My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday. This Thursday’s post will be about the big and important Original Miami Beach Antique Show, which opens this Thursday at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
My booth is looking good
I’m writing this blog at 4:00 PM on Sunday, an hour before the show is to close. It’s been a tough few days, mostly because of the boredom. Sales have been few, but OK, so we’ll wind up earning a bit after all is said and done. And you thought it was so glamorous to be an antiques dealer and exhibit at shows. At times, it is. When a show is busy and sales are steady, it’s gratifying. Sometimes a famous person will come into the booth and that’s fun, but mostly it’s boredom and tension. When you’re in business, you’ve got to keep selling to generate cash flow. My favorite bumper sticker says, “Happiness is positive cash flow”.
The show opened on Friday with a brief flurry of people. Attendance was fairly light all day and then dropped off precipitously in the late afternoon. The show was open until 8 PM, so that people could come after work. That was the theory, but in practice, it was dead, late in the day, and the show should have closed at least an hour earlier. What is the sense of keeping open for nobody?
Pretty much the same story for Saturday — light attendance and then a precipitous drop late in the day. The show was open until 7 PM and should have closed at 6 PM. People have better things to do on Saturday night than attend an antiques show. That’s the reality.
Sunday in my aisle at 1:15 PM
Attendance on Sunday picked up a bit. I would call it moderate. There were more questions and more interest, but a tough crowd. The day ended with no sales. In asking around, a couple of dealers did poorly, a few dealers did OK. One dealer told me he did well.
We’re looking forward to this week’s Miami Beach show. Clients fly in from all over the United States and the world. The excitement level goes up several notches and the action follows. It’s usually one of the best shows of the year. If you decide to visit only one of the Florida shows, make sure it’s this one! You’ll thank me. It’s huge and filled with the best dealers and a fabulous array of merchandise that you won’t find anywhere else. The big bonus is the weather. The temperature has been in the 70s and 80s every day. No more excuses! Make your plans now.
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Is this Daum creamer fantastic or what? Just in.
Look around my website. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. I regularly add Tiffany vases, lamps and desk accessories, as well as French cameo glass by Galle and Daum Nancy and Louis Icart etchings. Here’s the link. chasenantiques.com