Posted on by admin

Shopping with a Purpose

With such nice weather in Western New York this weekend, it’s easy for me to be tempted by estate sale signs and flea market ads, yet I’m trying to remember my resolution to do more curating this year and less shopping.

Nonetheless, it has occurred to me that we committed collectors can do both at the same time–as long as we’re resolved not to buy any more for our collections as we look for things to organize and display what already waits for us back home.

If you like garage sales and thrift stores and any other kind of antiquing, you know that the Rochester region offers many opportunities to find the kinds of things we need to maintain our collections. If you haven’t noticed all the useful things a collector can find secondhand, read on because I’ve got quite a shopping list for you.

If we can resist the temptation of adding additional pieces to our collections, making the rounds on a Saturday or Sunday can result in the following items that are useful for curating the collectibles we already own:

  1. Price guides or other books and magazines are what all of us collectors need to identify and date our collectibles. The going rates may have changed, but the information and photographs are often still helpful.
  2. Storage tubs and similar plastic bins, which come in all sorts of sizes, keep all kinds of things clean and dry.
  3. Plastic shoe boxes, cardboard hat boxes, and padded round vinyl zippered bags are meant for three-dimensional things like, well, shoes, hats, and china.
  4. Wire milk crates, wooden fruit crates, glass canning jars, and decorative metal cookie tins can corral collectibles like records, books, buttons, and miscellaneous junk, respectively, and still look good doing the job.
  5. Albums and sheet protectors, as well as other kinds of binders and sleeves meant for protecting photographs and papers, help organize a variety of ephemera.
  6. Needless to say, picture frames, bulletin boards, and three-panel screens or room dividers are great for displaying flat items like photos, postcards, and pin-back buttons.
  7. Specialty display cases for treasures like coins, golf balls, baseball cards, and souvenir spoons are often found at sales or in shops and can hold the intended items or other, similarly shaped collectibles.
  8. Acrylic boxes and glass domes for displaying–and keeping dust-free–model cars, antique dolls, and taxidermy are worth looking for–again, for the intended pieces or for other things.
  9. Custom-made acrylic risers or things like cigar boxes and cookie tins can elevate items at the back of our displays–especially if re-purposed items are covered or painted (but painted only if they’re worn).
  10. Shelving, bookcases, and large entertainment units offer lots of open vertical display space.
  11. Curio cabinets and free-standing display cases offer enclosed, protected space, and some even lock for added security.
  12. China closets and corner cabinets usually provide display area up top and storage space down below, whether for the family silver or something else altogether.
  13. Obviously, dress forms and department store mannequins are free-standing ways to show off vintage fashions.
  14. Likewise, wooden hangers, peg racks, coat trees, and hat stands can be put to work holding accessories of all kinds.
  15. Piano lights, desk lamps, and floor lamps all come in handy when it comes to putting our collections in the spotlight.

With a list like that, I could spend the whole day making the rounds and never notice the things that usually tempt me.

Okay. I’d probably see plenty of temptations, but I’d be bringing with me something more important than spending money.

I’d be taking along my resolve to find things that help me safeguard and showcase the pieces I already have and love–and that would make for a worthwhile day of shopping.

Happy Hunting, Everyone!

Patti
The Committed Collector

And you? Would you find it difficult to make the rounds of the neighborhood garage sales or country flea markets and resist all the temptations? Or are you disciplined enough to shop for practical pieces? Leave a comment, why don’t you, and let us know. We’d love to hear about your strategy.

© 2019 The Collectors of Western New York museum
All Rights Reserved

Posted on by admin

Spring Collection Clean Up

In the springtime, a Saturday (or a Sunday, for that matter) in Western New York means one thing for many collectors—opportunities to go out antiquing or junking or even thrifting, as I recently heard our favorite pastime called.

Happily for us committed collectors, any day off during the nicer weather—especially three days off over Memorial Day weekend—brings us the chance to make the rounds of some of the garage sales and flea markets scheduled in and around Rochester. Also, rain or shine, antiques shops and other retail outlets offer comfortable alternatives.

If you collect things like garden accessories, vacation souvenirs, and 21st Century garage sale goodies, opportunities simply abound for adding to our collections at this time of year—which is compounded when spring has been late to arrive, and we’re overdue to come out of hibernation.

However, I’m one of the local collectors who needs to resist all these temptations and stay home, for I’ve already collected so much that I could, well, fill a museum, and so have so many of my collecting club friends. We’ve been hunting and gathering diligently over the years and have bagged hundreds and evens thousands of trophies.

Some of us have been consistent about keeping an inventory and either displaying or storing our collections appropriately. Some of us—myself included at times—have gotten to the point where the tail is wagging the dog, which is certainly the case with my collection of canine figurines, postcards, and pictures.

That means a combination of guilt and pride should be enough to keep me home and working on my current collections. Like anyone who truly appreciates their collectibles, I should be willing to spend as much time curating my treasures as I spend acquiring them.

Afterward, I can spend time feeling good about having my collections fully organized with some stored properly and others displayed attractively.

I’ve decided that I can give up the lesser days of spring—like today when thunderstorms are forecast to bring rain and humidity to town—and spend time taking care of my treasures.

For instance, once I’ve cleared up the clutter from my last shopping spree—at the Genesee Valley bottle club’s show at the end of April—I’ll be able to fully enjoy our porch. My treasures will be inventoried, stored out of the way, or displayed in more appropriate places, rather than plunked down on our wrought-iron table and forgotten.

