This year I was extremely excited to attend St Louis Vintage Market Days as a buyer FOR THE FIRST TIME!
So I put together some of my best advice I learned from my weekend of braving crowds…
-Top 10 Tips from a Buyer’s Perspective-
1. Prioritize what you REALLY want and what you think you want.
(Rand Rosenthal Design Group)
2. Do some research about what the going-rate is for similar or same items that you want. A lot of times, reproductions of actual vintage items are super expensive! And lots of people pay that higher price because they can’t find the real deal. So either write down or make mental note of the price range you are willing to pay for the items, so you know you max budget, but also when you see a great deal.
(American Home & Farm)
3.Go the first day (if there are multiple days) and go early. Scout out every booth if possible. Sometimes those booths that have a bunch of candles or jewelry also have some really cool vintage items as well, so don’t dismiss those at first glance.
4. Go through each booth twice. The first time you likely notice everything at a mid-eye level with the exception of an eye-catching display that might pull your eyes upward or downward. You need a second walk-through to notice things hung high, things on lower shelves, or tucked behind corners… those are often the gems!
(c.Vintage/MCS Home)
5. If you find what you REALLY want or that you unexpectedly LOVE on the first day or at the beginning, don’t haggle or walk away. Buy it. Or someone else will before you get a chance to return. I walked by some wooden candlesticks that were a great price and I thought, ‘oh when I come back for a second walk-through I’ll buy them.’ By the time I got back there an hour and a half later, they were gone. 🙁
(Candlesticks pictured below on this table)
(American Home & Farm)
6. On the second day, go back and make a lower offer on items that caught your eye. They can say no, so you got nothing to lose, but most people will go down a little at least!
(Vintage Goods/JMG Design)
7. Take a friend. Your friend can be your voice of reason on something you are hemming and hawing over, but also be that second set of eyes if you are looking for something in particular. A friend can also make the overall experience more fun because hello… shopping, eating, walking, brainstorming creative ways to use something…. all of these are not as fun when you fly it solo, I promise! If your friend isn’t available, take your child! I wouldn’t recommend taking more than one, but I took my daughter and we had a great time together. Did I have to spend more money on her than I was planning, just so she would stay cheerful? Absolutely. But it was worth it.
-The last 3 tips are specifically for vendors from a buyer’s perspective-
8. If you have a smallish booth, do not stand around in your booth unless it is behind some sort of counter. If it feels crowded, I (and most people) will not spend much time perusing. No one likes being watched like a hawk… and that is exactly how it feels when it is a small crowded booth where you have to maneuver around the booth owner.
9. PRICE EVERYTHING! Do not leave pieces without price tags. There were a few things in one booth that did not have prices. I asked how much the first item was but once I saw no tag on the second and third item, I just decided to walk away because I didn’t want to keep on asking how much things were. I also sorta assumed that no price tag means it was too expensive and they needed to give some sort of justification for the price. I’m a bottom-line type of gal and I think most people are that way as well. If the price isn’t clearly stated, I’m not that interested after all.
(Red Door Furniture Co)
10. Think about how you display your items. Don’t pile your stuff in disorganized chaos… this isn’t a rummage sale! You can have a lot of different things and even stacks of stuff, but if it looks TOO busy or TOO cluttered, or there is NO contrast or focal point, I get overwhelmed and just end up walking away, not really finding or having the desire to find anything I might want. Booths that have some pretty displays made me want to hang out longer because 1) I wanted to take a picture and 2) I spent time admiring items that I typically wouldn’t gravitate toward, but the display made me reconsider. Group like items together. This is also a point I’ve made in my “How to Sell Out” post for vendors.
Here are the rest of the images that caught my eye. Please leave a comment if you know the booth owner of a specific image, and I will edit to give credit to that business.
(Vintage Goods/JMG Design)
(4 Quarters Vintage)
(Stapley Dolls)
(Rand Rosenthal Design Group)
(Rescued Furnishings)
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The picture with the grey dresser/ chair / and orange little table was from our booth. Thanks for sharing!!! It was a great show – being a vendor you do miss out on the “shopping”!!!
4 Quarters Vintage in Dardenne Prairie, MO. 🙂
Thanks Janet! I updated the post with a link to your page!
Great read!!!
Rachel, you rock! I truly admire your style aesthetic and your beautiful painted furniture. I was very flattered you photographed c.vintage / MCS HOME, and our red plaid picnic display at STL Vintage Market Days. Also love your blog, great tips for buyers and vendors. Thanks again!
Thank you Michele! I also updated the post to include your business name and link to your fb page!
Great article! Loved all your pictures also! VMD STL was awesome! Great vendors and weather! I went Friday and Saturday…crowded both days! My only complaint is why people feel the need to bring their pets?! It is very difficult to maneuver with that many people much less animals!
I totally agree! I saw a lot more pets this time than last time, which I didn’t like either. Maybe next time they will restrict it to service pets?
Great Read…Thanks for Sharing…
Thank you so much Deb!
Ive been to 3 of them now in ST.L., in the spring went two days, I love taking pictures for ideas, and just to look at them later, I have taken over 130 – 150 each time, I love the vintage markets, and some things I see in the pictures, that I didnt notice while in the booth! I love your booth every time I see it! Thank you!
Wow that is A LOT of pics! You are right– tons of inspiration! Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you Rachel for featuring my furniture & ironstone display of John & I booth. We enjoyed seeing you at VMD but miss your fabulous display booth. We are very grateful to be part of this wonderful show.
Anne Dees
Vintage Goods
Thanks Anne! Always good chatting with you! I updated the post to include your business name and linked to your blog!
Rachel, Great article! My booth, American Home and Farm, is the one with the wooden candlesticks you admired. Sorry you didn’t get them! You also pictured my tobacco basket and coffee table right after your comment #2. Great advice for shoppers & vendors! Thanks so much for your insight!
Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping by! I updated the post to include a link to your business page under the pics– gorgeous stuff!
Always enjoy reading you blog and this article really caught my eye.
Loved you insight about market/flea market shopping. Really helpful as a reminder…………:)
I was looking for your article you referred to here, titled “How to Sell out” to vendors. Can you tell me where I can read it on your archives?
Thanks!
I just updated the post to include that link both where I mentioned in initially and also again at the bottom! Thank you so much!
I was just accepted into the spring STL VMD and found your blog. Your posts are very helpful!
Excited to start following your blog and IG