Am I Blue...

Most certainly not, with the way Sales have been going at Salvage Chic! February 2009 was our Biggest Revenue Month since opening the store in Fall of 2006, and March is shaping up to top it. This week, it just so happens that a lot of the furniture IS Blue. Now before you go thinking "Oh, Someone got out Their Blue Paint this week," let me dispel a myth. We DON'T actually paint everything we sell. In fact, we paint much less of it than you'd guess. What we DO do is shop for a taste that is the Salvage Chic brand, fun furniture & accent pieces from yesteryear that have sometimes been given new life with a fresh coat of paint - just not always by us. I'd be a liar if I said we don't paint ANYTHING - especially when I'm standing there talking to you with paint in my hair. And sometimes the tell-tale smell of paint thinner is in the air, although we try to contain that to really slow days. (Oil paint gives such a more durable finish than latex!!) If you're looking to match the color of a piece you're purchasing, just ask; we might be able to help. Or, if you're looking for a Diamond in the Rough you can refinish yourself, don't be shy; we often have quite a backlog of those lurking in storage. Meanwhile, scoot in this weekend to check out all of the recent arrivals, before they disappear Into The Wild Blue Yonder!!

Dumpster Diving...

The phone rang at the shop Sunday and there was this horrible hum on the line so I could barely hear the caller but as far as I could discern it was this gentleman I had purchased some items from the day before. He had been cleaning out his late mom's house and found some more dishes that belonged to a set I bought from him and said he'd be bringing them by, then asked if I had found any cassette tapes in the boxes of loot he had dropped off. I only remembered seeing an empty cassette case, and everything I didn't want for the shop had already been sent on its way to Yard Sale Buddy's or the Dumpster; he sounded really disappointed as the tape had been a recording of his late grandmother. When I got off the phone I relayed the conversation to Claudia who recalled there definitely WAS a tape in the lot... SIGH. Off to do some Dumpster Diving! I slapped on a plastic glove and 2 seconds later I was out back frantically scanning for the 2 bags I had just thrown in that morning. Judy from the Sub Shop saw me headfirst in the Dumpster and yelled out the window, "HEY CHRIS - IF YOU ARE THAT HUNGRY, WE CAN MAKE YOU A SANDWICH!!" If only it were that easy. Finally I located one of the bags and skipped back to the shop with lettuce in my hair, proudly waving the bag. Which, of course, turned out to be the WRONG bag. Back to square one and just as I was thanking god it was not August so the garbage didn't smell TOO bad, I spied the 2nd bag and retrieved it. There, under 47 empty Dunkin' Donuts cups of Yard Sale Buddy's, I FOUND IT! Grandma's Voice, captured on tape for all time. Jack-formerly-Mack-of-Never-Open-Antiques was looking at me like I had 3 heads for going through all of these gyrations so I said pointedly "It's his GRANDMA on TAPE. I'd do the same for you." He just blinked at me, knowing full well I wouldn't. "OK you're Right... but I'd at least show you where the Dumpster was."

"If You Build It, They Will Come"

This is the little mantra I chanted in my head last Sunday after a Record-Breaking Weekend at Salvage Chic. Not that Field of Dreams and an Empty Antique Shop have much in common but it seemed like as good a time as any to channel Kevin Costner. Claudia and I were walking around surveying the wreckage, marveling at the amount of stuff we sold all weekend but slightly worried about filling the place back up. Even Jack, The-Artist-formerly-known-as-Mack-from-Never-Open-Antiques, walked in and declared "This place is EMPTY." I didn't really feel like hearing it from him so I focused on silently chanting my mantra; I did alter it a little to suit my own needs so it ended up more like "If you have an empty shop, furniture will just show up." And you know what? It did! Granted none of it just materialized out of thin air but it dang well felt like it. Stuff has a funny way of turning up at Salvage Chic just when it's needed most. So if you were in last weekend and disappointed like the woman who exclaimed "Everything I want is either SOLD or ON HOLD!", I GUARANTEE it's worth a visit to see what's new this weekend. But remember - Turnover is HIGH so visit the website first... and if there's a Have-To-Have-It item, check out our Hold Policy on the FAQs page. Happy Browsing!!

Anchorage Aweigh?

Here's one from the email files, received just last night: "hi- i found your site on the web and love some of the items. it may not be cost effective to have them shipped but i thought it was worth asking. i live in anchorage alaska. would you be willing to ship items if it were cost effective?"

I may be going out on a limb here but I'm guessing it would cost more than the actual furniture to ship it to Alaska. Especially given today's fuel costs... but part of me couldn't help but wonder how much someone would be willing to pay for delivery to Alaska; and if I could actually convince Yard Sale Buddy to hitch a trailer to his Chevy Truck and make the trek. I bet I could, if I mapped out all the Dunkin' Donuts stops on the way for him, and loaned him Duff as a sled dog. I just might throw it out there, to see if he nibbles... will Report Back later!