Monthly Archives: September 2012

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Mile High Flea Market

Just a quick shout-out to our friends at the Mile High Flea Market! We visited on Saturday afternoon and had a blast! Tons of great stuff, one of the largest and cleanest flea markets we’ve been to!

Gotta love this truck!

Can’t wait to visit again soon! If you’re in the Denver area, be sure to visit this Flea Market, it’s awesome! For more details on the Mile High Flea Market, see their Flea Market Directory Listing!

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Who Knew You Could Find Louis at the Pawn Shop?!

Rick Harrison, star of the hit series Pawn Stars, is famous for saying, “You never know what’s going to come through that door!” The thrill and excitement of working in a pawn shop is the fact that interesting items are always coming into the shop!

Most people probably think of pawn shop items consisting of jewelry, electronics, and artwork. These items don’t usually cause too much excitement or get people to say “Wow! I have never seen that before!” Think again because, at our online pawn shop, we had some pretty unique and unusual items come though our door this past week that we would like to share with you!

What is black inside and out, built in 1984, has traveled the equivalent of 5 times around the earth, has 6 wheels, and drives on the wrong side of the road? Answer: The London Taxi cab in our warehouse. This wonderfully restored cabbie from across the pond, built almost 30 years ago, runs and drives like it could go for another 130,000 miles. The interior room of this car makes a New York yellow cab look like a Mini Cooper. The amount of Louis Vuitton luggage you can fit in the front row space, where a U.S. driver seat would typically be, is impressive. This is a 4 cylinder diesel car, with 127,351 miles, made by London Taxi International, and was recently reconditioned.

We also received a matching set of Louis Vuitton Luggage. There are two pieces of hard sided luggage, an Alzer 70, and a cosmetic train case, as well as a Pegase 65 rolling bag. We took a photo of them being loaded into the London taxicab because we imagined that would be a very luxurious way to travel. The lady who pawned them didn’t want to sell them because they were a gift from her late husband. She needed cash to pay a tax bill and expects to have it repaid in a couple months.

Have you ever owned a solid bar of silver? I had only seen them in pictures and on TV, until a few days ago. Earlier this week we had a women come in with a silver bar stuffed inside an old ski gloved. The bar was originally purchased sometime in the mid-1980′s when silver was trading around $13 an ounce. The day we wrote up the pawn, silver was trading at $34 an ounce. That means that this bar, which is 100 ounces, is worth $3400.

An interesting thing about a solid bar of .999% pure silver is its weight. When you look at one of these bars, you expect it is going to weigh 20 or 30 pounds, however, it really only weighs 6.8 pounds. Quite deceiving. How did I know that it was in fact real silver? Just like the acid test jewelers and pawn shops use to verify what karat gold an item might be made of, we did the same with this silver bar. We applied a single drop of the solution, directly on the bar and waited a few seconds for the result.

A light green color would have meant that we only had a bar of 65-75% pure silver, but our solution turned a creamy color. This indicated that our silver was 100% pure.

Although they didn’t come in last week, one of our favorite items is a pair of seats from the Old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. This stadium is no longer standing, but still has a baseball diamond in the original location. The ball field is located on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues in Detroit, Michigan and baseball has been played at that location since 1895. Tiger stadium was opened on April 20, 1912, the same day Fenway Park opened for the Boston Red Sox.

The Detroit Tigers played their last game there on September 27, 1999. Now fans of this team have sought out to own a piece of the stadium, more specifically to own one of the old wooden seats that were installed sometime in the 1930-1940′s.

One of our founders, Tom Persing, grew up in Michigan and is Tigers fan. You can imagine how exited he was when a customer wanted to pawn, not one, but two original seats from the old ballpark.

Now, can you imagine his elation when our client asked us to sell the seats in order to pay off their loan? Let’s just say that even though they are for sale, I doubt they’ll ever leave our shop.

If you would like to be notified if any of these items ever come “out of pawn” and up for sale, please feel free to email me.

Do you have photos of interesting items found at pawn shops? If so, send us your email and we will grant your permission to “pin” on our boards!

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Flea Market Do’s and Don’ts Insider Shopping Tips

Yes, for some, “doing the fleas” is a treasure hunt. It is no doubt a far cry from a trip to the mall, because, like I always say, you never know what you’ll find. So, to stay one step ahead of this fun and unpredictable shopping experience, here are a few tips from the one and only, “Flea Market Fanatic.”

