Fall into this weeks Feature Friday! (get it?!)

Well folks, I don't know if you've noticed, but it is no longer summer. Holy smokes, that happened fast. I feel like I was just wearing shorts and flip flops! Now I have to put socks on?! Socks?! I might have to resort to the infamous "socks and crocs." Did you cringe? Cause I cringed typing it. 

Anyway, with summer being gone in my neck of the woods, I figured I would bring a little pop of color, thoughts of sunshine, humidity, and barbecues, with this weeks: 

FEATUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAAY!  

This weeks feature is one of my best friends, Marissa! She is one of my best friends from high school! She purchased a super cool vintage Stanley Thermos from my Etsy shop. Now I know what you're thinking, 'A thermos. She must be using it for coffee, hot chocolate, soup and other hot, delicious liquids that every one drinks in the fall.' Well, you are wrong, my friends. She turned it into a beautiful vase! She was also my very first Etsy customer! Lets give her a round of applause! 

 Feel the cool summer breeze? Peeling your sunburned shoulders? Chasing down lightning bugs?  

Vintage thermos vase and mason jar candles = summer perfection.

Marissa has an awesome backyard/patio and she hosts one heck of a party! (Trust me, I know!) Hopefully I'll be able to visit soon so I can see this lovely vase in person! Thank you Marissa for supporting my dreams and purchasing from PGP! You rule!

You can all go back to putting your socks and crocs on now. Oh, thats just me? Talk about party poopers!

Smell ya later!

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from me! Turn it into something new! Send me a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, or any other space filled with stuff that needs to be picked over? Get atcha girl!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe eat some bbq chicken!

***Check out my Etsy page to see what kinds of cool things I have in store for ya! PGP Etsy Shop & you can like my page on FB, PGP Facebook for more updates, features, and giveaways! 

How Much is That Kitty in the Picture...

For anyone that owns a furry feline, you can feel my pain. Not only do I have a cat, but a dog that enjoys chasing the cat, but that's another post. So here I am at the computer minding my own business... 

Oh, that looks comfy, let me lay down right here. 

Ok, no computer. I'll just go photograph a few things..

Are you taking pictures of me? No? Will you pet me? 

Ok, back to the computer, let me just grab something off this shelf...

Why won't you just love me?!?!

Needles to say, he lives off of attention. Sometimes food and treats, but mainly attention. But the show must go on. Thank you for this cute kitty interruption, now back to your scheduled program: 

So in my travels, I come across a lot of neat people, places and things. (I could have just said nouns, I guess.) I don't always get to buy everything I want, but for the things I do get to call my own, there's a story and I would like to share that with you! 

This weeks story is about two little embroidered owls. I was driving home from who-knows-where and just a block from my house was an estate sale! How the heck did I miss that?  So I parked, grabbed $20 and walked over with high hopes. Books, clothes, piano, big furniture, oh shoot, there go my hopes, plummeting to a deep hole of leaving with nothing. Then, like a ray of freaking sunshine, there were these two framed owls, sitting all by their lonesome. 

(angels singing)

Oh hey, I'm awesome.

What the hoot! So am I. 

Vintage sharpie?! 

There they were, all in their 70's brown, orange and yellow glory. I asked the woman if she knew who made them and she said her husbands grandmother. She made them in 1978 and had them until she moved and he took them to their house, where I was currently fondling them (mental picture.) So if you think they are as adorable as I do, you are in luck! They are now up for sale in my Etsy shop here!

Even if you don't think they are adorable, which they totally are, you can still check out my shop. If you don't see something you love to the moon and back, or are looking for something in particular, let a sista know! I have a garage full of things, and I am constantly on the hunt. Be sure to like Poor Girl Picker on facebook too! Yes, I am stepping my social media game up! You can check that out here!

Smell ya later! 
-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from me! Turn it into something new! Send me a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, or any other space filled with stuff that needs to be picked over? Get atcha girl!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe chew on some laffy taffy!

***Check out my Etsy page to see what kinds of cool things I have in store for ya! PGP Etsy Shop

Keeping it together, one crazy idea at a time.

