Tag: knicknaques vintage boutique

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Everyday life during a pandemic

I wake up everyday, like any other day, at the same time. At 5:30 a.m., I am wide awake and ready to get out of the bed. I get up, fix my pre-work out energy drink and wait for it to kick in. This part of my schedule is like the movie “Groundhog Day”. It seldom changes. Regardless of the day of the week, time of the month or season of the year. The movie for me ends there. At 6:30 a.m., a new reality hits. I open my dining room blinds and the view is the same. The same houses are there, the driveways have the same cars and there are people out walking the neighborhood. Nothing LOOKS different. But by then its time for my 16 year old son to get up and get ready for school. Only there’s no school. At least none we can get in the car and drive to. It has been replaced with a school day at home, fighting to figure out what projects are assigned, what assignments are due and how I can keep my child with ADHD focused and productive. A brand new appreciation for his school teachers emerge and I miss them.

We are lucky. Greg is a network analyst for AT&T and is set up to work from home. No change in his routine or workload. He is needed in his position and at this time there is no worry that his situation will change and no worry that his paychecks will end. I am a residential real estate appraiser and I am still getting orders. The interest rates have dropped and although I haven’t seen any refinances just yet, I am still getting new assignments for purchase appraisals. Right now, Ultimate Appraisal is considered an essential business as appraisals are a cog in the wheel of the finance and banking department. I do not know how long this will last as the “Shelter-in-place” goes on longer and longer. The longer people aren’t able to work, the worse the real estate market will get and if it continues, another real estate collapse is inevitable. But this does not scare me. We’ve been through it before and have come out better than before.

I’m not afraid of getting Covid-19 and I have doubts of ever contracting the virus. If I do, I will survive and if I do and don’t survive, well then it was my time to go. I do fear a loved one getting sick and I am doing my part by washing my hands, wearing a mask when needed and trying to stay six feet apart. The uncertainty of the future and how it will change, is also scary. The things I will miss. The things I already miss. Like Jasmine Rice. And the tanning salon. Big things like planning our next vacation and little things like how to celebrate a holiday without the whole family around. What scares me is the people who are hoarding the toilet paper. Why, why, why toilet paper? It will NOT protect you from the virus. I have had toilet paper on my Alexa shopping list for 22 days and have yet to buy any. Jasmine Rice has also been on my list for 22 days. Will this insanity ever end? Even when the threat of this virus is gone, will we ever truly feel like we can be safe? What will we be doing to take precautions for the next life altering event that we have zero control over?

I do enjoy the extra time at home. Knicknaques Vintage Boutique hasn’t had a store customer in 3 weeks and I don’t see a need to spend the entire weekend at the store. My online sales have been steady, but my bread and butter is the market shows I have been doing 4 times a year. Vintage Market Days in Perry was postponed until August and it’s very possible that the one in June may also be postponed. I am using the time to work on projects that I can sell, once we are all able to get out and enjoy life again. I have been enjoying the fact that I can guiltlessly spend time painting furniture.

I love FaceTiming with my parents in Florida and the increased contact I have with friends from near and far. I try to find the humor in social media and the memes about homeschooling are my favorite. I have seriously considered trying the chloroform experiment with my son and I am totally guilty of drinking during school hours. I try to stay away from watching ANY news. I have peace of mind when I focus on controlling my own life and not worrying about the rest of the world. Saving them starts and ends with me doing my part. Period.

It’s 7:31 a.m., the sun is coming out after a night of thunderstorms and I am going to go for my run. I am thankful for the fact that everyone I know and everyone they know are safe and healthy right now. And toilet paper. I am thankful for toilet paper. I will pray for this nation and the world to get through this. And Jasmine Rice. I will pray for a damn bag of Jasmine Rice.

Stay safe and healthy out there and do your part to keep everyone else safe!

Jayme

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Rustic vintage farmhouse buffet cabinet

This vintage buffet cabinet is actually the base of a two piece hutch. I have separated the pieces to maximize its potential and the bottom has been transformed into a beautiful rustic farmhouse buffet.

The top and two drawer fronts have been sanded to reveal the attractive wood grain and then stained with Varathane’s Briarsmoke.

