For those of you who caught the "Down Memory Lane" articles before the switch over, you might remember the article in the March 2007 issue. We focused on eBay sales and wrote about a light fixture that was found in the basement of the store and had success on eBay. At the time we were just cleaning out the basement and hoping to find some home décor items that could sell, while rotating inventory and keeping some cash flow throughout the cold winter months.
In January and February of 2007 it would seem that we hit the market just right. Light fixtures were a hot home décor item and the ones found in the store basement were some of those that were very popular to people out west. We called them ceiling jewelry for your home and found out that some store inventory that we could not sell for $5 in Fertile, Minn., most definitely was a wanted item elsewhere in the United States. The light fixture in question had been in the basement when I purchased the store in 2003. Who knows how long this fixture had been hiding in the "jungle" basement, right? Well one day last week I found out. According to Bertha (not her real name) it originated in East Grand Forks. Bertha was a customer who shared that she came into the store when the previous owners had it. She had some home décor items that just didn't fit her home environment anymore. Bertha told me she saw the article in the newspaper last March and that the featured light fixture was hers and she brought it over in a box with some other "stuff" years ago.
There is certainly history in everything that we find around here, whether it be from 1910, 1940, 1960 or even the 1980s. She was amazed at the article and told her husband, "Look, that was our old light fixture that we sold to the lady at the 'jungle.'"
The day she was in the store she had a great big smile on her face and was happy that we could sell it to someone who could use it. She said she had bought it for her bathroom and she believes she did not pay as much for it as the selling price on eBay.
I thanked her for sharing her story and told her that old light fixtures have since lost some interest and that we sure picked the right time to sell. It goes to show that there is a market for everything; however, it is a challenge to grab the market at its peak and take advantage of the moment when it arrives. The market for collectible items is proof of that. We have seen the market peak on some items and then fade away and peak on other valued desirables. It is a great challenge to keep up with the market but still intriguing. I always attempt to keep as much different inventory as possible so that when the market does "hit," we can have what the customers are looking for.
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Lucken's Collectibles is located in downtown Fertile, Minn., and owned by Stacy Lucken Hanson. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call us toll free at (888)-lucken1 (582-5361), local at (218) 945-6660 or e-mail us at collectibles@gvtel.com