Have you ever had an idea swirling around your mind that you just couldn't let go of? Like, literally every waking moment was spent thinking about this one idea. Well, I recently had one of these "idea viruses" and it had me all in a tizzy. 

"Quit your job and dedicate yourself to Poor Girl Picker." 

What am I, nuts?! That's crazy! Ludacris! I don't even have a savings account, how am I suppose to quit my job?!? That thought went against everything I've ever learned to be logical, but I couldn't get it out of my head. I wanted it so bad. I wanted to stop waking up at 5am. I wanted to stop relying on other people for financial security. I didn't want to tell people, "Oh I can't make it I have to work," or "let me see if I can request that day off." I wanted to dedicate as much time and energy into myself and my dreams that I was giving someone else. It was an idea virus I just couldn't get rid of.

So dang it, I did it. I quit my job! Holy crap. I quit my job. I can do this right? Right. I plunged head first into what I thought was going to be days filled with picking, selling and nothing but awesomeness. But there is a backside to running a business that I had to learn about. I had to learn about selling online, collecting tax, becoming a business owner, having bills, overhead and all that other jazz. It was stressful, overwhelming and downright scary. I second guessed myself the whole time. "Maybe I should have been a teacher after all." "Maybe an ordinary life isn't so bad?" "I mean my 9-5 wasn't that bad, was it?" I kept setting deadlines for myself and missing them. I was scared and ready to throw the towel in. 

Then I remembered how I felt when I was sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. I remembered why I got an education and am in so much damn debt. I remembered that life isn't meant to be easy. We are all given certain strengths and opportunities and the choices we make will in turn make us. So I am not throwing the towel in. I read a quote once that has stayed with me through hard times, and keeps me focused on my dream. 

“If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's.” - Joseph Campbell

One of those aformentioned deadlines was to get my Etsy shop up and running by the 15th.  HA, OKAY.  It has taken me a while to get everything together, but its finally there! (It only took 11 more days than planned!) I didn't realize how time consuming it would be. "Oh Etsy? You just take photos and post them then, viola! you make money." There's way more to it than that and it will be a learning process for me. I'm still not positive how to market myself, I'm still not happy with the photos and there are hundreds of more items to research and list, but hey - it's a small step and I am a-two-steppin! 

So check it out here! You don't even have to buy anything! Just stop over and take a look. I only posted 20 items but I will be adding more daily. Let me know if you have any suggestions, comments or ideas for photographing. I have tons of clothes that I will be posting in the next week or so. I'll also be at Larkin Market this Thursday with some new stuff so come check it out! 

Smell ya later!

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, or any other space filled with stuff that needs to be picked over? Get atcha girl!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe drink some ginger ale!

***Check out my Etsy page to see what kinds of cool things I have in store for ya! PGP Etsy Shop

Now Featuring this Friday: HOLLYWOOD HANK

Now Featuring this Friday:
The Adventures of HOLLYWOOD HANK 

If you are lucky, at some point in your life you will meet someone that has been around the block. Not just any block though. THE block. The same block that you are starting to circle. When you do, you should take advantage of it and learn everything you can from them. I just so happened to meet Hank a few weeks ago when he bought some doll heads from me at the Silo City Flea. He was going to make a sculpture with them. (Which is exactly what I imagined someone would do.) So I gave his friend, Frank, the low-down on my blog and he said he would be sure to send me a picture when he was done. 

I ran in to Frank again at The Peddler last Saturday and I had some more doll heads out. He let Hank know and he was interested in them so I made a trip up to his store. It turns out Hank has been around the block a few times. I had no idea what I was in for. (drum roll) 

"When you get here you're gonna wanna park then walk in the double doors, go left, up the stairs, make a right and a right, then a left and my office will be on the right." "Okay, I'm sure I'll find it." Fortunately, Hanks wife met me at the front doors and walked me left, up, right, right and left to his office. The whole entire time my jaw was dropped,  my eyes were darting from floor to ceiling and I was stumbling. "Holy shit, I think I just found heaven." 