The old brown wood has been recovered in a chalky white paint, called Etched Glass. The two cabinet doors have a shiplap look and open and close with no rubbing.

I love the look of the original distressed brass hardware and it stays with the piece to maintain its vintage integrity.

The top is 48 1/2″ long and 18″ deep, the base is 47″ long and 17″ deep and it measures 31 1/2″ from the floor to the top. Versatile and beautiful this piece can be used in virtually any room. Place it in an entryway, dining room, breakfast room or kitchen. The shelf inside the cabinet, provides excellent storage for anything from quilts to dinnerware.

Please visit Knicknaques Vintage Boutique at 707 S. Broad St, Monroe, GA or my facebook page at www.facebook.com/knicknaques for more information. Please subscribe to my blog to get first hand information of all my custom furniture reveals, including the makeover of the top of this hutch! 😊

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Glam faux fur cane back chair

This vintage cane back chair has been totally transformed into a glamorous accent chair, perfect for adding a stylish seat to any chic area. The wood frame and cane back have been painted a pure gold which coordinates well with many of today’s modern styles. The seat has been covered in a white long haired faux fur that is so soft and comfortable, you won’t ever want to get up. It’s unique vintage design can be implemented into any room, in any decor, from bohemian to farmhouse. It measures 25″ long, 32″ tall to the top of the back and the seat is a modest 25″ wide. The seat sits 15″ from the floor. Available now for only $119. Please visit Knicknaques Vintage Boutique 707 S. Broad St., Monroe GA for more information. We are open Friday-Sunday from 1-6pm. Please contact me to arrange additional days or hours. Thanks for looking! Jayme

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Abstract gold leaf french provincial triple dresser

With classic french provincial lines, a fresh coat of paint and a gold leaf design added to her chest, this beauty is sure to liven up any room.

Her exterior has been hand painted in an elegant ivory and her curvy metal hardware has been painted to match. Her center drawers have a dusting of stormy gray looming behind the abstract gold foil. The laminate top has a gold painted trim and has been left in its original condition. It is a coordinating gold and ivory that is in excellent shape and extremely durable. She has three rows of three drawers. The top three have a raised platform with single drawer knobs and the bottom three are deep for more storage. All drawers move freely with no sticking. She is 60″ long, 17″ deep and 32″ tall. Perfect measurements for a variety uses from a console, entry table, buffet or bedroom dresser. Her neutral background ensures she will fit in with any decor and her bold design makes an elegant statement. She is sure to please and priced at only $269. Her current residence is at Knicknaques Vintage Boutique at 707 S. Broad St., Monroe, GA and she can be seen Friday-Sunday from 1-6p. Please contact me for appointments outside these days and hours. Thanks for looking! Jayme

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Vintage Market Days of Charleston, from a vendor perspective

The Vintage Market Days event has been a thing for years and I have seen their advertisements for venues all over the southeast. This year I decided to try a “new” festival and get out of the Atlanta market. I felt fairly confident that I could do well in any environment that was geared totally around the vintage vibe and Knicknaques Vintage Boutique was instantly approved as a vendor for the VMD in Charleston, SC.

I originally chose a 10×20 booth simply because that is the size I am used to working with at the Cotton Pickin’ Fair, but the more I started to think about it, the more intimidated I became. What if I scale back a bit for my first event here? I mean, I had no idea what kind of area I would be working with. Was there going to be a wall on any side? Was there a way to hang my lights and ladder from the ceiling? I knew nothing and honestly had a very hard time getting information about the event and even less about the space I was working with. I immediately contacted them and asked them to change my booth from a 10×20 to a 10×10. So, yes, I chickened out a bit. It was weeks before I finally got a new contract for the 10×10 booth and I found out at the same time, that this particular event had a change in management. That could be good and bad, but went ahead and signed my contract for the 10×10 booth with someone informing me that they would honor my request for a booth with a wall at the back. I breathed a “small” sigh of relief and began prepping.

