Expert: Eileen Cronk - 2/6/2009

Question
MY HUSBAND AND I RECENTLY STARTED RENTING A BOOTH IN AN ANTIQUE SHOP. MY QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE BEST WOOD AND STYLES OR ERA TO LOOK FOR.WE LIVE IN WEST TENN. ALSO ARE AUCTIONS GOOD PLACES OR SHOP FOR FURNITURE TO RE-SELL OR SHOULD WE STICK TO YARD SALES AND ESTATE SALES?

Answer
Hi Jo
Nice to hear from you.
Great question. I'll do my best with it LOL.
The best wood to one person is different for another.
Here in my area, everyone looks for old pine items. The more worn the better.
Just a little to the South of me, folks are wanting oak.
My own preference is walnut and cherry and mahogany.
So I would suggest you try to have a good selection of all but be advised the above mentioned woods are getting harder to find.
Veneers in good condition are plentiful but forget pieces with missing veneer unless you have the skills to repair them.
Always stick to buying furniture with the original finish but always strive to have it well cleaned and polished to look its best for sale. This makes a big difference.
If you can determine a pieces age correctly thats great and its a good sales feature if you can say this is "turn of the century".
But condition is the most important thing.
As far as styles, the tastes are as varied as they are with wood types but avoid the heavy ornate pieces as they just don't fit in the modern home. Simplicity is best.
Auction sales are in my opinion the very best places to find old and antique furniture from a buyers point of view but for resale, don't get carried away bidding LOL.
Here in Canada most auction sales are estate sales. There are consignment auctions but they are not as popular. If you are in an area where they have old century farm auctions thats the place to be. Its amazing the stuff that comes out of attics and sheds and if it happens to be a miserable day, thats when you get the bargains.
I find yard sales here are getting pretty sparse as far as good quality old furniture items go but in this troubled economy, its possible there will be lots to choose from this year. Sad but true.
It will be a good buying year for you but not a selling year so think ahead.
Jo I wish you every success in your venture.
Kind Regards
Eileen