Stairway to the second floor of Heaven.

Come and get me in 7 hours. 

So there I was, standing with a cardboard box full of plastic doll heads, talking to a man who amassed enough cool stuff to fill a 20,000 square foot warehouse with things I thought I could only dream about. After our "haggle" Hank gave me a tour of the place. Let me tell you something, IT WAS AWESOME. As if the walk up to his office wasn't cool enough, I got to see his work space, his sculptures (which are awesome and placed all over the warehouse,) his "cabin" and all the other neat stuff that was hidden in every nook and cranny. I really was overwhelmed. I wasn't even registering what I was seeing anymore. My mind was on cool crap overload. I mean, I just rented a one car garage. This man has 20,000 square feet! 

I had planned another meeting on the other side of town just 45 minutes after meeting with Hank, and I was already running late. So I unfortunately had to leave with out seeing everything. I left with the promise of coming back, and let me tell you something, that's a promise I am definitely going to keep. Cause I don't know if you heard but that place was AWESOME. 

Oh, right, Hank is also known as Hollywood Hank. He isn't just a collector either. This warehouse is his shop. Just about everything is for sale. He has one of a kind sculptures in there too. That's why he is the week, and summers, first: 

FEATUUUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY 

Pimpin.

That's one way to use a bunch of vintage doll heads! Pimp em out to Santa. (If you didn't notice the top of the sculpture is Santa.) Hank, awesome. His warehouse, awesome. The 45 minutes I spent there, awesome. If you haven't gotten it by now, it was AWESOME. You can rest assured that my butt will be back there soon enough. Until then, I'll leave you with some pictures of his jaw dropping, heart palpitating, butt clenching warehouse! 

Well excuse me, Marilyn! 

Lemme get that!

That too. 

You can keep those. 

This whole wall will be mine someday. 

Tomorrow I'll be set up at the Peddler at the corner of W. Ferry and Elmwood. Come on down and see what cool new stuff I got! You should also buy something and re-purpose it so that you too can be featured here! It will be the highlight of your life! (or day.) 

Catch ya on the flip side!

-Stephanie 

(the word "Awesome" was used seven times in the writing of this blog. Eight if you count that one.)

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, or any other space filled with stuff that needs to be picked over? Get atcha girl!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe have a gluten free pizza.

Time Warp to August....

Well hello my long lost friends! 

I've been trying to think of a way to apologize for not posting in so long, but I keep coming up blank. The honest answer is: I am too busy, but that's the boring answer. So instead, I will give you a quick update with all that has happened and is happening over here at Poor Girl Picker!

After last season ended I found myself buying at the same pace but slowing on the selling. So I filled my basement with a bunch of goodies and continued to work full time at the cafe. I tried my hand at organizing a mini pop up shop but we only had two. It went really well and I will probably revisit it this fall/winter because who doesn't love a little discount shopping around the holidays? Once the frigid winter passed, I picked up a part time gig photographing vintage things for an ebay seller. I was able to trade in my Ford Focus for a Volvo station wagon and it has helped me tremendously! Jordan and his cat also moved in with me and we (really I,) had this genius idea to get a dog. So we did. By golly it was a circus. Well, I am no ring leader so I had to slow down a bit and focus. 

The Peddler was going to start up and come July I would be having another flea market on Thursdays at Larkin Square. There was also the chance to go out to Antique World and Silo City Flea on Sundays. If I wanted to I could make this a full time job! But I wasn't ready. How do I pay bills? How do I keep an inventory? It was all too much so I stuck it out through June and July and it turned out to be too overwhelming. Have you ever felt like you are running in circles but you are actually doing a million and three things? I felt insane and ready to burst at the seams. It was time for me to plunge head first into Poor Girl Picker and more importantly, me. I was investing a lot of time into other people and their dreams, so why not put that dedication and work into my dreams? If I was going to do this right I had a few things on my To Do list. First, quit my job. Second, find a garage. Third, be confident. The first was a breeze. The second was a bit tougher but I was patient and was able to find a garage space only a few blocks away. One U-Haul truck and a full days worth of hauling, and my basement is almost empty! Its much easier to load and unload when you don't have to go up and down any steps. 

