Big bargains await fewer and fewer antique buyers
July 27th, 2008, 12:01 pm Hobby Shops
Whether it’s the appeal and age of some brass candle holders, unique glassware, or a timeless tea set, there’s plenty of reasons people fancy the art of antiquing. Jonell Callahan has enjoyed antique shopping as a hobby for the past 45 years.
“It’s like you’re going on a treasure hunt,” Callahan said. “You never know what you might find and there’s a lot of interesting things out there.” hings-rare and old-usually carry some rare monetary value for an old household item or family emblem.
“I’ve always loved old rocking horses, and at one time they were really, really expensive,” she said. These days, it’s more likely she’ll find her horses and other treasures marked down. Antique buyers and sellers said the price of antique furniture is falling, in some cases, up to a quarter of what some items went for last year. Business owner Sandy Hightower said downtown Smithville is an antique shopping destination of Texas.
“We have, in just a two block area, ten or more shops,” Hightower said. “So, you don’t have to walk very far to get to see a lot of antiques.” Store owners said part of the reason for the slowdown is the rising cost of gasoline. More than 50 percent of their business comes from out of town shoppers. They said people just aren’t coming into town like they used to. Antique shoppers also said another factor increasing competition is the growing interest in online auctioning.
“You can sit in the comfort of your home at two o’clock in the morning and look for something, versus coming out of driving your car and going door to door to find something and no sure guarantee you’ll find it,” she said. With less disposable income, more collectors may put their search on hold to focus on the necessities, leaving able and dedicated shoppers more room to steal the deals.
Tags: antique buyers, antique furniture, antique shoppers, antique shopping, antiques store, brass candle holders, business owner, disposable income, family emblem, monetary value, necessities, slowdown, treasure huntRelated posts