I’m looking forward to being able to get some spring cleaning done (on the porch, anyway) and then decorating that space with my vintage floral tablecloths. The table will be clear and ready for my yellow tulip dishes and yellow glassware, and the bookshelf will be dusted and ready to display some ceramic vases and planters I’ve collected.

Best of all, we’ll be able to relax, surrounded by some of our seasonal collections, in a space that is not only attractively decked out, but is also fully functional.

I’ll be the first to admit that acquiring new pieces for our collections is heaps of fun, but if we’re not careful, we committed collectors will end up with heaps of stuff. Stuff, however, doesn’t make for a curated collection—only time, effort, and care will create that.

Afterward, we can feel delighted by our collections, appreciative of having them fit in our homes, and proud of our efforts—which are all things worth working toward.

Happy Spring Cleaning—I mean Spring Curating—Everyone!

Patti
The Committed Collector

I wish I knew the secret to quick and easy inventorying. If you’ve learned how to make the process efficient and effective, why not leave a comment? I’d love to be able to share your tips for keeping track of your treasures.

© 2019 The Collectors of Western New York Museum
All Rights Reserved

Posted on by admin

Four Things to Do Other Than Shop at Shows & Sales

We’ve all heard that April showers bring May flowers, which is certainly true as the rains continue in the Flower City, but, for me, May itself brings the unofficial opening of show and sale season.

The good news—or the bad, if you’re as limited for space as I am—is that garage sale signs are popping up all around town. Flea markets are starting to open. A lot of local organizations are holding their annual sales, and flyers for all the upcoming shows are being distributed wherever you go antiquing in the Rochester area—and I’m chomping at the bit.

Without a doubt, I’ll be tempted to go out collecting every weekend between now and Halloween, whether I should or shouldn’t.

Realistically, I simply can’t get to every event since I do have other things to do. What’s worse, I definitely don’t have the space to bring home any more treasures. Really, I should stay home and work on my own collections—and follow through with my New Year’s resolution to curate what I have rather than collect more.

Nonetheless, the local shows and sales beckon.

So far, I’ve been lured to the Genesee Valley Bottle show that was held last Sunday (but I resisted the first community garage sale at the Rochester Public Market). I made it to the Breweriana show that’s going on today (but will likely forgo the first Saturday at The Shops on West Ridge, even though it’s one of my favorite stops for collectibles of all kinds.)

Although I did give in and come home with a few new purchases from these show and sales, I also picked up a few curating tips along the way.

You see, committed collectors—especially ones who’ve sworn not to buy another item for their collections ever again—can learn a lot at events like these.

So…if you need a reason to justify going to any of the shows and sales in Western New York this year, read on. I’ve learned several things just by window shopping and noticing the merchandising more than the merchandise.

When you go out antiquing, you can, indeed, do more than shop. In fact, you can also learn the following four curating tricks:

How to Display Multiples of the Same Thing

Needless to say, many dealers specialize, so their wares often include multiples of the same items or many of their variations. Their displays can give you an idea of how to show off every Pepsi Cola bottle ever made or every individual piece in a set of Spode china.

By noticing how dealers stagger, elevate, and group items, we can get great ideas for displaying our own treasures at home. Maybe we’ll spot a booth with a lot of similar items. Maybe we’ll notice another dealer who has complete sets of things. In either case, we can walk away with a plethora of ideas—even if we can’t buy another single item for our collections.

How to Coordinate Various, but Related Items

Likewise, we can discover ways to incorporate related items together. Again, some vendors specialize in certain eras (like the Great Depression) or broad fields (like fashion), so their merchandise is usually a mix of different items that still belong together for some reason. Sometimes it’s whimsical style; sometimes it’s vibrant colors.

In any case, by noticing how different but related items are arranged—and even asking about the choices the dealers make—we can glean tips on how to create our own tablescapes and other varied displays. Some dealers just have an eye for organizing an eclectic mix of things, so we collectors can learn a lot from them.

What Kinds of Shelves, Racks, and Risers to Use

Another really useful thing to notice at antiques shows and collectible sales is what the vendors are using to display their goods on. Many use small bookcases on top of their sales tables, while others stand up small, flat-bottomed wall curios to accomplish the same thing (eye-level viewing of items).

Sometimes, you’ll see that boxes, tins, and other containers have been used to elevate the wares in the back, while hooks, hangers, and even clothespins have been used to display things overhead or at least up high. Old fashioned cork bulletin boards and picture frames outfitted with chicken wire are other ways to display different kinds of small items.

How to Pack Collectibles

One of the most important things to notice is how to pack and transport collectibles, which dealers do time and again. Many use packing paper, bubble wrap, and even quilted disposable bed pads to wrap fragile items. The latter two are studier and can be reused many times before becoming ragged. Some also use dish towels and large washcloths because, they, too, are soft and reusable.

Some dealers buy banker’s boxes or packing cartons because they have handles, which make them easier to carry. Others re-purpose liquor boxes because they come with dividers that often prevent items from knocking against each other. Some love plastic totes that are all-weather, can be color-coded, and have sturdy handles and locking lids.

Hopefully, you have lots of display space at home, so you won’t need to pack your purchases for longer than the trip home.

If you don’t, you might want to leave a comment and inquire about my plans to open a museum. That’s still my goal for 2019, and maybe we’ll see your collections there, too.

Happy Collecting—and Even Happier Curating!

Patti
The Committed Collector