PICKING

TOP 5 Places to PICK

Since finding the right pieces is vital to the success of your business, picking is the most important aspect of your success. If you do not offer great pieces, you will not stand out in this competitive market. BUT it can also be the most time consuming. When first starting out, you can find great quality pieces, if you know what to look for. Here are my TOP 5 venues for finding great pieces a low prices: 1. GARAGE SALES/THRIFT STORES. These are what I like to refer to as "starter venues". Aquiring your pieces by hitting the garage sales and thrift stores works in the beginning, but as your business grows it can become very time consuming. The benefit of garage sales, is that the people you deal with are almost always willing to negotiate thier prices because they want it GONE. No one wants to move unwanted furniture back into their home. The down side, and why it becomes harder as your business grows, is that you could spend all day and only find a couple quality pieces. Unfortunately, thrift stores have almost priced theirselves out of the furniture flipping business. Within the last year, they have raised their prices so much that it takes to much of your profit margin by purchasing from them. Each community will be different, so this might not be the case in your area. Either way, it is worth a trip to find out! 2. LOCAL FACEBOOK SITES. Every local community across the USA has local on-line garage sale Facebook sites. There are pros and cons to using this venue as a picking option. The Pros are you can often find some great deals and since it is online, you can search without leaving your house! The Cons are, the competition for good pieces can be stiff...and you almost always have to act fast. Also, it is not recommended that you use these same pages to sell your piece once you have worked your magic! As your business grows, it is sometimes not recommended that you let the general public know what you are paying for your pieces before you sell them. 3. CRAIGSLIST. www.Craigslist.org This is the one venue that you will utilize in the beginning as well as

when your business has grown! Craigslist is an invaluable tool for a few reasons. First, you are able to search outside your commuinty (you should establish how far you are willing to drive) and this affords you a greater selection of unique vintage pieces. Second, you can choose to search for specific pieces, buffets, "treasure hunting" portion of your business. Offering to find pieces for your clients that you currently do not have in stock. The ability to set your search parameters, maximum price, location, etc. saves a lot of your time. And NEVER overlook the FREE section of the Craigslist ads...this is where I aquired my very first piece...and I sold it within 20 minutes! Third, you are given a great opportunity to establish relationships with sources that can provide you with multiple pieces at one time....think Sorage Wars. You will encounter people that purchase storage lockers at auction and they are not interested in furniture. This is where you come in. ALWAYS communicate what business you are in, give them a business card, and let them know you would be interested in first right of refusal of any furniture they may come across! I get weekly calls, WITH PICTURES, from indiviuals I have met via a Craigslist deal, and they have turned into an invaluable resource! 4. ESTATE SALES. I have a love/hate relationship with estate sales. Like garage sales, you can spend an entire day and only aquire a few pieces. In the beginning of your business, when you are working from your home, time isn't necessarily an issue but as your business grows, time away from your store gets harder. Once again, establishing a relationship with the individuals that RUN the estate sales can be of great value to you. I have a few that contact me after their estate sales are complete and they will offer me the pieces that did not sell at a fraction of what they were offered during the actual sale. A great example is the 1800's Oak Sideboard that is featured in the seminar. I purchased that piece for $200 from one of my estate sale contacts, placed it on my floor as is, and sold it for $2999! Estate sales are also a great place to pick up smalls to sell and use as staging in your store.....lamps, pictures, dishes, etc. can usually be picked up for next to nothing. 5. AUCTIONS. Auction Houses are my favorite sources for great vintage pieces! They afford me the opportunity to spend a day, and aquire 15-20 pieces for way less than I would pay anywhere else. The beauty of local auctions is that the majority of auction goers are not looking for furniture...they are looking for gold and silver, guns,

electronics, tools...etc. That often equates into great buys for anyone willing to purchase the furniture. You have the ability to preview all the offerings...checking on their structural soundness before deciding on what you are willing to pay, so you know their quality before you bid. Another "perk" is that since Auction Houses are often certified Appraisers as well, you know EXACTLY what you are getting, and sometimes can get a little history on where the pieces came from. So, once again, establishing a relationship with the auction houses has created and opportunity for me to be able to come and "shop" in private, and allows me to purchase outside the auction dates. I always recommend you tell people you encounter what it is that you do. This opens the door for alliances and relationships that assist you in the most important, yet most difficult aspect of your furniture flipping business.....PICKING! Once you are established, people will call you...the pieces will find you. Your goal is to form relationships with individuals that will minimize the time you spend searching for inventory for your business. I can spend 4 hours driving to pick up one piece, or I can spend 4 hours driving to pick up 16 pieces. Choose how you spend your time wisely. It is the most valuable commodity you have. What To Look For When Picking Pieces I have created some stead fast rules when it comes to deciding what pieces will make the cut for my inventory. Remember, sometimes you are literally saving these pieces from the landfill. You need to be able to see past the "ugly" and visualize the potential in each piece. Ask yourself, "Does it have good "bones", detailing", etc. And just because it is old...doesn't mean it is well made or worth your effort! Here are my basic guidelines: 1. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES do I purchase previously painted pieces. Three reasons why: First, vintage pieces were often painted with lead paint. We all know this is an unsafe situation for both you and your clients. You never want to disturb a surface that has lead, so stripping and sanding (even distressing) can be toxic. Not to mention that a lot of original lead paint can be "chippy" and easily find its way into the mouths of children. Second, this "chalk paint" craze has evolved into a lot of people using latex paint on furniture. "Create