Do arrive early. If it opens at 8:00am, be there. Especially if you’re shopping for something in particular. Inevitably, it’s there, somewhere. And if you strike up a nice rapport with the vendor, you may get a price break. You can even ask for it to be held if you want it bad enough, and a $10 bill will do the trick. Walk around, enjoy the rest of the market place, then pick up your items at the end of the day, so you don‘t have to carry them around.

Do bring your own beverage and a snack. Unless I am at the Brooklyn Flea where I know the truck food is going to be good and interesting, American flea food isn’t worth eating. It tends to be what I call “sugar fried salt” food. Bring a nice Fage Yoghurt and Honey or a veggie wrap. You’ll feel better.

Do buy something you must have, but for a specific reason. Is this purchase practical? Like lighting, or accessorizing elements of a room?

Do haggle but if you really think that tchotchke is not worth $30 and you can buy the same thing cheaper at Target, new, walk away. I love flea markets more than anyone, but use your head.

Do know your style. Buying an antique phonograph sounds romantic, but if your home is all about Mid–Century Modern, for heaven’s sake, put it back.

Do look for interesting or unusual fabric and textiles that catch your eye for color or texture. Brocade and silks are my weakness. Chances are you won’t see anything like it new. Sadly, the craftsmanship is just not there. If you have a yen for glass and door knobs, colored drawer pulls, dusty chandeliers, vintage table cloths, really old maps, or vintage brooches like I do, there is never a shortage of what you can do to repurpose these types of flea market finds. They never fail to add just the right touch to any room. Unintentional charm. You will achieve a greater decorating flair with the less is more approach of casual charm and elegance when you add one of these elements about the house.

Do pack your Flea Market Checklist

Do restore, recycle, and repurpose, but only if you love working with your hands. I know if you had suggested DIY projects even five years ago, I would have balked. I wasn’t ready or interested. These types of projects have got to be a labor of love. It is a lot of research, creativity, elbow grease, and experience of trial and error to get “it” right. So my advice is leave the DIY and restoration to the experts, until you are really ready.

Do shop what I call the “outliers.” Get out, way out, beyond the main are and where the crowds are. I like to start at the end then work my way back. It’s often these outer areas that are not only less crowded, but they very often have terrific antique and vintage pieces. Perfect locations for bargain hunters!

Do take cash, and although a lot of small bills are a good idea, many indoor fleas and antique shows or vintage cooperatives have a central pay station to run any kind of transaction. What’s more, yes there are ATM’s, but I am finding more and more sellers like myself, who can swipe debit and credit cards right on their smart phone. Worse comes to worse, if you’re low on cash, ask if they’ll take a check (most do) or send your payment to them through PayPal.

Do wear comfortable walking shoes. I get sore feet easily. I love my Tory Birch flip flops in good weather. They are a little pricey but they are sturdy. One pair in 4 years! When it’s cold, I wear the pair of raspberry colored Uggs I bought in 2005. Nothing else will do. Don’t have to wear socks either. Yes, both are new. I personally don’t like second hand shoes. But I would never pay full price! Can you say www.Overstock.com or www.Zappos.com?

Do wear layers, but even on the coldest New Jersey day, I leave most everything behind and opt for less. I don’t want to be weighted down by heavy coats or scarves and gloves. With so many people generating body heat, I’ve learned my lesson.

Don’t buy something because you think it’s a collectable item. Antiques Roadshow Twins, most of are not. I tell my clients, the last thing you want your home to look like is a garage sale. Less is more, put it back unless you absolutely need it. Resist consuming impulses. A bargain is no longer cheap when you’ve bought ten of them, or it’s going to sit in your closet.

Don’t take a folding cart with wheels. Too much jostling and crowds. I don’t want to tow that barge. For me, I want to enjoy the day. Leave the heavy day handbag at home, and simply take an over the shoulder flea bag like this with your iPhone and wallet.

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Pawn Shop Industry Insights and Trends

Educating your customers is a great way to gain a loyal following in your community and industry. In a society where information flows freely and quickly, many people don’t have a lot of time to research and gather information before making decisions in their best interest. Customers count on their local businesses to provide unbiased opinions and information before making a business deal. This is just as true in the Pawn Shop Industry as it is in any other industry.

