Been Gone For a Hot Minute

Okay,
I have to apologize for the lack of posts, I must say I am so beat. I mean I look and feel whipped. I went to Spain early in June, sent my oldest off to Europe, been trying to keep my two boys "occupied" and working everyday.. all day. I dunno I guess I just don't know how to relax anymore and it's really taking a toll. I feel as if my hands and feet resemble,

my hair is going kinda like this:

lets not get on the body

.....ok?

Some interesting news, I had

Emily Henderson come in and film her terrific show,

 "Secrets of a Stylist" at my shop. She has been a terrific client and is as sweet as they come and let me tell you that isn't always the case, but it is with

her and her crew. Nice and easy just the way I like it.

New stuff to the store

Here are some new things that I just placed in the store this week.

A trio of cool lucite nesting
tables

A pair of uber-cool side tables
very reminiscent of Pierre Jeanneret

A really nice mid-cent. desk
great from the backside (would show a pic. but still figuring out the exposures on my camera)

And whole lotta lighting:

Well maybe not a whole lot
but some are new. I have so many new lamps I want to bring in but won't until I sell some that I've had for awhile. Anyway I will be in the shop for awhile today. Somebody come down and visit.

Feeling Blue and Broke

I don't want to be Debbie Downer; but damn it was a crappy day at the center. In fighting

 between dealers (definately not me) can be a real bitch to be around. NO customers, except the usuals who just come to browse and too much inventory with more coming in can completely drain one's enthusiasm for this biz. I will say this..... owning a shop ain't for p*&sies. It's hard cause you put money into stuff and a lot of times you just don't get it out. Good month, bad month and you just keep going in circles. Sometimes other dealers recount

 the good ole' days when they were making money hand over foot. To this I say,  "huh?" There were days like that? Never experienced them. I mean, I think I started right when the economy started to really TANK.

 This economy shit SUCKS! But hey when I look at a chair

 that I've had for ages I have to remember what many dealers know,

 "There's an ass for every seat." So for me, I need some asses to come in and SIT DOWN.

The Intro.........

This is my second blog post ever. I have been reading blogs for awhile now, and I realized that I had to get in on the mix, so here I am. A coupla things about me. I am a mother of three great kids, one going off to college next year, and have a been happily married for almost 20 years. My husband realized pretty early on that I have always had a tendency to buy direlect pieces of furniture and try to rehabilitate them. It wasn't until...

the garage was overflowing that he said enough!!! and subsequently persuaded me to open a small space at the Pasadena Antique Center.

 Not to be longwinded but over the last two years I have opened more spaces there and finally settled on a very large space upstairs. You know I hear that is has a reputation for being

 old ladyish, you know doilies,

 dark and just old fashiony

  and I am here to say....

It isn't.. it really isn't,there are so many dealers with so much cool stuff. It really helps if you know what kind of look you want to achieve.Because just like choosing paint, all of it can be totally overwhelming.

What I will tell you what it really is (in my opinion), is a bunch of adults in close proximity on a regular basis, and each one of us has our idiosyncrasies(spell-check)  so yeah.......its a big dysfunctional family but a family nonetheless. So if you are rude or ask for discounts that are totally ridiculous( ex:  one guy who comes in and always expects to get a 65% discount) you will get talked about...for real. I also hate playing this game with pricing like if I asked a totally reasonable price people still want a hefty discount so you always have to price up for the discount for which they are inevitably going to ask for. Shit when I first started going there who knew to ask for a discount?  I mean people who are not designers are asking for like BIG discounts,  if people really knew what it takes.....ugh they would STILL ask for a discount. I know there have been times when dealers have not always been on their best behaviour as well, and since I can't speak for them, I will speak for me. I try to do the best I can.....really...but sometimes its hard. I will expound on that subject on other posts..... cause I got some stories.......................

So on Memorial Day after selling uno pillow, my husband said let's go to Silverlake and look around. Of course I thought what a great idea.. Let's go down to Vivier and Bentley,

the uber cool store with uber cool bags.  He had no idea what the hell I was talking about... but yo I did..... all dem bags, with all dem colors. You know I luv to collect stuff .....but I give the guy a break and buy just one.

 One awesome green clutch.

BTW Claire is really nice, mellow, and sweet. I asked if business was good around the area, but you know shit like that is all relative, besides her bags are kinda becoming like a cultish cool status symbol, (I am so not cool)  I really can't compare selling great handbags (at a great price too) with reworked vintage furniture but hell my husband didn't realize that. Honey I was on a convert mission, taking no prisoners.  Looking for a new space was a terrific excuse to buy a kick-ass clutch...by the way...

First Post on Memorial Day

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. Ya know it's very easy to forget about Memorial Day because we all have busy lives,barbeques,etc... but let me tell you I just returned from Savannah yesterday and I saw so many young guys and girls in their National Guard uniforms it was unbelievable, I mean these kids looked so young. Although I don't agree with this shithole war, I am so grateful for their unselfish service to this country.

 It was nonetheless one of those HELLISH flight days, cause of course our connecting flight was just cancelled (no reason given) so we had to take another flight to Phoenix. So to be clear it was like this to return to Burbank.  Savannah, Dallas, Phoenix, Burbank, not to mention the irritating chick who talked SO LOUD that by the end of one leg, I knew A. she was divorcing her husband, B. I knew why she was divorcing her husband, C. knew all of her office dirt, who she liked, who she hated, how much she drank on an average weekday, Please people there is such a thing called etiquette ESPECIALLY on a plane, and doubly especially in coach, ya hear me???

So I come back from Savannah, I was there because my daughter will be attending SCAD (sooo happy) this fall and I thought hell she should see the campus, and boy it so did not disappoint. I can't tell you what a jewel of the south that city is, it's spanish moss, food,the art, people, the vibe in general. Man if I could go back in time, the campus is off the chain. Boy is she gonna have a good time, so good I will be grateful if she graduates. Okay so I come back to the store hoping, praying that sumethin sold, but alas shit out of luck. So this is the dilemma, I've looked in Silverlake, I've looked in Eagle Rock, but I just don't know where, you see I love the Antique Center but I'm thinking should I move???? I just dunno. Would be so interested in the thoughts. I am not sure if Pasadena really digs my shit, I mean it is very traditional in a sense, very Craftsmeny, spanish revivally and I am kinda hippie, here's some pics of the shop.

 Help me figure this shit out.