Did you happen to ask where I get all this stuff?

And did I promptly request your email address saying that I have a blog devoted to that very subject? Well I lied. I don't tell people where I get my stuff. In a rare display of generosity, I brought another dealer around to my shops with me yesterday, but I let him know the whole time what a big favor I was doing for him. I can tell you what I bought, and the order I bought it in, just not where I bought it. I got the mustache man hanger in the first shop we stopped at. It's a junk shop. It's run by cheap old men who offer people almost nothing for the contents of their attics. That kind of business practice only gets you so far, so they rarely come up with anything that amazing. But the mustache man hanger is outstanding. It's $30, has some damage, but is painted like the back of his head on the other side. Next we went to a consignment shop. This shop is run by a verbose part time aerobics instructor, who, one of these days, I'm going have a drink with. She's a scream. And she stays open just for me when I call. I bought the Gucci bag, the teak lamp, the daisy napkin rings, the daisy bracelet, and the metal cart there. I'm a good customer. I let my friend buy the big round Lucite coffee table. I can't deal with 150 lb glass table tops. The Gucci bag is $90 firm. It's real. I know, everybody loves the red stripes. But this one is big enough that you can actually put something in it. It's big. I think the teak lamp is going to go on ebay. It's real teak, not walnut. Similar lamps were bringing some surprising 3 digit prices on ebay. So, I better at least try. If it doesn't go, you'll see it next weekend at the flea for a reasonable, two digit price. Under the daisies, you'll see a modernist, sleek, serpentine chain Napier necklace. It ought to fetch $55. I bought that at a new consignment shop. Allow me to sing the praises of new consignment shops. There are just a few brief months before the shop owners really learn what they're doing and how to price things. Mostly, they err towards overpricing things. But it's up to sharks like me to pounce on mistakes of the opposite nature. Also, it's great when all the other sharks have yet to discover the new shop. After hitting like 8 shops, I get a little delirious. That's when I remind myself that going into shops is my job, and if the animal rescue thrift shop that smells like puppies is actually open, we need to go in. Even though it smells like puppies. Once we were inside, I needed to remind myself again, that standing around waiting for the incompetent, volunteer counter help to figure out what they were doing, and watching the rambunctious child shaking the kitty cage almost off its stand……..it's all part of my job. It was worth it for the 4 way floor lamp. The form is awesome. The color, not so awesome. But it's bright, and it will be a wee $65 complete with 4 brand new light bulbs. And the wheelie cart is $40.