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I remember it clearly. I was in a flea market, in the process of selecting things in a booth. The vendor asked if I was a dealer. I chuckled and said no. He said "You will be."
He went on to say that everyone that he knew started out as a buyer, for fun, collecting or decorating. Eventually the collection would either become too large or fall from interest and pieces would be listed on Craigslist or the like to make room for the newer finds. In other words, the passion preceded the decision.....or mandated it.
Mine was the same. I loved the brocante and have always decorated.....but being a dealer was not something I even considered. I wasn't sure that my 'eye' for items or style would be accepted enough to build a business around. I knew what I liked, I knew how to buy and I knew how to display and stage a space....but selling?
My first show was not thought out. I just jumped and did it. It was a vertical learning curve for me and I was hooked. The ability to create a theme and display items accordingly was a rush of adrenaline. When asked if I was a set designer, my heart soared. I knew that I had found my passion.
The minute the booth opened I realized that I wasn't selling. I was sharing. Sharing the history and story of the items....where they came from, how they were found, what they were used for. Once that clicked it was easy.
My professional life before the brocante could not have been more different. However, that background (unrelated as it seemed at the time) laid the foundation for me to handle the brocante.
I have less money than I did in my prior life. My priorities have changed. Instead of spending money to escape to France for a week of vacation, I now live here. Would I change it? Not at all.
If you have a passion, I would urge you to follow it. It may not be easy, it will not be without stress, but whatever effort and stress that you put in to it will be to build on something that you love doing. Isn't that what we all dream of?
Thank you for all of the email....I am feeling better every day.....and yes, the brocante will be reloaded.....TONIGHT.