We recently had the opportunity to interview three Pawn Shop owners and asked them to provide some of their own insights and thoughts on the Pawn Shop Industry today, here’s what they had to say:

Lawrence Kahlden, President and CEO of La Familia Pawn & Jewelry, founded in 2009, has over 23 stores across Florida and Puerto Rico. When asked what industry trends are exciting him today, Lawrence said, ” I find it exciting that — thanks to shows like Pawn Stars– the industry has become more mainstream and acceptable as retail outlets. We’re seeing clientele walk through our doors that wouldn’t have just a few years ago. It’s definitely a great time to be part of the industry and evolve to accommodate customers with different needs.” When it comes to overcoming the challenges of getting more shopper traffic into the shop and buying items, Lawrence says, ” Our number one priority is to provide the best customer service in the industry. If you can accomplish that, people will spread the word and drive more people to our stores. That has been our number one way of getting new customers in the door.” Haggling on priced merchandise is fair game at Pawn Shops. Lawrence says, “We set fair market prices both on items for sale and the amount we will loan, but our top priority is to provide our customers with the best service available, and that includes working with them on prices to meet their needs.” Lawrence says approximately 95% of his inventory is sold in their shops. “We do use sites like Craigslist and eBay from time-to-time for bigger ticket items and things we feel might not sell quickly in our stores.”

CashCo Pawn, based in San Diego, CA, is run by Managers Yigal and Moris Adato. They’re currently celebrating their 10th anniversary in business this year! When asked what gets them excited about their industry, they said, ” The fact that we now have a worldwide customer base is incredible. People don’t mind buying from pawn shops anymore because they know we are legitimate and offer amazing prices.” Improvements are still needed say Yigal and Moris. “We would like to see websites like Amazon and eBay provide more seller rights. Often times, e-commerce sites are so focused on protecting the buyer that they forget to protect the seller as well.” As for overcoming challenges of attracting more shoppers, Yigal and Moris say, “We continuously encourage pawn shops as a better way to shop. We have a saying at our store, “Why pay retail when you can shop pawn?” People are looking to save money in this economy and what better way than shopping at pawn shops where items and services are legitimate?” When it comes to haggling, “If an item has been in the store for too long, we are open to negotiate. Our goal is to create the cash flow for the pawn business, so negotiating our prices come naturally. If we can get you a great deal, we are open to it.” Yigal and Moris say they sell about 5 to 10% of their inventory online using sites such as Amazon and eBay. “Usually the items we sell online are the higher end items and items that fall more under the specialty category.”

Robbie Whitten is the owner of Money Mizer Pawns & Jewelers, open for 32 years and has 7 stores located throughout the Southeast, including Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Robbie says, “Technology in computer software and Eyeson Video Surveillance” is what excites him about the industry today. Money Mizer offers customer rewards and customer referral rewards to gain more shopper traffic. About 70% of Money Mizer’s inventory is sold in shop and 30% is through online sales through eBay and Gunbroker.com. As for haggling in the shop on items, “We set reasonable prices for items to sell, however, we leave some room for haggling” says Robbie.

Pawn Shops are unique resale shops, and like any shop or marketplace in the second hand industry, you can find some pretty awesome stuff for sale at a reasonable prices. Before heading out to buy that new item, be sure to pop in your local Pawn Shop, chances are they may have what you’re looking for or be able to point you in the right direction of getting a better deal. The Pawn Shop Industry has a bright future with many opportunities and is ready to serve the needs of people in any economic climate.

Remember, building a customer base that trusts your businesses advice and can count on your expertise goes a long way. Educating and rewarding your customers can help your businesses ratings both online and within the community.

Have you checked out your neighborhood Pawn Shop recently? What did you think? Share your comments with us below!

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Yard Sale Photo Contest

Get your cameras ready, it’s time to kick off a month-long yard sale photo contest! During the month of October we will be posting your yard sale photos that you submit to us on our Facebook and Blog. Three winners with the best photo will receive an autographed copy of “The Garage Sale Millionaire” authored by our friend and Monday Guest Blogger, Aaron LaPedis! Aaron will have the honors of choosing the best photo submitted for each category and winners will be notified and recognized in early November!

