Friday, September 10, 2010

Money make it enjoy it pave the yellow brick road to your shop

So, you opened your on line shop and you wonder , when are the orders going to come in ?
That's exactly what most people do.
 Having an on line shop is a totally different concept than having an auction on ebay.
You have a shop, you are in charge of your success.
So, are you still sitting there , wondering, why your items are not selling ?
Location , location , location , is the rule of thumb for brick and mortar shops...
Networking is the key to on line shops. Thanks to Ning networks , networking is fun , and it's free !
Ruby Lane as taken an extra step that is very important. It is the first on line site to offer a talking video , offering suggestions to sellers on how to improve their shop.
Instead of a professional actor, they asked me, if I thought I could create a series of videos.
Now, first , let me say, I never held a video camera, and had no idea of how one would get a video into a computer.
I do enjoy writing , so, I did have that going for me. And, I have been in sales most of my adult life. And, I love to talk shop , always did.
So, I write the script , produce it , edit it , and submit it to a wonderful Ruby Lane person who I consider my partner because she is able to tell me if something does not sound correct and so forth. And , she is the one that decides when the videos are released.
Shop Talk is a new concept. It is for all sellers everywhere , not just for Ruby Lane.
And , it's from a regular person, a regular seller , talking shop to you.
I am not a professional , instead , I am just like you.
I enjoy selling , and collecting , always have. So, a few days ago , the introduction video was released...and then , a few hours later , the first shop talk video was released.
It's an important video, because so many people , buyers and sellers , do not know about Ning groups. Enjoy the video, and you will learn how to do the ning. You will love it , it's people just like you...From me to you , here's the video http://youtu.be/a6qiYad_znc

Country life memories meets today's Internet

Many memories of my childhood play like a movie in my head when I see some of the things in antique shops, or on line antique / vintage sites

The old wood rolling pin brings a scene of my Mother rolling out pie dough for the pies she baked for an Inn that was popular and well known far from it's location. People from the D.C. area would visit the mountains where I lived and when here, they would eat at The Greystone Inn , which was known for their homemade pies. Pies taken to the back door at the kitchen area of the Inn by my Mother. Proud as could be that she was the secret pie maker of that Inn.

The old wringer washing machine photo that is on one of the antique ning sites , created a scene in my mind of the cellar where we washed the clothes. 3 tubs , one wringer , and the hose on the bottom for the water to drain out the hole in the cement floor.

Beautiful stained glass never fails to tug at my heart strings due to the church that was next to our farm. They are huge filling up the 4 sides of the church, each with a biblical scene. Sometimes I drive up to the mountain where the church still stands to look at those windows to be sure they are real and not just a figment of my imagination.

Country living was harsh , but , it was the norm in those days unless you lived in a city.

Driving to town in a Chevy pick up truck to go out to eat, was actually going to the Tastee Freeze for an ice cream cone treat , or to Newberry's to sit at the counter and have a hot dog.

The grocery store was a meeting place. A small little shop with things that were staples, but also perks such as chips and pretzels. Dad would go in while my Brother and I would sit in the truck, knowing we would be there for a while because Dad loved to talk. It was safe to leave a child in a vehicle in those days, not frowned upon, because Fathers needed that little bit of social talk, and the little grocery store or hardware store was the place to meet. Our treat for being good was always a Hershey bar.

Even an empty can with a bale handle with the King Syrup Molasses syrup label plays a scene for me. It's my Grandfather coming to visit, carrying the can with home made sugar cookies made by my Grandmother who was wheelchair bound, so she would send sugar cookies as her hello.

I am lucky to have so many memories and treasure them as much as gold, well, to tell the truth, they are worth more than all the gold in the world to me.

And to grow up, to be in the antique business is a perk, a dream come true because movies in my head are wonderful repeats when my eyes see an item from my country childhood past.

The moutains where I lived are still housing developement free , the old farmhouse has fallen to the ground, and the huge beautiful barn burned down many years ago.

But my mind goes back there many times to visit the good ole days of the country life and the way times once where. As the scenes play in my head come to a close, I look down at my computer keyboard with a huge smile, and realize, it's wonderful to have those memories, and to share them with today's technology.

So having said that, I leave you with this little note, the country life was wonderful indeed, but life without my computer, no way , I sure do love my life today

Best wishes, RC Linda