Editor's Journal

Hello friends, Jim and I are pleased and excited about our revamped web site and hope you will find the new NATIONAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS pages to be packed full of useful information that will benefit your business. From the Calendars with thousands of dates and contact info for booking shows to insider industry news articles and our new ShopTalk department which will be a wonderful resource section devoted to the business of your business. Jim and I have renewed our commitment to bringing fellow independent dealers the best information available with fingertip ease. And the beauty of the Internet is that you can access that information 24 hours a day seven days a week!

Most of you who are loyal followers are already seasoned sellers. If that shoe fits you and you are reading this, you already know a HUGE (and well kept) secret to successful selling. LEARNING never ends. And secret number two - you can never have too much INFORMATION when it comes to your business. Keep on readin' and keep coming back because we promise it will be worth your time.

From my own experience, after decades of retailing, there isn't a day that goes by that I still don't learn something beneficial that I didn't know, or that I am reminded of something I hadn't tried in a long time. If you are new to selling you will find this to be true with time. Your selling will Evolve. By that I mean, what you start out selling today will not be the same thing you will be selling five years from now. An example - If you are selling something like boutique soaps and buying them wholesale you may expand your line to include bottles, jars and decorative accessories to go along with your soaps line. Each time you expand, you will learn something new about your customer’s needs and wants. You will learn things that work and things that don't work as well. You may find that what you thought was going to be your most sought after item hits the wall; and something else becomes your bread and butter. With each stage you pass through you will seek out information to make the most informed decisions and the more sources you go to for that information the more your business will blossom financially.

If you happen to be one of those Crazy (wonderful) super shoppers who plans their vacation to coincide with antique extravaganzas, festivals and all manner of special events then please feel free to use the event listings and look to ShopTalk for a new feature just for you - called Today's Collector. You will find articles from guest columnists, online references and resources on collecting, travel tips and more.

We can't hope to do something of this magnitude alone, so we are asking you, our readers, for your help. Updating the Calendars is a never ending job. If you find a new Flea Market, Antique mall or great new event on your travels this summer please email us and let us know about it (especially in the flood ravaged Midwest). Email: news@goodridgeguides.com

Time to sign off now - Jim is making "I’d sure like dinner sometime tonight" rumblings. Gotta keep the Boss happy! Til next time - Here's to great sales and make it home safely!

Georgia Goodridge

NCE Editor