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Discover Mid-America — June 2005

Expanding the demographic
by Bruce Rodgers, Editor/Publisher

There will always be buyers of antiques. And in the short term, there may be more buyers of antiques, at least at the high end. Reportedly, the Chinese have been outbidding American and European dealers at large auctions, driving prices up.

But here in the Midwest, owners of antique malls and shops aren’t expecting an influx of Chinese antiquers flush with cash — leaving the question of how to expand the customer base a constant.

Not long ago, I overheard an organizer of a glass show remark that when she looked across the floor at the dealers in their booths, she saw a “sea of gray hair.” The implication is that the younger set wasn’t well represented.

Most people in the antique and collectibles trade know that the potential for more business improves when the antique shopper demographic drops to a younger age. But it’s tough to get there. Even the word “antique” can be a barrier when reaching out to anyone under 35. Still, I’ve run across a few shop owners who are trying to reach that younger shopper.

Charlotte Disney, owner of the Cherish Antiques in Overland Park, KS, says among her most popular items are vintage and mid-century brooches, and most of the buyers are young women. The shop’s display of pins and brooches appeals to those younger buyers.

Her selections are pinned to a dark dress jacket on a hanger in full view of a customer coming through the door. Also pinned to the jacket is a page from the magazine Elle showing an ad of actress Sara Jessica Parker wearing — what else — a vintage brooch. Parker is the under-forty actress in the popular HBO series “Sex and the City.”

Disney says she gets ideas for displays and to find out what may be a hot fashion or decorative item by browsing through trendy glossy magazines like Elle.

Pam Buttram, owner of The Opera House Antiques & Gallery, with her daughter Crystal, have begun — perhaps inadvertently — exposing teenagers to the world of antiques and collectibles. Crystal has opened a teen hangout above her mother’s shop in Belton, MO. (See Mid-America News). The kids don’t seem embarrassed by coming near a place with “old” stuff to sell.

Other ways to interest younger folks, especially ones with a good relationship with their parents, is by offering “mother/daughter discounts” when the two are shopping together or family discounts when relatives shop together.

To expand the antique demographic takes creativity and an awareness of what may be trendy at the time. It’s not rocket science and it can be done.

Contact Bruce Rodgers at
publisher@discoverypub.com

> Editor’s Notebook Archive — past columns