I have had a dream to have my own shop for many years. But I didn't want it to be a "junk shop"
with lots of various items and I did not want to sell clothing .
I wanted it to be for hand embroidered linens and vintage dishware.
Last year I worked and worked on fixing up a little storage building on our property
I spent weeks hauling out stored items , scrubbing and painting......and planning.
I filled it with pieces of old furniture I had found along the way,
I painted my sign, with my shop's name, Yesteryear,
attached it to a vintage bed frame,
fixed it to the ground,
attained my business license ..............
and opened the door!
I wanted to have different areas fixed in my shop to sell the different things I have collected throughout the years. This is my kitchen/dining area
with every nook and cabinet
filled with vintage kitchen gadgets and dishware.
I love depression era glass and have a shelf
stocked full of different kinds.
I have a table set with vintage linens, plates, bowls, wine glasses, and everything else for a dining table. The colorful chairs are a vintage set I have had for many years.
I stripped them, painted them vibrant colors
and hand cross stitched different backs with different scenes of the seasons.
Another corner holds decorative wall plates and anniversary plates, as well as vintage picnic baskets.
One section has vintage lamps and candle holders.
One of the two dressers holds vintage figurines , vases and handbags,
while the other holds
crocheted doilies, perfume bottles, metal compacts, trinket boxes,
and drawers full of vintage hand embroidered linens.
Vintage wall pockets and vintage needlework are all over the walls.
And then there is Sophie. Who is with me constantly whether I am outside
or in the shop.
As for customers,..............I live pretty far out away from town.........so I have only had a handful.
Most of my sales are helped with my online Etsy shop.
I have not advertised my shop in a big way........
which is an area I need to improve on if I want more folks to come out and visit.
But it is a wonderful dream that has become a wonderful reality.
How about you?
Do you like to find and go through vintage shops?
What are the things you like to look for?
I would love to hear.
19 comments:
I would sure love to stop by! Your shop is charming and I see plenty of goodies that I love. Milk glass, those chairs (!) and I am a dish addict. I'm betting that come Spring an ad in the local paper would bring plenty of shoppers:>) It's lovely!
This is the kind of shop I love to visit. Organized, clean & full of lovely eye candy. Just the place to find one of my cookie molds! Of course, I will search dusty disorganized shelves if I think one might be hiding! Having a shop at your home with no rent etc. is ideal. Come spring & word of mouth & you'll soon have shoppers.
Such a unique shop, Kathleen! It would be fun to visit there. I hope many more customers find you. It looks wonderful!
I'm so glad you stopped by to visit me otherwise I would have never found you! I could live in your shoppe...or maybe I should say CAN I?? It looks to be loaded with all things that I love. Vintage glass, depression ware, and linens are my downfall. I need to add a room onto my house if I buy anything else. So happy I can come here and day dream. ;j
What a wonderful reason to take a nice, long drive across Texas! Yesteryear is gorgeous inside and out...even in the snow! Best wishes for a fabulous year!
Hello greetings and good wishes.
Your vintage shop is fabulous. The collections are fantastic. Lovely things all around.
I am amazed at the amount of hard work you have put in to achieve your dream. I only wonder how you managed to collect so many beautiful items. You have a treasure trove of exquisite things.
Sophie is very cute.
Excellent photos displaying very interesting items not only for display but very useful on a daily basis.
Wish you all the best and all success. Surely your tremendous effort and creativity will be highly rewarded.
Your shop is sweet, filled with all sorts of goodies. I love those wall pockets. I have one, it's a little bird on top of three apples, or some other such rounded fruit.
You asked about my husband and I having am antique shop. We did for 8 years. In our area, the overhead was a killer. Then our landlord decided he wanted our shop for himself and gave us 30 days to get out. (By the way, he only had his shop open for 2 years, then sold the building.) We moved to another location, but it wasn't the same, as where we had been was 'antique row' with almost 40 shops. Then road construction was going to happen at new location and would take a year or more, and we decided to auction every thing off and be done with it. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time a relief. We said IF we ever went into business again, we wanted to own the building.
You own your place and that's great! I wish you well. It takes time for people to pass along a sweet little shop they've found, like yours. Hang in there.
FlowerLady
Would be nice to visit you and your shop. It looks so inviting.
I spied a pink lamp on that table. Can you get a photo of it by itself?
Looks similar to the one I have that was my grandmothers.
Thanks
how exciting and wonderful.
Best of luck ~ enjoy.
doreen
Now this is what makes blogging interesting to me: a peek into the life of someone who had a dream and went for it! Your shop is a treasure for sure! So neat and easy to see things, unlike several I've been in :) There used to be a little consignment store close by, filled with things people had to sell. I don't visit thrift shops, etc. anymore, since I feel I've collected more than I need at my age, but your shop does tempt a person. Maybe with a bit of advertising, business would pick up. I wish you the very best!
Your shop, your dream is beautiful! I wish I lived closer, I would be there. I do wish you continued success. You have worked hard. It's great to dream, but for most dreams to come true - a lot of hard work is involved. You have done that.
Your shop is beautiful! If we visit Texas, your place will be on my list. Please hang in there-advertise maybe? I think people love those beautiful shops that are just off the beaten path....
You have done such a nice job. People love out of the way little shops and yours will catch on, word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Your shop is amazing.I love the sign so much!
If I lived in the state I would visit your shop !I am so impressed with what you've done. I think you have a good future in store for your vintage shop and it will only take word of mouth and your consistent quality to increase business.
This is truly a dream coming to reality. All good things take time, here in NZ we have a TV ad, with 2 old blokes talking about cheese, and how long it takes to mature properly. Your lovely antiques will soon have the word spread far and wide, and I send huge amounts of every good wish, and many hugs for it to be a place of dreams and happiness.
Your shop is adorable! I love many things that I can see, and yes, yours is exactly the kind of place I'd enjoy browsing in. I'm happy for you that your dream came true; you did that and it's awesome! :)
xoxo
Your vintage shop is fabulous. I love all the things. The depression era glass, the plates, the furniture. You've done such a wonderful job decorating. I sure would love to visit your shop. It's unique and I hope many more customers will find you.
I would love to visit your little shop. It has all the items I love to look at and come home with a thing or two. Good luck, once word gets out you will have lots of customers. So nice to have a dream come true.
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