booth.

I've been at a booth in a local antique mall for about five years. I started with a small space 5x8 for $50 and never made a big profit, but I also made at least double my booth expense. The mall I was at had 3 buildings and probably 300 plus booths. My first booth was on the outside aisle of the third building. This building was once used as a boat manufacturing business.

Our First Booth 2012

Then after a couple of years I got "smart" and decided to move to building 2. The space in building 2 was in the second row and it cost $80 for an 8x10. I thought a bigger space would be a good thing. I think you can tell by my tone that this move was not a success. Again I always made more than my booth fee but that's not really good business.

Booth 2 - Bigger

Upon observation I realized that things were changing at this antique mall but I wasn't sure why. First the lighting in my area was not as bright as the other building. My hubby actually changed the lightbulbs in the fluorescent lights near our space. The building was always clean and the staff friendly but the sales were off.

Booth 2 - 6 Month Later

Last summer I opened a booth in our local town in a new smaller antique and collectables store. It is in a downtown setting with bright lights. Wooden walls in each booth, hardwood floors and vintage tin overhead. There is a nice quality and variety of goods in this mall. There is blacksmith, a clock dealer, vintage and antique dealers, potters, soaps, candies, sauces, dried beef, hand sewn goods, paintings and other art and hand crafted items. The owners are very friendly and incredibly business minded. Sales in this new mall have been great.

New Booth 3 in Local Town on 1st Week

But one of the biggest differences is that this mall uses social media. In fact, I take the photos and make the posts for them for a slight fee. The owners often boost posts for special events on Facebook. If there is a special activity or festival in town they open the store later hours to match the timing of the event. Even though this store is closed on Sundays and Mondays, they have lots of traffic in and out of the store. Downtowns are not really dead. They can be sources of wonderful restaurants, specialty stores and antique stores.

So we finally made the decision to move out of the first mall. It wasn't an easy decision personally, but as my husband told the owner when she very kindly asked why we were leaving.; it isn't the people as everyone was very nice. It was the bottom line. We just were not making money with the same items as the new booth.

Was the fault mine? Perhaps. I would often take things to the new space instead of the old one. I had more enthusiasm for the new booth. I started to care less for the old one. Were my things lost in a huge space and lots of booths? Maybe. Was the mall advertising as they did in the beginning? I have no idea as there were no meetings of vendors and no newsletter. Was the quality of items in the mall declining? Maybe. Was a lack of advertising? Definitely, there was no use of social media. The payment methods were very reliable and honest. These were great people. They even dust every space once a week. You won't get that many places. I will miss the folks at my old space, but as hubby says it is all about the bottom line.

So our next decision was what's next. Read in a future blog how to look for a new antique and collectables space.

Booth June 21, 2917