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After reading Dodger's neat, thought-provoking article on having a special day for our 'best friend', the Dog, I had a thought. How about a special day dedicated to Antique Dealers! It would be a day when people were not allowed to say "those damn dealers", when they open the garage door at a yard sale, or see the line-up at the start of an estate sale. No one could bad-mouth Dealers at auctions either. Because if you think about it, without us, shuffling and re-shuffling "valuables", they would only have half the business. Numerous times I have gone to an estate sale late in the day. I ask in a friendly manner "was it busy this morning?" And almost always they respond with a rye "yes, those DEALERS were here early!" I smile and say, "oh them!" I usually follow up with "did they buy things?" The response is always "oh yes they did - loads of stuff!" I have been known to resort to sarcasm (my family and friends can attest to that) and then say, "so, if they were not here, there would be a lot more things for me to look at and maybe buy?" Sometimes there is a glazed-over look, almost as if they were thinking. Other times they say "yes, there'd be a lot left." HMMMMM! I have been "in the biz" for over 30 years, most of it is good fun, rewarding on a personal and financial level. I love a good bargain but have never stolen anything, or taken advantage of a friend or family member who did not know the worth of things. I wait for them to set the price and accept or reject it. And many times I said it was too low and willingly paid more than asked for, so we both were satisfied. I do like to be able to look at myself in the mirror on a regular basis. Yes, there are many who are unscrupulous. I am sure we have all heard the stories. But the majority of us are in it because we love the thrill of the hunt, the story-telling when the one out of 50 turns out to be a super find, and the surprise at having an item sold on the net go way beyond our expectations. So, why not a Dealer Day. Maybe it could be in early April, when the Rummage Sales start in full swing! All we'd ask is that people treated us with respect, did not criticize us or think poorly of us. And maybe let us have all the things we wanted at half-price! Wow, this could catch on.
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