October 2008

All the present turmoil in the economy has certainly frightened all of us!

It is a time that we find ourselves stepping back and reevaluating what we are doing with our time and money. The current situation has reminded us of earlier years when we first became interested in antiques and particularly clocks. Although the economy was stable and growing, 40 years ago, our discretionary money was almost non-existent. We were very much like all our neighbors and friends with young families and small houses.

It was our habit to spend free time exploring the area around Pittsburgh, Pa, packing kids and lunch in our station wagon. Stopping at antique shops, auctions and museums was usually a treat and we met many people who shared their knowledge with us even though they knew we couldn’t afford much at the time. However, we never felt deprived, but instead, were excited about our new found interest and planned our strategy to acquire beautiful objects.

The dealers we met then were exceptional and encouraged us to learn, offering us the option of purchasing items on time. It is certainly a strategy for today’s antique collectors.

• Don’t stop learning.
• Don’t stop going to shows, shops, auctions and museums even if you can’t buy at the moment.
• Don’t hesitate to ask dealers about their objects, and their significance and history.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for a discount or a hold for a period of time until you have access to funds.
• Expand your interests to include less expensive, but still beautiful items.
• Do your research, read and compile information.
• Do some trading.
• Keep alive your delight in the ultimate “recycleables”!

In keeping with this philosophy, we are offering a 20% discount on our website inventory as well as our show inventory through January 31st 2009. In addition, we will be happy to hold an item for an arranged time period, with a small down payment.

We hope to continue our “Ramblings” segments with information and observations, so check our website for news and additions.

We apologize for being a bit lazy this summer updating our website, but we promise to be better in the coming months. We look forward to hearing from you with any comments or suggestions.

Lori & Charlie Breuel