Interview with an Antiques Dealer

Or, more specifically, Michelle Staley of My Granny's Attic Antiques, Collectibles & Gifts.


1. How did you get started as an antique dealer? 

I was exposed to the wonderful world of antiques at a very young age: five. One of my aunts was an antique dealer, and her husband (my uncle) was an clock repairer and collector. When I would spend summers with my Granny we would go with them to First Monday in Canton, Texas. Another aunt and uncle of mine would also go. She was a quilter and he bred and sold hunting dogs. They would give me $5.00 and turn me loose to scout around and find treasures of my own, some of which I still have. At the time First Monday was just a small, intimate affair where everyone know everybody. Now it covers about 10 acres and you can't see it all in one day.

2. What types of antiques do you specialize in? 

I don't really have a specialty. I sell a very wide assortment of goods from fine china and antique glass ware to Garbage Pail Kid Cards. I also sell items that I am tired of having in my personal collections. Right now I am paring down my vintage dolls and vintage and antique kitchen gadgets. I buy and sell items that appeal to me personally and that pretty much includes everything you can imagine.

3. Where do you acquire most of your collectibles? Does it seem like merchandise is relatively easy to come by? 

I love live auctions and attend a local weekly auction as often as I can. I also frequent estate sales and some garage sales. Since I am an antique dealer and known among many of the estate sale companies, most have a "dealer preview" night before they open to the public this is where I find a lot of my better items. 

Another source I use is friends scattered all over the country. If they come across something they know I will like they will send me a photo and a price and either I purchase it or not. This comes in handy if I have a customer that is looking for a specific item. I can put the word out and hopefully someone will come through with the item. I don't have a hard time finding items but I also spend quite a bit of time out there looking and shopping.

4. Have you seen the bottom fall out in any particular area of collectibles?

The antiques market is very fluid and always has been. Items go in and out of popularity and you never know what the next hot trend will be. Right now I am seeing people purchase items that remind them of their childhood, the 1970s in particular, so these items aren't even classified as antiques. They are collectibles. People are also interested in items that their grandparents or parents had which does take us back a few decades. 

I have seen the true antique doll market falter a bit but it seems to be on the upswing. This is another reason I have not locked myself into one particular genre of antique or collectible. One of the reasons I see for some of the fluctuation are the large numbers of so called dealers, uninformed about their wares and uninterested in learning about them, selling online either through shops or online auction sites. They don't know what they are selling and are passing off reproduction items as antiques thus burning people and not refunding money or even offering a apology to the buyer when it is brought to their attention that they have misrepresented an item. It just puts a bad taste in peoples mouth when word gets out and the rest of us suffer for it. This happens quite often with glassware and porcelain items.

5. Is there an area of antiques you would advise people not to get into collecting? 

I always tell people to buy what they love, don't buy for investment purposes. If you buy what you love then you will never be disappointed in it. All of my personal collections have started that way. My heart will give a little flutter when I see something that I just have to own and nine times out of ten the item comes home with me. I also keep my antiques and collectibles out where I can see them and/or use them. The only things behind glass doors are my dolls and that is just because they are so hard to keep clean if they are left out in the open. I would advise people not to fall for the "Limited Edition" items, such as dolls and plates, that are advertised in magazines. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of these items are produced and an equal number of people purchase them. These items will not go up in value so do not buy them unless you get the little heart flutter and just can't live without it. If you are going to collect, please take the time to learn about your collection(s). Learning the history of pieces is part of the fun of collecting.

5. What's the most profitable area of your business? 

Ha Ha, profit? As far as the selling of a particular category of product it varies from week to week but I would say that my copper tea kettles and copper molds are probably my very best sellers. I have quite a few vintage clothes and a lot of vintage costume jewelry that I have not put in the shop yet but I foresee those items doing very well. I try to keep my prices low and competitive and most of my profit is turned right back around into new inventory. 

One of the most satisfying aspects or areas of my shop has been my resource and research area where I provide information on porcelain marks and the history of the companies that made the pieces. I get so much positive feedback on this particular portion of my shop. People get so excited when they learn the history of their pieces. I also have an antique forum so that people can post photos and ask questions about their antiques and collectibles. It is also a big hit. The last time I checked we had about 3000 active members. I have several people who help me answer questions.

6. Have you ever bought something that turned out to be fake? 

Oh, yes, a supposed antique doll that I fell in love with that I purchased at an antique show. I took her straight to an antique doll dealer friend of mine to get her some new clothes and it was then I was informed that she was a well made "kit" doll. Or a doll that someone had
reproduced from an antique. Fortunately, she wrote me a little letter which I took back
to the seller and the seller gave me my money back and let me keep the doll. She did not know that she was a new reproduction either. That is the only time so far.

7. What do you think about the long-term viability of the vintage costume jewelry market (this one's for me -- I'm a collector!) 

This market has always held pretty strong. Celluloid is being reproduced, so you do have to be careful and be knowledgeable about what you are buying, but every woman loves the sparkle of a great Coro rhinestone necklace or Weiss bracelet.* I have so many vintage rhinestone brooches that I could wear a different one every day of the week for a year and still not wear them all. Even the new reproduction pieces cannot compare to the beauty and style of vintage costume jewelry pieces so this market will hold its own. Especially in this day of recycle and reuse.

8. What is the biggest misconception laypeople have about your job? 

That I have a lot of time on my hands and that this is an easy job. I love what I do and would not trade it for the world but it does keep me very busy. Since I work from home I often put in 10-12 hour days, six days a week. I always have new items to photograph and enter into
inventory, put on the website, and find a place to store in the store room. I also have to maintain the website, respond to emails, pack orders, research items I am not familiar with (I will not post anything in my shop if I do not know the history of it), work on the paid appraisals that come in, shop for new inventory and take care of my family and dogs. I think I work harder now than I did when I worked for someone else.

9. How many jobs have you held in your life? 

I was a bartender through my college days. I have an Associates of Applied Science degree as an X-Ray Tech and worked in the medical field for 18 years, plus my mom and I had an antique store during most of that time. In my 30s I decided to change careers and obtained my BS degree in human resource management with the idea I would go to law school and practice family law, but a few months after I graduated my oldest daughter found out she was going to be a mom and I decided not to pursue law school so that I could stay home and care for my grandchild. In 2000 I closed the live antique shop and opened my online antique shop. I had my amazing granddaughter full-time her first three years while her parents worked and my daughter went to school, part-time for the next year, then she was off to school. 

I have not completely given up on going to law school but I am doing what I love and I am here for my grandchild if she is sick or out of school for some reason so I don't see law school in my near future...maybe when I am on the other side of 50. I also believe that giving back to my community is very important and currently volunteer for two different organizations both of which deal with children. Since 1989 I have been the Kansas chapter coordinator for a nationwide child support advocacy organization and for the past two years the Kansas coordinator and leader for a worldwide anti-bully organization. I began with them after a 15 year stint with a local teen drug and alcohol prevention and early intervention group.

Thanks, Michelle!

*Indeed.