The fruits of our efforts...Antique dealers should mimic customers' buying habits

Antique dealers who mimic their customers’ buying habits are more likely to realize the fruits of their labor. The modern-day collector is more likely to be a collector with a purpose, than a collector of sets and groupings of like items. With the passing of the Greatest Generation, there are few collectors left who collected with a passion, adding to their sterling silver flatware, their china pattern, or buying groupings like crystal bells, china tea cups, etc.

Based on observations of current shopping trends in antique shops, the modern collector is more intent on shopping for decorative items based on a theme, or in a specific color, and more likely selecting items that are utilitarian which can be used for a purpose and not just for display.

Making note of this shift in the antique market will enable dealers to shop more effectively for today’s buying trends. Instead of buying entire collections at an estate sale, selecting just the best or most outstanding items in each of the sets, will provide customers with quality and uniqueness.

By artfully displaying the merchandise by color or theme might incite customers to buy more. Case in point, the Spring Antique Mall changes their counter display based on the season or holiday. This corner location at their check-out counter has become known as the ‘sweet spot,’ because of the number of sales made from the clever counter displays. On occasion, the entire display has been purchased.

Examples of collecting by theme would be a fruit motif (as shown in the photo), birds, or Orientale. Not unlike the Victorian era which embraced the rose theme in upholstery, window coverings, and even wall paper. As opposed to collecting large groupings of like, but dissimilar items, today’s buyer is more likely to purchase based on a particular aesthetic like Country French, primitives, or mid-century modern, i.e. the mid-50s. Even the popular man’s cave is an eclectic collection of unlike items.

Collecting by color opens up an even broader mix of product. The collector is more likely to purchase across different eras if the color is right. Pink is a consistent best seller, as well as blue.

As the collector generation passes away and passes their beloved collections of multiple items to their heirs, they’re showing up in volume in the antique malls to collect dust. Dealers should be as discriminating in their buying as their customers are. Resist the temptation to buy whole lots of like items. Buying and ‘clustering’ items when displaying them, will increase the opportunity for more consistent and ‘fruitful’ sales.