wELL TODAY WAS A BETTER DAY...BETTER VIBES.... mY OLD FRIEND GUNNAR, A TALL SWEDISH MAN, THAT USED TO SELL US FURNITURE, AND NOW LIVES IN NEW ENGLAND CAME TO VISIT, ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME AS RODRIEGO MARTIN AND HIS WIFE.... who came into to visit for the holiday...very sweet people....
It seems, no matter how bad business is, when Gunnar stops by, i make a sale. and today i sold a clock to a customer...and author...who just wrote a book about ROnald Regan....I thought he was one of the local republicans....but it turns out, the book tries to make ROnald Regan look like the asshole, that I always thought he was. He as as stupid a George Bush..if not worse...he was able to read the scripts he was handed better than George. And Ronald's image was so much better, he was more articulate....smooth.....His wife owns a chain of eyebrow threading salaons in malls(what ever that is)
After a few sale, I took Gunnar to the HOHOKUS in.....back again,"said the waiter" YEP. Had another great soup....and a cob salad...PERFECT!!! although I did resent spending 4.00 on a cup of tea....That already is taking advantage of the customer...the other prices are fair for the food, atmosphere and overhead...
THe rest of the day was very uneventable....not much business......and for the holiday it is horrible.....it is mind blowing that with a multimillion dollar inventory. that peole dont buy things here for the holiday.....but this is nothing new......it happens year after year..
I havent been out of here in a week....except to eat...I havent gone shopping for holiday presents.....It is a combination of legs that hurt, difficulty in walking, diruetics, traffic, parking, not wanting to fight and push the crowds at the malls, and if i face it...Depression. i can give the guys and gals cash..which isnt very personal......The pressure of givign gifts this timeof the year sucks...its obligitory....And I always feel bad this time of the year because busienss is worse than any other time, and this is the time that one wants to give bonuses. My crew...are the best. We fight like a family....a giant disunctional family, that always stickts together.....and supports one another.......
Its a very difficlt business...and that is why there are no more giant antique and liquidation businesses left. There is one family business in CT....United HOUSE WRECKING...but they own the property......no rent, and I heard they are doing very badly also......I know of no other huge store of our kind any more anywhere......
THanks to the Economy (and the Bush Administration), the ANtique ROad show and other stupid lying misinforming Television PRograms, Books and PRice guides on Antiques which also are very misleading.....and make everyone thing, all their crap in their attic is valuable.....Queen Victorias panties brought a lot of money at auction, so every old lady think their smelly panties are valuable...(we now take gas masks on house calls)
THe MEDIA: other TV programs, newpspaer articles, written by writers who have no idea what theya re even writing about.......continue to mislead the public, to values, what is in...and this assholes, have the nerve to tell the public to bargain their asses off to get us down on price.......well, I think we shoud call the newspapers, the TV stations, the MAgazine companies...and tell the bosses that these writers are over paid..... and to reduce their salaries.........
And one of the most damaging reasons business has changed is that we are now in another generation.....our old customers....now are down sizing, moving to FLorida, or arizona....or to a small apt in NYC...and giving their antiques to their children.....IF THEY WANT IT. If not, they are selling their collections and decorations and the market is getting flooded. We now have EBAY and CRAIGS list that limits the need for antique stores...in the do it your self world.......and finally, tastes have changed. THIS NEW GENERATION.....kis from 10-40 want New stuff...throw away furniture from stores like BOBS and Ikea, whicha re paper....disposable furniture ...or a little higher up on the evolutionary plain, is RAYMORE and FLANNAGAN which is the OLD Seamans or LEVEITZ...they have real krap, but it looks very nice.....and might last a few years. and is not chepa but reasonable.
There are a few stores left that sell real quality....Greenbaums in Paterson, Bograds in Riverdale(formerly of Paterson...and a few like Valley Furniture in Watchung....and Zaxtons in South JErsey....but very few stores are left where real quality can be found.......and then of course...ONLINE People ant to buy things cheap from a NON_store.....have it delivered, and then get screwed when damaged goods arrive....and there isnt any customer service.........
So now I have vented....why business is bad...and why I am always feeling blue...I finally stopped beating my self up...blaming myself for bad business...but I still here it from GLEN, i screwed everything up.....well I didnt!!!
Click this link...from a movie....Gypsies and jews playing music.....form a movie....about Nazi Germany,extermination...but this is a two min VERY HAPPY CLIP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bQmT1EM0Eg
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