EXCEPTIONAL VINTAGE

As a vintage seller on Etsy I constantly scan the site for vintagicites of all types from fine quality vintage to rusty and crusty farm finds.  Not too long ago I came across one in particular and knew with my first browse that it would be a shop I would feature and was even more delighted to have met the owner.

I'd like to introduce and welcome you to...

ECLECTIC VOGUE

and my friend....

 

Krisha



 Krisha is owner of Etsy shop ECLECTIC VOGUE which offers fine vintage goods and supplies, some of which I've featured here.  She has been so gracious and patient in extending her time to allow me this interview.  I hope you enjoy.

Tell me a little bit about the person behind the scenes at EclecticVogue?

I'm in my 30s, have been a journalist most of my adult life, save the years I spent in odd jobs paying for school. I love literature, going to our small city theaters (Wicked was wicked!) and am currently addicted to The Real Housewives — really just New York, Atlanta and Bethenny Ever After. Though, I'm afraid, I've watched all the others: My mind candy.

I like hiking both in the city and the woods and at the zoo, but swimming is my favorite activity. Even when it's really too cold to jump in, I cannot resist a pool or a lake, having grown up next to a spring-fed river. I would swim every day if I could.

Photography, painting and sculpting are also favorite pursuits, though it's been some time since I've played at any of those because work has been beastly.

Writing is one of my passions. I write the occasional freelance piece for my newspaper and the pets Web site I maintain for it, along with breaking news — which is not nearly as fun.

One husband. Two cats. One dog. Not always in that order. :-)



Royal Rudolstadt Porcelain Pedestal Teapot and Cream Pitcher Circa 1915





Its apparent to me you've a passion for antiques and vintage. How did you come to choose antiquities and vintage collectibles as your choice for selling in an Etsy shop?

Honestly, I tried selling on Etsy years ago, loving the indie spirit of it all, the anti-eBay, and the creative community. I sold original Artist's Trading Cards, embellished journals, sculptures and photographs. I think I sold less than 10 things in six months, and I was always discouraged with my artwork, wanting it to be better. So I closed shop, took a break and realized I could sell vintage ... if I could bring myself to let go of my treasures. I only buy things I feel are beautiful, things with soul, so that if they don't sell, I will get to keep them. Win-win.

But I've always been a flea marketer, my imagination running wild over what lady might have owned this compact, what she might have looked like. Where on earth did this vintage meter cover come from, and why don't they make them like that any more?

The find that truly inspired me to collect vintage, save those many years of getting through school when I was too broke to buy more than $5 in gas, was a high school autograph book, circa 1942. It belonged to a girl who lived not too far from where I grew up and contained the schooltime platitudes you'd expect to read in a yearbook — though they were written in a charming slang I'd never heard.

Amid World War II, the girl was about to be married to her high school sweetheart, whose sister happened to be her best friend and wrote a beautiful page-long entry in the book. The words of those who knew her told a story about her life.

Often, often, I've wondered what happened in the rest of her story.





10 Karat Carved Shell Cameo Pin Pendant Made in 1895 Breathtaking



 

The title and listing descriptions in your shop are accurate and point on. How have you come to know so much about antique and vintage collectibles?

That's very kind of you because I have much to learn. All those years fleamarketing beside my much older brother and an aunt, who was a dealer, helped. I do quite a bit of research on my own as well. When in doubt, if it's in good condition, has the earmarks of vintage or antique and, above all is beautiful, I buy it and research later. I have a pretty good eye for that sort of thing but a great deal to learn.



1920s Art Deco Board Game With Mechanical Bakelite Device, Original Box



 

Would you or have you ever considered becoming and antiques and collectibles appraiser?

Appraiser, no, because I've got a lot to learn.

Are you a personal collector? If so, what is your fave to collect?

I've been collecting antique compacts since I was maybe 10, but my collection is pretty small, 20 or so. I love guilloche, the more moving parts the better. I also collect bohemian garnets. I have five pieces. Beyond that are the little vases and dishes I picked up as a child and teenager.

Swoboda Garnet Tulip Earrings for Pierced Ears on Gold Plated Setting Mid Century

Without disclosing prices or costs, what piece would you say either personally or through your shop was the most valuable?

The Victorian garnet ring I have in the shop now is the most valuable I've ever tried to sell. The seller appraised it at almost twice it's current price. But the thing to remember about antiques, as Maya Angelou found out when she furnished her first New York apartment, it's all about what's in vogue at the time.

Victorian Garnet Ring Cushioned in Thick 10 K Rose Gold Size 6 1/2

I take you've seen the Antiques Roadshow? Which if any, do you recall to be your favorite item appraised on the show?

I love the show, but because my job demands such long, often unpredictable hours, I haven't seen it in years. I do remember someone finding papers from one of the founding fathers in their attic. Just remnants of his writing but in remarkably good condition. I forget the appraisal, but I so wanted to get my hands on them just to touch and read the words. I love the Colonial period.