There are three categories you can submit your photos to for a chance to win:

Best Yard Sale Bargain Item
Most Outrageous Yard Sale Item Found
Best Yard Sale Sign

So whether you’re hosting a garage sale and think you can design the best, most attractive, most outrageous sign or you score a great bargain or find something that’s worth being shown on Ripley’s Believe it or Not , send us your photos and let Aaron be the judge!

Make sure your photos are PG-13 – we’ll be sharing them with our Blog audience and Facebook Fans. To qualify, your photos must be submitted by October 31, 2012, Midnight MST. Photos must be your own and not pre-existing and taken from the Internet – let’s be fair now! You can submit as many photos as you like!

To enter: Post your photo finds on our Facebook Page or email them to us directly! Be sure to include details about your find!

Are you ready to have some fun! We can’t wait to see all the crazy cool pictures that you’ll be submitting! Good luck!

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Brooklyn Flea’s Fall Record Fair Adds Top Labels, Collectors and Craft Beer

Warp, Merge, Mexican Summer, Ghostly International join label lineup; Siltbreeze founder Tom Lax and Endless Boogie’s Jesper Eklow, top journos sell from collection; early sales of Grizzly Bear’s “Horn of Plenty” LP reissue, others; Dogfish Head Craft Brewery to serve small-batch “Bitches Brew.”

The Brooklyn Flea’s fifth Record Fair, and second of 2012, takes place Saturday, October 6, inside its Smorgasburg food market. After two highly successful recent fairs, vendors requested the new twice-annual schedule, particularly to accommodate record labels’ release calendars. Surrounded by 100 food vendors, with special guest DJs all day, and now with SmorgasBar selling Brooklyn-made beer, wine, and spirits, the record fair has become one of the most popular market days of the year.

Four top independent labels join the lineup of 32 vendors: Ghostly International, Merge, Mexican Summer, and Warp. Like many labels, Merge is debuting a major fall album before its official release date at the record fair: “Jiaolong” by Daphni (aka Dan Snaith of Caribou). Similarly, Kanine Records will be selling copies of its Grizzly Bear vinyl/LP reissue of “Horn of Plenty” before its January 2013 release; Minimal Wave will have pre-release copies of its latest, Deux’s “Golden Dreams” EP; Ghostly will have pre-release 12″s of HTRK/Tropic of Cancer’s “Part Time Punks Radio Sessions”; and many more.

Special guest collectors include Siltbreeze Records founder Tom Lax, Jesper Eklow of Endless Boogie, a shared booth of music-industry veterans (Kris Chen, Hua Hsu, Piotr Orlov, Joseph Patel), DJ Moosaka (also the Smorgasburg market manager), Robert Schaad (a psych/minimal specialist), Mondo Kim’s, and the Greenpoint vinyl shop Coop 87. (See below for a full list of vendors and specialty items.)

Next month’s event also marks the launch of renowned Delaware craft brewery Dogfish Head’s sponsorship of the record fair. As independent producers, music-lovers and even creators of their own annual record fair in Rehoboth Beach, Dogfish is a perfect partner for the event. In addition to its popular 60 Minute IPA and Punkin Ale, Dogfish will have available its rare seasonal “Bitches Brew,” inspired by the Miles Davis album.

The record fair poster (attached) was again designed by Rotter & Friends. The fall version replaces the spring LP cover art (Brian Eno’s “Another Green World”) with LCD Soundsystem’s self-titled debut album.

Brooklyn Flea Record Fair
Saturday, October 6, 11am-6pm
Inside Smorgasburg, 27 North 6th St. (btw. Kent Ave. + East River)
FREE

VENDORS
4AD
Amish Records
Captured Tracks
Coop 87 Records
DFA
DJ Moosaka
Domino
Doug Mosurock
Eat Records
Ghostly International
Goodnight Records
Halcyon The Shop
John Allen
Kanine Records
Knitting Factory/Partisan/Young One Records
Matador Records
Matt Radune
Merge Records
Mexican Summer/Software/Kemado
Minimal Wave Records
Mondo Kims
Other Music
Raelian Raecords
Record Grouch
Robert Schaad
Sacred Bones
Secretly Canadian/Dead Oceans/Jajaguwar
Sepiatone Records
Siltbreeze & Friends (feat. Tom Lax and Jesper Eklow)
Treehouse & Friends (feat. Kris Chen, Piotr Orlov, Joesph Patel & Hua Hsu)
True Panther
Unbreakable Records
Warp Records
XL Recordings

SPECIALTY ITEMS
LABELS

Merge Records: Merge Records slipmat debut, and early sales of Daphni – JIAOLONG ( release date is October 16th)!