I wanted a boho inspired look, using white, gold and green colors with natural rattan and wicker. I had the rattan and wicker in stock at the store and set to work painting a couple dressers and a chair. Can you tell I’m obsessed with gold leaf? So pretty, and they both tie in with the look I had in mind. This chair came as a last minute thought. She has been in my basement for years and I was ready to see her transform. I had some leftover white faux fur for recovering the seat and decided on gold spray paint for the frame and cane. She is totally glam now and ready for a new home. But, I will be honest and tell you that I will not be disappointed if she doesn’t sell and I have to bring her home!

I felt more ready for this show than any other and moving day came quick. With the help of my fabulous husband, Greg, we had the trailer packed up and ready to go Wednesday night and we left around 7:30 am on Thursday. The four hour ride left me plenty of time to plan and to worry. I still had no idea about the 10×10 space I would be working with and was told we had 30 minutes to unload, which is no where near enough time for me to figure out what was going in and what was going to have to go back in the trailer. We got in around 12:30 and found we could leave the truck and trailer right outside while we unloaded everything. My booth was so small. I had no way to hang anything from the ceiling and I had NO walls. I was going to have to “make” my own walls using the furniture I had on hand. No big deal…we got this! We managed to cram as much as we could into my little area. Maybe a little too crammed, but I was happy with the end result! We finished setting up around 7:30pm and headed for our little Airbnb Whispering Pines cottage in Summerville. Adorable! After a comfortable night’s sleep, we arrived on at our booth around 9:00 am ready to go! The first 25 people in line received a free goody bag and it was super busy until about 2pm. Sales were great and I was struggling to keep up with restocking my sold inventory. My smalls were flying out the door, but my large furniture was staying put.

After closing, we moved some things around and finished restocking in time for the vendors to be treated to a tasty BBQ dinner. We headed back to our cottage and changed clothes to visit Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant. They were recommended to us by a customer and their Trash Can Nachos came in a big tin can that they empty onto a plate. So yummy! I had a Pitt Street Lemonade…or two and Greg had a local Sweet Josie beer. We were full and ready to head back to get to bed.

Saturday sales were half of what they were Friday and my furniture was still sitting which is SO very unusual. Normally my furniture is the first to go! But the vendors around me weren’t selling furniture either. I marked my dressers way down hoping for some action, but…nothing. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Sunday is always SALE DAY. Make me an offer to keep us from having to load it up and take it back home! Sunday was slower than Saturday and I couldn’t sell my dressers. I did, however, sell my giant wooden lockers and a mid century chair that I never even took out of the trailer. One of the friendly vendors we met, Maureen, saved us from having to load up those lockers and when I brought the doors out of the trailer to show her, she spied my mid century lounge chair. She, thankfully, spared us a little more space❣️ Check out her awesome instagram page at Rustic Attitude.

At 4pm when the event closed, I was feeling much better about trailer space and we set to work breaking down the booth and reloading the trailer. This process normally takes us a few hours and we were on the road to go home by 6pm.

It felt good to sleep in my own bed and I’m looking forward to getting my store back in order. We met some great people at this event, but I am not sure if I will participate in another VMD show. The contract that I signed was very specific about all the vendors at this show being vintage or at least vintage inspired. The gutter company that was highlighted twice on VMD Facebook page and the skin rejuvenation booth just didn’t align with what I thought this show was going to be about. I also feel they had every opportunity to highlight each vendor through Facebook and instagram, but there were only a select few that they chose to post and some of them were advertised more than once. I may look into the Atlanta area shows to see if they are any different.

Stay tuned, but for now only 5 more weeks until the Cotton Pickin’ Fair! Visit my Facebook page Knicknaques Vintage Boutique for more information and updates.

Jayme

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Introducing my luggage inspired dresser

This vintage 4 drawer dresser has been completely made over to look like stacked vintage luggage. It has good bones and is constructed of solid wood. The drawers are in great shape and there is no sticking when opening and closing them.

The frame has been roughly sanded and stained in a dark walnut color and each drawer front has been decorated with authentic vintage luggage and trunk pieces.

The top drawer has been painted a creamy white, distressed and then given an antique glaze. It is made to look like two separate suitcases and either handle pulls the whole drawer open. Two metal American Tourister labels were salvaged and attached to the top right side.