Vintage Christian Dior Runway Necklace Gold Plated Crystal

Do you have any advice for anyone who chooses to become a collector of antiques or vintage?

Start small in either case. Start with something you love and find beautiful and build upon that. And if you're selling, never buy spend more money on inventory than you are willing to lose. It's always a gamble.



Any advice for anyone choosing to open and Etsy or other antique or vintage collectibles shop?

Oh, goodness, I'm sure I'm doing tons of things wrong myself. But I have noticed that putting the customer first, posting the best photos you can and being open to do the research helps tremendously. Oh, and don't waste your money on showcases. They don't work.


Krisha has a 100% feedback rating and a nice base of satisfied customers.  Here's are a few of her customers feedback comments:

"Beautiful! Great communication-- looking forward to buying from again."

"Great!!! Carefully packed and quickly shipped!!! Thank you so much for everything!! I love it!!"

"Fast shipping and the ring was just as described. Very happy!"

"Gorgeous brooch. Easy pickup and communication. HIGHLY recommend!!!"

Atomic Red Bakelite Tube Radio in Great Working Condition



What do you find most rewarding in the overall aspect of having your own Etsy shop?

I like to think that the things I choose are going to people who have memories of a similar item. I had a lady buy powder jars from me because they were the same ones her grandmother kept years before.



What do you find most challenging about same?

Promoting the shop is most challenging for me. I've been spammed by would-be buyers in my attempts to promote. Twitter, Facebook, chat and relisting are about the best I've been able to do.



Whiting and Davis Mesh Flapper Handbag Art Deco Excellent Condition

  

I think you know me well enough to know I wasn't gonna let you get away with just an average Q & A interview right?  Here are a few more questions to let readers know alil more about you:

If you were a tree which would you be?

My first thought was to be a romantic weeping willow with tons of Spanish moss to decorate my limbs and at least one spot for a child's swing. But now I think about it, I believe I'd prefer to be a bonsai tree, which might teach me the art of being zen.

^ I just loved her answer to the question above  ^

If you could be any animal on earth, what would it be?

Easy. A cheetah able to run fast and free, but of course, I would want to live in the wild and not in a zoo or as someone's pet. If not that, then a cat owned by a very nice, loving person. Cat peeps are a little crazy, speaking as one, but they are good people who give respect where it's due.


Quite a contradiction, I know.





If you were a Star trek or Star wars character, whom would you be?

Well, you have me there. I'm not really into either one. I did watch Star Trek reruns and The Next Generation as a child. I suppose I'd be Capt. Piccard because he's was so self-possessed and seemed, to my childish sensibilities, to have the heart of a poet and wanderer.

What was the last movie you watched?

Hm. Inception. Very well done and original - to me anyway.

That was a pretty intense movie!

^^^  Leonardo Ladies  ^^^




 Remember "Growing Pains"?

MORE ECLECTIVOGUE TREASURES....

Vintage Murano Crystal Perfume Bottle












Whiting and Davis Satin White Moonstone Glass Tulip Earrings and Brooch Set




1920s Evans Guilloche Enamel Green Compact

What was the last book you've read?

Just finished Howard's End by E.M. Forster. It's a wonderful snapshot of the turn of the century, culturally and psychologically. "Only connect," don't live in fragments. Plus it's about this vivacious woman who comes in and screws with convention. I just love those books.
Unfortunately, because I've been so busy, it took me a terribly long time to read. But it was well worth it.

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?

Trade places? Well, I'd just pick good old Donald Trump and take his private jet round the globe for a giant vacation. I'd like to know how he'd take to my job; I'd probably be canned the very day I returned. And I wouldn't do his job at all because I'd be the boss. Though I would pick the brains of his advisers about business strategy. No, I wouldn't waste the vacation on that. Instead, I'd just pick up a copy of Cash Is King.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?

Nobody is going to be writing my biography unless there's a meltdown and my junk is all that's left to figure out history. I guess it would be called: "The Scribbler," or "The Pack Rat" or maybe "Study of a Woman in the Early 21st Century".





My last and final question and something i've been dying to ask you...



What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Ha! Well, I keep baby carrots to munch on. Not much of a cook, so you'd be lucky to find a pizza or shrimp in the freezer, waaaay leftover dressing from Thanksgiving, old cheese, tons of condiments and my husband's beer

 

Well, there you have it.  A lil info on Esty Shop Eclectic Vogue, a lil about it's owner Krisha, and a peek in her fridge.   Mind if I help myself to one of those beers?

I hope you've all enjoyed the read and to Krisha, Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all the questions, especially the silly one's, you're awesome! 

ECLECTIC VOGUE

^  Click the link above to stop by and visit  ^