Warp Records: Out of print Warp lps, limited edition Warp tee shirt, & :Limited Edition Brian Eno Small Craft on a Milk Sea box (full description here - http://brian-eno.net/small-craft-on-a-milk-sea/)

Minimal Wave Records: early sales of Deux – Golden Dreams EP, Sympathy Nervous – Plastic Love LP, Ohama – The Potato Farm Tapes LP, and Das Ding – H.S.T.A. LP (repress)- All not released until October 9th!

Kanine Records: Grizzly Bear Horn Of Plenty LP vinyl reissue (not out until January!), Beach Day Walking The Streets 7″ new single on colored vinyl (limited to 300 copies), Bleeding Rainbow 7″ singles series all on colored vinyl (limited to 300 copies), and new tee shirts from Kanine Records, Eternal Summers, Bleeding Rainbow, Beach Day.

Ghostly International: early sales of HTRK / Tropic of Cancer Part Time Punks Radio Sessions 12″ Out officially October 30th!

Captured Tracks: Limited Edition Soft Metals LP – only 15 copies remaining!

Knitting Factory Records: Fela Kuti – The Complete Works Box Set, Fela Kuti – Vinyl Box Set 2 Curated by Ginger Baker

Amish Records: Limited edition Required Wreckers series including releases from Son of Earth, Ensemble Economique, Ben Vida/Keith Fullerton Whitman, Mike Shiflet/Pete Swanson, and Gregg Kowalsky with Jozef Van Wissem

COLLECTORS/SHOPS

Siltbreeze & Friends, Feat. Tom Lax (Siltbreeze) & Jesper Eklow (Endless Boogie): DIY, KBD, NDW, RIO, Acid Archives, Post Punk, Jazz, Folk, Psych. Maybe even some Chain Gang.

Robert Schaad, Collector : early electronic/synth, soundtrack, psych, minimal wave-ish, prog and more.

Matt Radune, DJ: 3 decades of 12″ DJ records and Technics 1200s and/or other turntables for sale

Coop 87 Records: extreme markdown/blowout sale on used LPs and 12″s

Treehouse & Friends Feat. Kris Chen (XL Recordings), Piotr Orlov, Joseph Patel, Hua Hsu: soul, 90s rap, dance singles, Iron Maiden 12”s, Musica Populera Brasileira, soul and funk 45s.

Sepiatone Records: 1950s-70s rock, new wave, alternative, goth, industrial, jazz, soundtracks and country

Record Grouch: low and high end punk, prog, psych, experimental, and even some Dad Rock, to fill those gaps in your collection.

Doug Mosurock, Collector: Rock, psych, jazz, experimental, indie, punk, soul, dance music, compilations and more. 7″s and LPs/12″s, maybe even cassettes. Lots of it, too, from cheapies to collectibles.

Mondo Kim’s: used, out of print, 45″s, LPs and DVDs and some recent Psych and International LP reissues and lots of dub 45″s and LPs.

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Deal Hunting Hiatus

Hello fellow garage sale hunters! I regret to inform you that I’ll be taking the month of October off from blogging. I’ve had a great deal of projects come up – including some rather large collections I intend to sort, research and resell – and unfortunately will not be able to maintain my weekly postings. I recommend that you take this time to put together one last garage sale for the season! October is a great month to clean out your summer clothes and items and get them sold before it’s too cold to showcase them in your driveway for a good price.

Pick a room in your house and go through every drawer and every closet. Make piles of items you don’t use, items that can be easily cleaned up or repaired and items you want to keep. After everything is cleaned out, only put away your pile of “keepers,” which will hopefully be the smallest pile! Remember, if you haven’t used or worn it in a month or two, it probably isn’t worth keeping.

After you’ve gone through every room in the house, take the time to tackle your repair pile. If it just needs a quick dusting or cleaning, it’s probably going to be worth your time to clean it up and get a bit more money for it. If you aren’t sure what something is worth, check the Internet; eBay can be a great pricing guide. Do remember, however, that you’re throwing a garage sale; you won’t necessarily be able to get the same prices you see listed on eBay. Your main goal is to get rid of things you don’t use or need, so use the prices you find as a general guide and make sure to offer a fair deal to your buyers. No one is going to buy a used item at full retail.

