circumstance, chance, and finally a little bit of business…
One of my first real commitments to this new business I was trying to get off the ground was the purchase of a ‘household’ of furniture another couple was selling. Luckily my Mom was in town, so I had someone to hit up for the cash. The plan was that I while I was meanwhile making a name for myself as a place to call when seeking items, here I would have a bunch of items at the ready. Ideally, I would have made an arrangement with the sellers to let me sell by %age, but they would have continued to advertise in local papers, and I felt that their package deal price gave me more room to profit selling items piece by piece. Since this was 10 years ago, it is almost impossible to write about it without prejudicing the story with the knowledge I now possess. Well then I knew next to nothing, and today I am either way too lazy or way too smart to ever expect to do that same situation over again successfully.
However, this really has less to do about my business beginnings and more about a story for the books. My chicken soup for the soul, if you would.
We were renting a 2 bedroom furnished apartment. It was on the 5th floor and there were no security bars on the windows. I told myself that when my son turned 3, we had to leave. It would be too dangerous to stay, and the landlord was not interested in accommodating. I was actually happy to leave, since I was sick of the grandparent furniture, and ready for some of my own.
Luckily we found a vacant apartment in the same building. It was deliciously empty. The only step we made to fill it, was to order some carpets. We were really so glad to be rid of the clutter elsewhere that we looked forward to just space. We had the few necessary appliances, and 3 beds.
So some time passed and we broke down and got some closets, since it really isnt fun living out of boxes, and it is a LOT messier, defeating the purpose of space.
Shortly after this move is when I purchased the household of items mentioned above. Everything was going pretty smoothly, and item by item I was selling it off. I knew the hardest item to sell would be the bedroom set. The bed was not the standard size the local people purchase, and the couple were chain smokers! Something I didnt realize would have any affect on a buyers’ decision (I know, dumb right?). I was still hopeful since the nighttables and dresser were very pretty and the mattress was very top of the line and plush. The time was running out, and since the items belonged to me, I was responsible to remove anything that didnt sell! I tried and tried, but NOONE was buying this bedroom set. I finally had no choice, but to move it into my apartment.
To continue after a nights sleep..