Featured Covid-19 impact on antiques business

The wholesalers I order from keep sending notices about shortened hours, skeletal staffs and how they will continue to take orders. Like even if we order, who are we going to sell to.

However, one did not do that instead they sent this which I thought was very thoughtful.



In the last few weeks, COVID-19 has had an undeniable impact on global markets, health, and safety conditions.

These are unprecedented times and we are all learning to manage through the rapidly changing situation together on a daily basis. Please know that the health and safety of you, your employees, as well as our own, is our top concern. Supporting our retail community remains our priority.

"Prayer For A Pandemic"

May we who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home
Remember those who must choose between
preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children
when their schools close Remember those who have no options.

May we who have had to cancel our trips
Remember those that have no safe places to go.

May we who are losing our margin money
in the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country,
Let us choose LOVE.

During this time when we cannot physically
wrap our arms around each other,
Let us yet find ways to be the loving
embrace of God to our neighbors.

Amen
By Dr. Cameron Wiggins Belim

 

The owner of our store has suspended rent payments beginning April 1st. He is working with his landlord to get his payments to her suspended. Would work as a lease extension, with missed months tacked on to the end of the lease. Seems like a fair proposition. I am thankful not to have to come up with my $600.00 a month rent for a closed business moving forward. If this crisis goes on longer than a month or so, I think we will see a lot of pressure for all mortgage and lease payments to be suspended.

 

folks here are dealing with that too, but so far it's a patchwork......
some landlords can be accomodating while others can't or won't.
Landlords have bills to pay too.....so this has to be worked out higher up the chain.
So far our banks seem to be on board to suspend mortgages for 6 months......but not all of em...
Folks that bought apartments & condos, just to rent as B&B's.......good luck to them...!
Uber drivers...... they're all parked....so no extra income there.....

But I do feel bad for the taxi drivers........they invested in their licenses.

it's a mess...

 

Yeah, we try to do things to help local businesses. We ordered take out last night- helped the restaurant and the Door Dash Driver. We went to our friend's local cafe and got a Growler filled and bought a gift certificate for later. (he's not selling food, just selling growlers to empty his beer kegs, then he's closing) Just the little things, but it helps.

 

went to a local sushi place yesterday....they were happy to see me !!
a lot of shops on the street were closed.....some , papered up and gone....
The magazine store was still open, but with a sign saying...Cards only...No Cash !
So I didn't spend any money there !!!! . Fools !!
Everywhere else I went , they were happy to take my cash !!!

 

What's interesting it that it has been reported the virus stays longer on plastic and metal than on cloth.
So the credit card is potentially more contagious than paper money, which is made of paper and linen.
And yes I'm well aware that paper money is coated with drugs, maybe the drugs kill the virus. Who knows.
This may be just another ploy to go to plastic and not take cash after all of this is over.

 

my money is plastic...........but if i don't lick it, or rub my eyes with it or roll it up and snort some blow..... i should be fine !

 

Some of the responses here have been interesting.
People complaining about having to be home with their children (why did they have them then?) or not being able to go on spring break trips or not knowing when Spring break is going to be (it is now so enjoy it.) People complaining about having to use their own computers, electricity and internet connections to work. Guess I can't get over how shallow, insensitive and self entitled some folks are.

On the other hand, there have been a couple of good reactions. One parent after home schooling her 2 children for a couple of hours decided teachers were underpaid.

On our NextDoor app, folks are offering to shop for or pick up food and meds for us 'antiques' or those confined to their home - leaving them at our door. Sort of faith restoring after hearing about the first two people.

 

We were at Stop & Shop Friday to get the last few essentials. I was going to buy some broccoli but saw the woman stocking vegetables with bare hands. Even the cart guy was wearing gloves. I bypassed fresh for canned. Then there was a scruffy guy in the spice area picking up each bottle and putting it back. He had a basket with nothing in it. He looked like he'd been sleeping in a doorway. Who knows what his motive was, but it shows that people are doing weird things. We brought wipes and wiped down each item and put it in our own bags. I have an app on my phone that I use to get one of those self-clickers so I could bypass the clerk altogether.

 

My wife keeps cooking as therapy I think so we have lots of food and no need to buy. I went out to escape the house but didn't go in any stores, just my storage unit place. Paid my storage rental for the month; they're intending to stay open transitioning to a "non-contact" system where they don't let anyone in the office, show pics of storage units instead of walking you around, etc. Has anyone noticed people driving more aggressively - I was cut off twice.

