Week #2

Another Sunday, another day at the booth. I changed some of my pricing structures, tweaked the layout of the booth, and I was ready for a big day. As we opened our 'doors' for business, I thought the booth looked great.

I'd love to have one more rug to cover up that piece of floor in the front, but other than that, I'm happy with the overall aesthetic. Here are a few shots of each section.

The mannequin on the left actually belongs to booth next door, but it totally fits with my stuff, so... that's nice. Unfortunately, the sign that I made wasn't great. The yellow was drowned out by the sun, I'll have to work on that.

I gave you guys a glimpse of this table last week, but I had a bunch of new items, so I figured I would repost it. Again, this table did very well at attracting customers.

But in the end, just like in life, its all about the clothing.

These racks were entirely new this week, a great collection of polos, button downs, and blazers.

And lastly, here are a few great summer shirts.

In the end, it was a good week. We sold a ton of clothing, passed out a number of business cards, and we were able to survive the 95 degree heat (although, to be honest, I think that definitely hurt our numbers.)

For our third week at the booth, I'm hoping to put together a collection specifically for the 4th of july. I've got a few old finds that should really make a splash.

And lastly, due to customer demand, I'm hoping to start an online store very soon, sometime in the next week or so. More on that later.

DB

Signage

Today, I'm working on signage.

I haven't painted anything since... high school? I honestly can't remember. But this morning, I broke out some paint, some stencils, and got to work.

Here's what I was using.

And here's the finished product.

I also needed to make some more purposeful signs about pricing, so I printed out a few word documents, and then tried to add a few personal touches.

Pretty simple, but hopefully the effort will be appreciated. 

OK, time to go make a few more.

DB

The Booth

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, its been a crazy couple of weeks. But I have to say, I love running this booth. The first week certainly had its ups and downs, leaving plenty of room for improvement, but I was still happy with how it all looked.

You may notice the framed logo on the right side of the photo. That's my logo! I wanted to create the illusion of an actual store, so a name, logo, and business cards were all something that I wanted to have before opening shop.

I used Elance.com to get a graphic designer to help me flesh out my concept. Here's the finished product.

I'm happy with how it came out, and it was definitely a good experience working with the designer. Once I had a logo, I used Google Apps for Business to register an email with my domain name (which is hosted by Hover.com), so feel free to message me at info@danielbyron.com. Once that was all set up, I had cards made at a local print shop.

These logistical items were tiresome, and costly, but I think important overall. 

Now back to the booth.

The stationary bike is the most important item in my store. Everyone who walked by it wanted to play with it; people were riding it, playing with the bell, and it just started a ton of conversations. The vintage Playboys, glassware, and decorative antiques also had a similar effect. 

In the end, it was a great Sunday. I sold a number of watches, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and a few button downs. And with zero experience doing something like this, I didn't really have many expectations, but after a long day I was happy enough with the final number. 

This week, I want that number to grow. I'll be adding blazers, polos, and ties. I also made some improvements to the booth itself, adding a beautiful blue rug and a new hanging rack. I'll certainly have some pictures for you next week, but if you want to come check it out for yourself, please do. Personally, I can't wait for Sunday. 

10am - 4pm at the Sowa Vintage Market

DB

Big News

For the next three Sundays, my roommate Dave and I will be renting out space at the SOWA Vintage Market.

The booth will be primarily stocked with vintage button downs, soft crew-necks, bright T-shirts, and beautiful jackets.

As you can see, we have more than just clothing; we will also have glassware, watches, clocks, cameras, and collectibles. If you follow the blog as well as I think you should, then you have already seen some of what we are going to be selling. But really, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

For the past two years I have travelled all across New England looking for vintage treasures. On Sunday, its time to see what I found.

With each purchase, I'm undoubtedly going to be suffering from a serious case of separation anxiety. But I'm also very excited for people to hopefully fall in love with what I have. In the days ahead, I will be highlighting some of our merchandise so you can have a clearer idea of what to expect.

I have a lot of work to do before Sunday, but I'm really looking forward to it. If you are in the Boston area, you should come say hello! The doors open at 10, and close at 4. If you've never been, the SOWA Markets are a great place to hang out, to eat some delicious food, and to do a little shopping.

DB

Nice Bag Edward!

A few weekends ago I went up to Maine for Memorial Day Weekend. My buddy Edward was traveling in style. Check out his bag.

He bought the bag in Morocco, and the strap is Jack Spade. Unfortunately, Jack Spade no longer carries these straps. I was certainly bummed to learn that. But either way, I like what Edward did here, a nice combination of an old and new, classic and modern.  

I kind of want to recreate a similar look, but I don't have a bag yet. I did however spot these guitar straps at a music store in the East Village. 

I think one of these might work, so I'll just have to keep my eye out for a bag. 

DB

PLAYBOY

I bought an old PLAYBOY a few weeks back at a flea market in Brunswick, ME. I loved reading it, such an interesting look into the history of men's culture. And ya know, there are pretty ladies too.

The ads are amazingly old fashioned, the clothing is classic, and the nudity is actually quite scarce. Last weekend on Ebay, I helped myself to a few more magazines.

This should be fun.

DB