An old trunk handle and rusty latches have been added to the stained second drawer. The black plastic handle pulls the drawer open and an old Delta Airlines paper tag was saved for charm. The metal latch on the left works and actually unclips! The missing metal latch on the right adds to its true vintage appeal.

Plaid brown vinyl from a soft sided suitcase has been added to the front of drawer number three and the gold clips on either side open and close. The brown leather handle pulls this drawer open.

Drawer number four has been stained in a light oak color. There are two buckle straps on either side and the coordinating handle in the middle opens the drawer.

Each drawer has been lined with map paper to go with the traveling theme.

It was a lot of fun putting this piece together and I am already on the lookout for another dresser and old worn out luggage!

Jayme

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Knicknaques Vintage Boutique Est. 2016

The rezone request for 707 S. Broad Street was approved by the Monroe City Council in March of 2016! Little did I know that it was only the first of many hurdles to overcome when opening a business from a home. 

The house is in the historic corridor and no changes can be made to the exterior without acceptance of the Historical Society. Roof, windows, doors, landscaping… everything has to be approved. My biggest priority, however, was the ramp that would need to be built according to ADA standards for handicap accessibility. I couldn’t open without the ramp. Roof, windows and doors would have to wait. I found a builder who claimed to be familiar with ADA standards and could build my ramp. My plans were easily approved by the Historical Society and construction was started. 

The ramp project quickly became my biggest headache. I informed my builder, from the beginning, that if the ramp could not be finished by April 15, then I didn’t even want it to start. The Antiques Capital of Georgia was hosting their yearly spring event and I was on the map of the local antique places to visit. 


My doors would have to be open, or at the very least, have a tent event in the yard. I was promised that the ramp would be finished in the two weeks before the event. At some point during construction, I realized that the quote included a 10′ wide stairway that wasn’t in the initial plan. I had to go back before the Historical Society for approval. Which wasn’t until after the 15th. Which meant my stairway wouldn’t be complete before the spring event. I was promised (again) that a temporary stairway would be installed before opening and they would complete the project after I met with the Historical Society. I lightly breathed a sigh of relief and we went to Florida for spring break.

Upon returning from vacation, a week later, we drove by the house to check on the process. There were 16 posts concreted in the ground and the floor of the ramp, and that was about it. 

It was 5 days before the spring event! There was NO way the ramp, stairway and rails were going to be finished. I was given a long list of excuses about the city requiring more work and material, and it was then I realized their knowledge of ADA standards was much less than they claimed. We started working on the inside of the house, on the off chance that they would finish and also trying to plan for a tent in the yard in case they didn’t. 

Long story short, the temporary stairway was installed and I had to block off the ramp section which wasn’t finished and couldn’t be used. We had the event mostly in the yard, although customers were allowed to walk through and “see” the house. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best “soft opening” we could manage. We had a great day and I framed my first $1 made! It was (almost) official. 


They finished the ramp (after additional cost) and my stairway was approved. I received my Certificate of Occupancy and on April 22, I was officially open! 

My plan is to only be open on the weekends for right now so that I can continue to work on appraisals during the week. I have to pay for the ramp, which ended up costing more than my updated electrical system and total HVAC install combined. 

I am still trying to find my niche in this market and need to focus on advertising. It is more work than I imagined, but we are loving it! My kids (who I rarely saw before) come out to help me on the weekends and my husband and I spend a lot of time together working on the house. It makes my heart happy whether I make a ton of money or not! 

Come by and see us! Knicknaques 707 S. Broad Street, Monroe, GA 30052

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Knicknaques finds a home

Two years ago I started this venture out of a love for taking something old and making it new. It’s been a hobby for me that has paid for itself and my love for vintage has only grown. Although my taste and style may have changed over the years, my passion for mid century has stayed the same.

From the very beginning I had a vision.  It was going to be a step by step process that started in my garage, with some spray paint and a pair of cane back chairs and ends with me opening my own store, Knicknaques Vintage Boutique.

In November of 2013 I opened my Etsy store and realized other people across the country loved vintage and my work. It fueled my fire for more. Pretty soon, I had a garage full of treasures that could fill a store. My ambition to find pieces to work on was much bigger than my time to actually work on them.  The next logical step was to find a booth to rent at an antique mall. It was about as much as paying for a storage unit, only it would be open to the public and also generate sales. Knicknaques opened at Cherry Hill Antique Mall at the Cotton Mill in Monroe, Georgia, in March of 2014.