Being in control of my daily activities has thrown me a few curve balls.  Going from always having an employer and rules to being my own boss was kind of weird. What do you mean I don't have to punch in? I can eat whenever I want? I can use my phone at all times of the day? These were problems I hadn't dealt with before. I'll admit, there were a few days all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and eat Nutella. I mean, who doesn't? But the reality of it is, I need to make wise choices. I am the one responsible for PGP's growth or failure. Since I wasn't really planning on failure, I left the Nutella alone. (Okay, maybe one scoop.)

So to make a long, winded, caffeinated story short: I am Poor Girl Picker. One of my best friends, Colleen, created my logo for me. (see below!) She is super talented and open minded so when I told her my idea she was all over it. I am currently photographing and getting my Etsy store ready, so stay tuned for that!! I have a few Featured Fridays lined up, I'm currently working on my Etsy store, and there are flea markets galore to end this season. I plan on having a featured itemand possibly stories of my picks. I have encountered some really awesome people along the journey, and you should all get to know them too! 

Check out some pictures from the Poor Girl Picker archives below! 

My logo, inspired by the Wheat Penny!

Peggy all packed up after a day at the Peddler!

Working on a new sign to hang in my tent!

New jewelry displays!

My garage space! Its way more full now. 

Silo City Flea!

Big Chick!

Ellie Pup!

Thanks for hanging around and supporting me! Your feedback means a lot to me too, so don't be afraid to comment! 

Enjoy the humidity!

-Stephanie 

Feature Friday: Kittens! Inspired by, KITTENS!

Aloha friends! I must admit, I was feeling a little down today. I went to work without eating or drinking any coffee. I had a headache that would bring a lesser woman to her knees. So you know what I did? Took a nap. Anyway, Jordan brought me some Kangan water and made me coffee and I feel like a new person! 

So without further ado, here is this weeks: 

FEATUUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY!

I had the privilege of meeting and selling to Therese, the owner of a local shop, Thin Ice, in Buffalo! She has a super cool shop with a super cool concept. Everything is handmade by local artisans and super cool. (Yes, I use that phrase a lot.) If they aren't local, they are in the states and she talks and interacts with each and every one of them. I stopped in the other day to get my best friend a birthday present (Happy Birthday Chrissy!) and to check out what she bought! 

What a nice display!

So she bought this super cool red "cooling rack" and is using it as a display in the shop. Right now its at the register showcasing some handmade leather wallets. BUT, when she bought the rack from me at Silo City, she said she might put some kittens on there too. UM, YES PLEASE. Kittens make anything better. Yes, anything. So prepare to shout: 

KITTENS! 

Seeing this picture reminded me of this video:

You're welcome.

So there you have it folks, Feature Friday featuring: KITTENS!  I'm so glad Therese was able to put that rack to use. If you want to see it in action, or any of the super-awesome-crazy-cool-handmade-I-want-to-buy-everything-in-the-store-items, go to Thin Ice on Elmwood or check out the website! 

www.thiniceonline.com

Side story: Remember that cider we pressed at the beginning of the week? Well, we had 15 gallons of it sitting in a fridge at Ashkers. So, we concocted a little wagon, heated it up, and slung cider on the sidewalk. Jordan did it on Wednesday night and we both did it last night. We were actually pretty profitable and we will be doing it on a regular basis! We are super excidered! 

Its all about the pour.

Now that I am not working 9-5, I have found more time to dedicate to the things I love. I might have never known that I love making cider unless we crashed that date, found that guys garage, and stayed up smooshing apples. Life works in mysterious ways, and I think that we should and could take a step back from the things we think are important in life, and find out what actually is important. Let it marinate. On that note, adios amigos! 

Smell ya later,

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

 

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, (you get the point,) that needs to be picked over? Holla at me!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe drink some cider.