Don’t forget to advertise your sale. TagSellIt.com is a great platform to use to reach a wide range of shoppers. Be sure to mention your big ticket items to draw in a crowd. Make sure you put up large, brightly colored signs directing your shoppers to the sale. Be sure to include a date so no one is confused!

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, after you’ve spent the time preparing to be successful, have fun! Garage sales are a great way to meet people in your community. You can even recruit neighbors to add items and help out with the sale. The more the merrier!

I hope to hear all about your garage sale success when I come back in November! And in the meantime, feel free to see what I’m up to on facebook and Twitter!

Good luck and happy hunting!

- Aaron

learn more about Aaron LaPedis, visit www.thegaragesalemillionaire.com or contact him at thegaragesalemillionaire@gmail.com.

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Have you ever been inside a Pawn Shop?

If you’re like 95% of Americans, you’ve never even been inside a Pawn Shop.

Pawning has existed for centuries dating back to the Greek and Roman Empires. While pawning in Europe has remained popular, in the United States it has a rather checkered reputation. But recently, the wildly popular television shows Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn have broadened the awareness of the industry. The modern pawn shop is an attractive retail operation run by professionals who are intent on providing a good customer experience. The modern Pawn Shop is not a dark, dingy, back alley place as depicted in movies, but an attractive, well merchandised, professionally managed outlet for quality goods and excellent customer service.

I’m Don Battis, Founder and CEO of online Pawn Shop, Pawntique. I’m delighted to be invited by the CEO of Tagsellit.com to be a Guest Blogger. I’ll be blogging weekly about how Pawn Shops work and how people can become more comfortable dealing with Pawn Brokers.

Do you ever have short term cash emergencies or don’t know how you’re going to pay your bills?
Do you ever want to buy jewelry and gifts for your loved ones but can’t afford to pay retail prices?

Pawn Shops are great places to solve both those problems. There are 12,000 brick-and-mortar Pawn Shops in the United States, as well as several online pawn shops. This is a huge industry and it is expanding rapidly. 25 Million Americans spent over $15 Billion at Pawn Shops last year.

We launched Pawntique as a boutique online pawn shop last year. We’re a family owned business located in Portsmouth, NH but we serve customers all over the US. My family has been in the jewelry business for three generations and I’ve been an entrepreneur and small business investor all my life. I founded a small metal fabricating business in 1986 that grew to be a successful automotive and telecom equipment parts supplier. Since selling the company in 2000, our family has focused on small business loans to help companies grow, particularly in the Internet marketing arena.

Like many people, I’m a big fan of Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn and all the interesting people and items that come into their shops. The idea of Pawntique grew from that nationwide fascination with pawning. We saw an opportunity to participate in the trend by utilizing our Internet marketing talents, money lending experience, and jewelry expertise. Pawntique combines all these capabilities. We lend money to individuals and small businesses using their valuable jewelry and upscale assets as collateral. Our customers appreciate the convenience and confidentiality of the Internet to conduct the transactions.

I look forward to sharing some of the interesting items that come into our pawn shop and explaining how pawn shops work. I‘m also inviting some of my colleagues in the pawn industry to contribute their experiences. If you have questions or comments about the pawn shop business, let me know and I’ll be sure to cover them in future articles.

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A Moveable Flea Market Feast at Barneys New York

BARNEYS NEW YORK: THE PARIS FLEA MARKET RECREATED AT MANHATTAN FLAGSHIP‏

Unless you’ve been living in a cave lately, you know the fleas are trending not just for the vintage style but because they’re affordable. Today September 18, 2012, it’s official. According to this article in today’s Architectural Digest [REPRINTED FROM Text by Elizabeth Stamp | Photography by Tom Sibley the flea market style trend of vintage has officially moved from “The Shops at Target” on Main Street to Barney’s on Fashion Avenue. It bears reprinting because, in a sense, when Fashion Avenue references you, you have arrived.

What worries me, is that one, as soon as a cultural trend becomes legitimized by the commercial retail establishment, the charm and sub culture of them begins to fade (because our culture has the attention of a gnat). Secondly, Americans somehow think that if they see the Barney’s display, they’ve fulfilled their cultural experience in much the same way they will tell you they’ve “seen” Europe in Las Vegas. Not.