 I never made rent with my sales.  Hell, I’m not sure if I had more than 3 sales in the entire 4 months I rented there.  I sold on Etsy and Craigslist though. Several times a week I would head up to my booth, pick up a piece and either ship it to places like New Jersey and New York, or I would meet in parking lots in Athens and Stone Mountain to deliver items that were bought through Craigslist.

I decided to try one more antique mall and moved my booth down the street to Pickers Paradise in July of 2014. I did much better there.  Not only did I have enough sales to pay rent, I also got a check! I was slowly finding my niche and learning about important business strategies like inventory, pricing, marketing and branding. I was comfortable with this stage of my Knicknaques business. I stayed at Pickers Paradise and had 4 booths at one point.

In October of 2015 I was asked if I would be interested in running the mall once a month in exchange for rent. I not only reduced my rent but also learned more about the ins and outs of running an antique mall.  I loved it!  A whole day filled with being in an antique mall and being around customers that love the same thing I do.

It was at that point that I realized I wanted my own place and started looking for buildings to either rent or buy. Rent was expensive and would really cut into profit, but what I could afford to buy was a little discouraging, to say the least.  I found an old home in downtown Loganville. It was right off Main Street and near all the other antique, thrift and vintage stores.

Pecan St, Loganville, GA

 

Location was perfect, the house was not. I loved it though. It was a 1 bedroom, 1 bath home built in the 1900’s and was only $17,000! It had beautiful wood floors and tongue and groove walls. It had a gorgeous mantle in the living room and an old wood stove for heat. Unfortunately, it also had asbestos siding and the kitchen area was literally falling off the side of the house. I talked to the city of Loganville about re-zoning to commercial and got quotes for repairs. The process to rezone was going to be fairly simple but the cost to repair was quickly exceeding $50,000. During my decision to make the purchase, the property was put on the blight list. It was deemed dilapidated, unsafe and unsightly.  The owner had 60 days to either renovate the property or have it demolished. All signs pointed to walk away. So I did. Two months later the house was torn down. As sad as it was, it was probably for the best. So I kept looking and found a house to rent in Monroe, next to the post office. It was already commercial and available. It was another home built in the 1900’s, had more than 10 rooms and several fireplaces. But I would have to rely on booth rental income to supplement rent and parking was close to nonexistent, so I moved on.

In December of 2015 I found 707 S. Broad Street in Monroe.

707 S. Broad Steet, Monroe GA

 

Built in 1920, it had 6 rooms, a full bathroom and a half bath. 4 of the rooms had old non working fireplaces with mantles, which were obviously a huge selling point for me.

fireplace in bedroom

 

There was a cute little screened porch off the side and a detached garage. It was within my budget and most importantly, if I stood on the front porch, I could see the antique mall at Walton Mill and the Cotton Mill was 2 blocks down from there.  It was right in the middle of the antique mall area and located on a major highway that ran through town. It was zoned residential and I got friendly with the planning and zoning department for the city of Monroe. They indicated that a rezone to commercial in that area would be beneficial to the city plan and was a fairly simple process. I put a contract on the house and applied for a rezone. If the house couldn’t be re-zoned, then we would just rent it out. It was a win-win situation and so far everything was moving smoothly.

I attended the February Planning and Zoning meeting where my application for rezone was to be discussed. Debbie from the planning and zoning office informed me that my application request was first on the agenda and I would need to speak to the committee. Um, I wasn’t prepared to speak! I went up to the podium and told them who I was and what I wanted to do once the property was rezoned. The city of Monroe is trying to revitalize and grow the antique mall business and fortunately my business venture falls in line with their plans. They approved the rezone and will send their recommendations to the city Council who meets on March 8. One down, one to go. In the meantime, I closed on the house and have the deed in hand. The next two weeks will be spent getting the house ready. Hopefully to run my store, but if the rezone application is denied, it will be ready to rent.

I’ll be back with more of the story after the council meeting. See you soon!

Jayme