Q & A

So I'm finally back home from my 2 week vaca in hot, humid Louisiana. It was such a nice visit, though. And as my previous post indicated, I had my first show! I am so pleased with the results, and I had so much fun doing it. I won't ever forget those of you who came to support me. I'll write about you in my memoir in about 30 years.

I've had a lot of you ask similar questions about my business, so I thought I would take this opportunity to answer them here.

1.) Where do you get your stuff?

- I get a lot of my merchandise from Estate Sales. I've finagled my way into getting a heads up on upcoming estate sales in my area. (I live very close to Atlanta, Charlotte, the mountains of NC and many other great estate shopping cities.) I have other ways of getting great pieces, but I can't give away all of my secrets. ;)

2.) Are you going to have a store location?

- I suppose this could be a goal of mine in years to come, but this is not on my immediate agenda. Andrew and I have not planted roots in a certain city yet, and I don't intend to open a store in the near future. But ya never know.

3.) Are you going to put prices on your blog?

- The verdict is still out on this one. I'm not ashamed of any of my prices; I'm actually proud to showcase my items and their prices, but I think I would rather an email from a customer asking about a product that they've seen on the blog. I would be very happy to give you the price and a description of the item. This way, if they item is 14 k gold, the price will reflect that.

4.) What is the price range?

- The items that I sell range from about $12 for fun little costume pieces to about $200 for some estate pieces. But it's a range of prices! I have said that if I personally couldn't afford it full price, I don't sell it. If my business grows, I hope to grow with my peers and get higher end items and our generation would most likely be able to afford it.

5.) Who takes all of your pictures?

- My sweet, talented, attention-to-detail husband does! Many of you have asked if my sister takes them since she is a photographer. She doesn't, but thank goodness that I have Andrew.

6.) Where will you be going to sell all of your findings?

- I plan to travel all around the United States to host shows, but mainly in the south. I have a show scheduled for November in Anderson, SC, and then I have a few other prospects before the end of the year. My spring season is starting to fill up, but if you would like to help me host a party, let me know. There will be great discounts for hosting! It's such a fun experience to have wine and cheese, friends over after work, and shop at someone's house for great jewelry.

7.) So you do custom searches?

- YES! I am currently looking for jewelry for about 5 or 6 people. This gives me a more definitive searching strategy. If you don't like the product, that's fine. I'll just keep looking. There is no charge for my time of searching, just the cost of the item if you choose to buy it. If you are getting married and need bridesmaid's gifts, I'll search. If you've always wanted an onyx ring, I'll look! Simply send me an email of what you're looking for, or if you're at one of my jewelry parties, fill out a search form.

8.) Do you sell other things other than jewelry?

- Yes! This whole business has started so quickly, and I'm just going with it. I thought it would be a great idea to visually help out my booth or show by adding some other vintage findings. And before I knew it, I had french prints, botanicals, trays and all sorts of small antiques. My husband, Andrew has even started drawing and painting artwork for my shows in hopes of starting his own website. He does do custom artwork. It would be such a sweet circle of events if I could inspire him to do a website because he has already done so much for me.

I hope that I am an inspiration to all of you to do what you love and go for it!

I have a request for my customers: if you've bought something and love wearing it, I'd be so delighted to hear about it. Send me a picture if you wear what you purchased, and I'll post it on the blog!