 

Traffic here on Main Street is almost summer-like. My daughter and hubby were planning on a visit to his mother's beach cottage in Florida, but changed plans once this hit. There is only one tiny market and no health care within fifty miles. They were smart. All these folks from out of state who are coming here thinking they're escaping are being foolish. And, yes, they are driving agressively. The crazy thing is, where are they going in such a hurry? If they came down to escape they should be holed up in their cottages, not out driving someplace. Nothing is open!

 

“Watchers” on my items shot up when this started. Sales haven’t seemed to change much. I’ve bought a little less since I’m out of work now for the foreseeable future. Just participated in an online estate auction. Most everything sold and people all went and picked up in person. I parrot the more online shopping part obviously. When people get their govt checks they will spend it all online if not on rent/mortgage.

 

More and more Im finding threads Ive never seen,like this one,yet Im on here every single day ? What gives ?!? Took Mother out today for the first time in 2 weeks. She insisted on going to her tax guys office and then we went to BJs to pick up a few essentials . It was picked clean . Very few canned goods,meat,rice,pasta etc left. Even during our yearly "OMG the hurricane is coming" crisis Ive never seen a store so empty of goods. I noticed on the way several shops and restaurants already out of business. Including one antique store where Ive found some lovely things dirt cheap. Im TRYING to be optimistic,but in many ways I feel like this is a 9-11 type of event. A great shock,then life will change in ways we cant foresee. As per usual in any real crisis,its the less fortunate that arent going to recover so quickly. Ive got several friends as well as 2 nieces who have all been laid off from their jobs.None of them have savings or credit cards . I worry about them and whats going to happen after this is over. I also predict that we are going to see a rise in crime after things settle down by virtue of the fact millions are going to be without any income at all . Many millions.
I think this is going to hurt the antiques market even more than 2008 . When people are struggling to feed their kids they arent going to be so concerned about a genuine 18th century cream pitcher. I also agree with whoever said theres going to be a market flooded with stuff people are trying to sell to make any money they can . Great for anyone who still have a little bit of money to buy. I wont lie,Im worried SICK about it all,more than I ever have about anything before.Not so much the virus,as the economic shit storm coming. That being said,hang in there folks it can only go up from here!

 

Every word you said is full of foreseeing
Society won't be the same after all that!

 

Hi Bev, driving around town has been easy so far (FYI, Bev lives in the town next to mine). They are here but staying in their houses. But oh my, almost all the seasonal homes in our town now are open and we don't usually see this until July. I know of at least one "snow bird" who came back today from Florida early. Everyone thinks coming to Cape Cod is safer. Yet our small town now has one confirmed case, nowhere is safe.

FYI, as with a lot of the US, TP is hard to come by. But I went to a local store today for an 80-year-old neighbor, she wanted garlic. The store had no fresh garlic, not a head, not a clove. Is there a run on garlic?????

 

Is there a run on garlic?????
doesn't it come from China mainly...

 

I also predict that we are going to see a rise in crime after things settle down..

likely only store and bank robberies ....... cuz everyone will be at home....with their guns.....trained on the front and back doors !!

 

The Dems are not letting it happen. They are adding things like solar energy, and other cr*p that has nothing to do with helping people or businesses.

I think we will see changes to the medical system.
On line doctor appointments, drive through vaccinations.

They have cut a lot of red tape out of the FDA. Medicines will be more readily available rather than years down the road.
Compassionate use has been implemented, I expect it will stay in the field. Compassionate use is where a drug is used for one illness, but may show promise in treating something else. Before, if it didn't have FDA approval it couldn't be tried. Now, if you are out of options and there is something that might work, with your doctor's recommendation you won't have to wait for FDA approval.

 

I think lots of people are doing a lot more cooking at home than they ever have before. Partly because they can't / aren't suppose to go anywhere & partly because they have time to experiment with that recipe they found in a magazine a few months back.

 

What is going to happen to folks that are out of work for the foreseeable future after they hit the limits on their credit cards? Many people I know have very little if anything saved and are always dependent on the next paycheck.

The market is going to be indeed flooded with used goods as people try to scramble for spending money. I am too worried about rising crime rates as people become increasingly desperate. Pawn shops and consignment shops are going to be absolutely overflowing.

Even people that have some savings and who are decently prepared to weather a short term crisis will be wondering if this turns long term and will be slashing their spending accordingly.