Read for yourself in the excerpt below and share your comments!

The Marché aux Puces St. Ouen de Clignancourt—the legendary flea market in Paris’s 18th arrondissement—has long attracted a fashionable set, with Coco Chanel and Christian Dior its frequent browsers in their day. Stateside flea fanatics can get their fix thanks to Barneys New York. The Chelsea Passage on the flagship’s ninth floor is currently host to “Marché aux Puces,” a special installation featuring incredible finds from the City of Light’s best-known treasure trove that is designed to recreate the experience of shopping there—without the airfare or shipping fees.

The shop is based on the stalls at Marché Paul Bert, a section of les puces that specializes in antiques and home furnishings. Dark gray canvas and sisal floors frame a wide array of items culled from numerous trips to the French capital over the past year.

“For an individual, to buy at the flea market in Paris is not easy,” says Barneys New York creative director Dennis Freedman. “It’s one thing to buy something, it’s another to arrange a shipment to America, deal with customs, and go from the port to your apartment. I’ve done that for the last ten years, and I know what’s involved. We’re eliminating all of that.” And to that we say merci beaucoup.

The eclectic assortment includes furniture, art, and one-of-a-kind decorative objects. A red 1970s Maison Barbier lamp mingles with two stone mile markers (used when the Romans were settling in Gaul), a plaster frieze, and sputnik-style light fixtures. “It’s a very big range of objects,” says Freedman, “from the 20th to the 19th century, Napoleon III pieces, big pieces, small pieces.”

Items will be added regularly through mid-November, and just like any flea market, great finds won’t last. There is one person, though, whom shoppers don’t need to worry about competing with. “I’ll be honest,” admits Freedman, “there were a number of things that I wanted to buy for myself and had to be told I couldn’t.”

Original Source

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Decorating on a Dime: Lombardy Hotel Suite

We’re really excited to feature and introduce Daniel VanHall and Gail Shields-Miller on Second Hand Social today!

These photos are from a gut renovation and decoration of a suite at the Lombardy Hotel on East 56th Street in New York City. Gail and I believe a truly interesting interior has an eclectic mix of objects and elements. We find many of those things at flea markets, both local and abroad, estate sales, antique fairs, consignment shops…the new phenomena since the downturn in the economy…and even from friends and family members tossing things out they don’t care for anymore, but in which we see hidden potential!

The credenza under the TV was a great find at Housing Works right here on 17th Street, in NYC. It is a late 1930′s French piece that needed some refinishing and a little TLC. We paid just $1500 for it.

The lovely 1960′s table lamp in the corner is from a sale we stopped at upstate near Hudson while visiting a client. We polished it up and dressed it with a new shade and now it looks like a million bucks. We paid $150 for it.

The writing table was a toss out from a family member who had no use for it anymore. We refinished and inlayed it with a metal top and now it’s a show stopper and we paid nothing for it!

In the dressing /sitting area we incorporated a great painting from a large flea market just outside of New Hope, PA, that cost only $300. We added a beautiful new gesso frame and voila, a dramatic addition to a small desk area in the apartment.

The deco chandelier in the bedroom came from a flea market in Paris where we paid only 1,000 Euros, plus shipping back to the States. A real find, as it turned out to be a signed piece!

The bedside lamps, which we believe to be 1940′s, are from a trip some years back to the Brimfield Market in Massachusetts, where we go annually to walk the show. The lamps cost $400 for the pair and again we dressed them with new shades and had them rewired.

All these items integrated with high end custom upholstery and case pieces, art work and accessories truly make a rich, original interior and we simply love finding them and then mixing them up all together.

About the Designers: Daniel has been doing interior design in Manhattan for a decade and a half. “I began my studies in North Carolina, Chapel Hill where I studied Art and Art history. I then came to NYC and completed my Interior design Degree at The Fashion Institute of Technology. I joined forces with Gail Shields-Miller and Shields & Company in 2005 where I have been to present date. Gail started her business in 1988, and moved it into Manhattan in 1991. She studied Interior Design at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City, and had real hands on training working in her family’s interior design business, Joan Shields Interiors, while she was going to school.”

The suite looks like a million bucks! What are your thoughts? Feel free to share your comments below!