your own" chalk paint by adding Plaster of Paris, Calcium Carbonate, or Unsanded Grout has people attempting to save money by making their own products. As well, the majority of "Boutique Lines" of paint are Latex or a Latex Blend. Latex paint was never meant for furniture and its binders will cause adhesion problems down the road. By applying a quality product, over an already painted latex piece, your product will perform only as well as what it is applied to. If the latex peels, so will your paint. Also, many of these lines require a wax to seal their product...and nothing will stick to wax. Lastly, stripping furniture is no fun! Dirty, often toxic, and extremely time consuming. My best advice is to just PASS on anything painted...it is not worth your valuable time! 2. Don't ever buy a piece sight-unseen! You have got to be hands on to make sure that it is structurally sound. Checking that all the dawers work, that it isn't missing tracks, that there is only minor delamination or lifting...that there are no repairs or broken parts that are outside of your ability to fix. Keep in mind that the majority of these pieces are 80 to 100 years old, so they won't be in perfect condition, but understanding your capabilities and the time it will take to get them up to your quality standards should factor into your decision to buy...and at what price. 3. You always want to inspect the hardware when picking your pieces. Not just the drawer pulls, but also the casters. In a lot of instances the vintage hardware is worth MORE than the piece itself. My recommendation is always trying to keep the piece true to its era in regards to the hardware. That doesn't mean that you pass on a piece if it is missing casters, a knob or a drawer pull, but it does mean that you consider your ability to find a replacement pull or decide to replace all the hardware (which will add cost to your final price). A lot of the dressers from the early 1900's were on little wheels, and they have since been removed. By adding them back, only adds value and helps keep the piece "true" to its era. A great resource for finding vintage hardware at a great price is www.EBay.com. I cannot tell you how many time I have been able to replace the exact pull that was missing by searching "vintage drawer pulls" on Ebay! I also buy lots of mis-matched hardware, for cheap, to pull from when I need to replace pulls! 4. I cannot stress enough the importance of construction.

Always checking for dovetailed drawers, tongue-and-groove backing, etc. These are features that make vintage furniture quality stand on its own. These pieces are not stapled together with particle board and laminate. The drawers do not have metal tracks on metal tracks. The fact that the majority of them were hand crafted, offers your clients superior quality to anything they can purchase new today. Always check for missing detail and trim pieces, because while some can be recreated using Magic Mud, others will require you to get creative or remove all together. All factors that will help you decide on a price. 5. We often forget to...SMELL! This one can be overlooked by the beauty of the piece, but if there are smells in the drawers or cabinet areas they are almost impossible to remove! Stick your nose in there and see if you pick up any offensive odors. If you detect them, your clients will as well. Often you are buying pieces that have been sitting in a garage or a storage unit, or a barn! Little, and not so little, critters could have easily made a home in your potential piece and urine is almost impossible to remove from wood. I have made this mistake in the beginning and ended up having to trash drawers and repurpose bones to recoup my investment. My best advice is the nose knows when to pass....listen to it! 6. Don't pick "just anything". While it is tempting to paint everything, my best advice is to be picky! The more styles you work with, the better you will get at deciding which translates best with your "art". My clients know they can always find a Jacobean piece, or a French Provincial piece, or Duncan Phyfe piece on my floor. Those are just a few of the styles that I gravitate towards because I am personally drawn to their lines. You will definately develop favorites and will soon have the eye for what paints up best. We will discuss the different styles of furniture in more detail later. 7. Lastly....REPURPOSING. I know I stressed the importance of when to pass on a piece based on its condition, but always think in the back of your mind, what a piece could BECOME. Price should always be a factor when you are considering a dresser that is missing drawers (that could be turned into a bench or a shelving unit), or a head and foot board that are missing side rails (that can be turned into an entry bench). While I don't advocate paying premium prices for the "broken" pieces, if you can get them for nothing, or next to nothing, DO IT! They require more time to complete due to the need for some

sort of construction, but these unique pieces stand out on your floor and are always a topic of conversation! So don't pass on the $20 desk that is missing a top...add reclaimed barn wood and sell it for $499. The $2 doors that you can make into Halltrees, those extra drawers that you can make into pet beds....your possibilites are endless when it comes to repurposing!

Knowing the Difference Between a "Style" and a "Maker" When marketing your pieces to your potential customers, you want to be able to identify and give as much information about the piece as you can. That is why educating yourself in specific styles and eras can help you market your pieces correctly. When I first started 3 years ago, I had limited knowledge about styles and makers of vintage furniture. As you go, you educate yourself and begin to recognize what pieces came from what era, the tell-tale characteristics of certain

styles and who are the desirable makers. 1. Identifying the MAKER is sometimes as easy as opening a drawer and looking for the makers mark, or locating it on the back of your piece. Unfortunately, a lot of early pieces were made without a makers mark. Doesn't make them less valuable, but when you find a piece by a well know vintage maker, THAT does make your piece bring a higher price! Some of the makers that I am always looking for are: 1. Ethan Allen 2. Dixie 3. Bernhardt 4. Drexel 5. White 6. Thomasville 7. Sligh 8. Berkey & Gay 9. Henrendon 10. Redlicks 11. Kent Coffey (this is hitting the JACKPOT!) 2. Identifying the STYLE becomes second nature the more you pick. There are certain characteristics that immediately tell you what that particular style is, regardless of the maker. You will learn what classifies a piece to be considered a certain style, and then you can properly advertise your piece. Some of the most popular styles, that sell for me, include: Jacobean

French Provincial

Federal

Colonial

Duncan Phyfe

Craftsman

Waterfall

Eastlake

Victorian

60's and 70's

Keep in mind these are only a FEW EXAMPLES of styles....you will come across more in your picking adventures! In Summary By following these basic instructions when you are out picking, you are destined for success! Allowing yourself room to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on strengthens your business know-how. Remember to create relationships, communicate what you are looking for, pass out your business card and allow others to help you locate great pieces! So many people know what I do now, that it is not unusual for me to arrive at the store and find that someone has dropped off a piece for me for free. And FREE is almost always good!!