Featured Covid-19 impact on antiques business

Most of us in the shop have yearly leases. A few are on 6 mo. trials. I think mine is up the end of June. The store's lease is up in July 2021 and we are not sure about renewing. The owner is negotiating a stop, with the missing months extended on to the end of the lease. He would ask that we do the same to our leases. Seems fair to me.

Most vendors are sole proprietors, as am I. I would be able to pay to the end of my lease if necessary. I am lucky in that I have no other periodic obligations besides utilities. I know several of the dealers would be financially unable to pay out their leases. This is true for a lot of people's rental and mortgage payments. This is such a huge issue for so many people that I think it needs to be addressed at the legislative level.

I believe in the recent bill passed, there is a provision for the self employed to be eligible for unemployment. This would help me considerably. However, there are many antique dealers who don't claim their income. This would come back to bite them and they would be out of luck.

 

I already have and will send more if this goes on much longer.

I really worry about waiters, waitresses, bartenders, shop clerks...all the people who live on low wage jobs that are gone for who knows how long

 

it's a shitstorm fer sure.....anyway you look at it !!!!
We need to get the economy going.......but not with folks all around dropping like flies....

 

We have been ordering for curb side pickup from a store nearby that has groceries. It's really just a convenience store, a lot smaller than Stop & Shop, but we would rather spend our food money with a locally-owned small store right now.

 

As numbers of cases confirmed......and deaths....continue to rise......this will go on ....much longer than anyone is willing to admit at the moment !!

We have June & July events now being cancelled......& the talk is school is done for this year....with students being passed on to the next grade...
and...... April is stay at home month.....at which time I expect them to say...May is stay at home month as well !!!

 

yup.....trying to support any local smaller stores that are allowed to remain open !!!

 

Your owner is MUCH more organized than mine. I haven't heard anything yet myself. I've never actually met the owner - just the managers who run the business behind the counter who collect and distribute money. Owner is supposed to update us on a webpage that hasn't changed since the shutdown a few weeks ago. The website still says they will work out a way for vendors to come in, but nothing yet. Building is locked and we have no access. Most of us pay our monthly bills and pick up our checks in person at the front desk, but there is no way to do that now so I have unpaid rent and unpicked up checks, which is frustrating.

But that is chickenfeed compared to all the small businesses who are paying serious rent every month, and have nothing coming in.

 

Same scenario here in Plymouth, owner is in Florida and not a word from management. I paid rent through September and have a feeling the landlord won’t credit me for down time. Meanwhile my stuff is locked up in his building with nobody answering the phone or returning calls. No updates on the website since closing, pretty pathetic.

 

I am blessed. I am in 4 antique malls in 3 different states, no leases, just month to month rental agreements. All 3 states are in "shelter at home" status with all nonessential businesses closed. All 4 of the malls are going to either defer rent for the month or prorate rent based on the number of days they are open. I've had my checks mailed to me so I have $$$ in the bank. These places range from about 50 vendors to 300. And pretty much all of the people I deal with are great, all concerned that their vendors are okay and know what's going on. Even the one that is least profitable, I will hang on after things open up again. I was thinking about shutting down there but not now, at least not right away.

Besides, I've got too much inventory all overt my house!

Linda

 

Our stay-at-home order is currently until June 10. Schools have been closed until the end of the school year. June 10 actually sounds like an optimistic date . Our Governor says the models show our peak will hit between the end of April and the end of May. Not sure how long before the peak comes down after that and I don't think anyone does. All depends on lots of things but I'm doing my part by staying in....all I can do really. I feel terrible for businesses and all the people out of work.

 

90+ percent of my sales are on line and I don't have any rented space. Thankfully. The local pawn shop is open with restrictions, so I guess it must be worth their time, but they're only letting in one customer at a time. I could go melt some scrap silver if I wanted, I guess. Probably won't though.

 

open pawn shop......hummm...... folks do need cash........any way they can get it....so I suppose.... that's OK..!

But having all your gun shops...ranges, and ammo dealers listed as essential services....... well...that says a lot about the NRA......Gov't...... & who's at the wheel !!

 

The shop I am in called today to say they were closing until May 1st. But I could still send my monthly rent check......

 

nice of them...............

 

I have a booth in an antique mall. They closed up on March 18.
The owner is still charging us full rent, even thought the place is closed for now. Of course we don't know how long this will go on. How can I possibly pay him rent when the doors are locked, and no sales? I'm pretty upset about it.

I have the choice to leave, but must let them know by April 10.
Just packing up the booth and moving all the cases would be a nightmare.

Any advice? The rent is $290/month. I can't stomach the thought of paying this for even one month, but I hate to move out. I've been there for 5 years.

 

Do you have someplace to move your inventory? If you don't have room at home, then you will need to rent and pay monthly self-storage fees anyway. How many square feet are you renting and how long would it take you to move out? Depending on how much effort and how much the self-storage fees would be, you could look at the rent you are paying as storage costs, which may make it more tolerable.

If enough of the renters get together and voice concern, maybe the owner would agree to something like a one-half rent until able to reopen? Of course this requires discussions and negotiations, which have become almost impossible these days...

 

We have booths in 3 malls. Two have requested 1/2 rent for the time they are closed. Painful, but at least we are sharing the burden. The 3rd has not responded to our attempts to find out what the situation is. We are hoping our online sales will continue - I find folks are buying how-to books for home crafts, like knitting.

I think a useful comparison for trying to constrain the spread of the virus is to think of it like a fire. If you want to contain a fire, you deny it fuel. In this case, we are the fuel. If we can break the chain of contact - deny it fuel - it will burn itself out sooner rather than later.

 

The booth is 10x12 ft.
Packed up in boxes, and considering the bookcases, china cabinet and display cases, it would take up part of my garage.
I'm hoping there is an outcry from some of the other more vocal vendors. If enough people threaten to leave, he may make some kind of change next month.
He's a rich guy in my town who owns a 13,000 sq. ft. mansion. So he could afford to cut us vendors a break.
There are many other antique malls in town to move to, but I hate to burn my bridges with this guy, he's been good to us so far.