Welcome to our new weekly newsletter…

Watch for it every Thursday!
Volume I  Issue 2

Hi!  Welcome BACK to our new “Lynn’s Consignments” newsletter.   This is Issue 2! As many of you know this is a family business…that’s my daughter Indiana (Indy), me, and my mom!

Thank you to all of you who wrote in with such nice comments after the first edition last Thursday!  I appreciate all of you and did try to respond to each email personally.

We still don’t have a catchy title for this publication…..Let’s make it into a contest…whoever comes up with the winning moniker will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to the store…..

Think along the lines of “Everyone Wins When they Shop at Lynn’s” but something shorter like Lynn’s Letter (too boring)

So far we have
Lynn’s Lovelies….. from Anita
Lynn’s Latest…… from Wayne.
Havaheart to heart with Lynn….from Audrey
Lynn’s Look at Life/Lynn’s Loving Life….from Mary Pat

Can’t wait to hear more suggestions!  We will have a vote in a few weeks 🙂

For those of you who don’t know, my grandmother was Cheryl Leaf of Cheryl Leaf Antiques & Gifts…a Bellingham, WA Antiques & Gifts store that she owned & operated for over 52 years.  She was AMAZING!

In each of these first few newsletters, I will be sharing fun tidbits about my grandmother because she is a big reason I opened this crazy fun store!  She is also the one who taught me so much about business and antiques, but most important lessons about life!

How cute is she?

OK, let’s jump into some history…..After my grandmother passed away in 2000, we spent the next two years liquidating the store before finally closing it in 2002.  There was still so much stock left that we ended up dividing it into 4 parts (of about 100 huge boxes each), one for my mom, one for me, one for my sister, Kiki, and one for my brother, Lee.  I have spent the last 20+ years selling that merchandise on eBay!  In fact, you might be lucky enough to purchase something in my store that was originally in hers.  I will be sure to point it out to you!

I have written seven books about eBay for publishers like McGraw Hill and Wiley.  But my favorite of those books, are the first four self-published ones that I wrote to honor my grandmother.  I will share one of those stories here to illustrate just how crazy my grandmother was about her “beads”!  Cheryl Leaf loved jewelry and beads.  The more beads, the better!

OK, but back to me & Lynn’s Consignments….LOL!

After years (literally about 20) of writing an eBay ezine (newsletter) that went out to 20,000 subscribers, I am ready to focus on my new brick and mortar store (est. March 1st, 2018)….I hope many of my former ezine readers decide to join us and re-subscribe!

I am not sure how this newsletter will evolve over the years, but here is to seeing what happens!

As I write this, a memory just popped up on my Timehop Feed from two years ago.  We had just gotten the keys to 1975 E. Main Street and my kids and their Pepperdine friends had fun checking out the empty shell of a store.  This picture is of my mom, Indy with her back to us and her friend Carmen.

The carpets had been ripped up, some pegboard had been hung, but you can still see some of the original blue walls….a lot would happen in those next six weeks before we opened on March 1st, 2018.  This picture is Reily, Houston, Indiana, Carmen, and Syd.

Time for an eBay score!  My eBay business was down about 50% last year….ughhh!  Not good!  I am happy to report that it has finally picked back up.  I think this is in large part due to the fact that I am actually listing 100 new items at auction each week and they are NOT all flatware.  To get through 2019 I was listing mainly flatware AND this year, I am focusing on more OOAK (One of a Kind) items.

Check out this very UNIQUE item that recently sold that I discussed on the eBay for Business Podcast with Griff.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401930038091

If you missed that eBay for Business Podcast I start at minute 9:00 and go to minute 20:00. Although the theme is “shipping” my segment is about sooooo much more. As we wrap up, Griff and I decide that our theme should have been “Egg” cups! LOL 🙂 I LOVE Griff!

https://community.ebay.com/t5/The-eBay-for-Business-Podcast/Episode-66-Shipping-Best-Practices/ba-p/30408191

I have known Griff for over 15 years! Here are a couple of pictures of the kids and me with Griff over the years. Can you believe how little Goose and Indy are? This first photo is circa 2007 and the next one is circa 2012. We have all changed soooo much!

I do mention my eBay helper/shipper in that segment and her name is Cindy!  Time to meet Cindy for those of you who have seen her working in the back of the store in our eBay area.

Cindy lives in Ventura (very close to where I live) and she originally got this job by stalking me on Next Door…just kidding kind of 🙂  Cindy is married to a former UPS driver (that is why she is soooo good at packing and shipping) and they have two sons, David and Alex.  They are great to have around as David is the best cat sitter and Christmas Light putter upper EVER.

Cindy tells it like it is and is not afraid to speak her mind.  I am very lucky to have Cindy on my team at Lynn’s Consignments.  Fun fact about Cindy…..She enjoys jigsaw puzzles and snorkeling vacations!

Next time you are in the store, pop your head in my eBay office and say “Hi” to Cindy!

Our next Annie Sloan basics-only paint class for 2020 will be held on Saturday, February 8th from 10:30 to 12:30 ish.  The cost is $69.  We found that it was almost impossible to get you out for an evening paint class so we have now moved it to the day.  Way more fun!  Spaces are limited so sign up here now.

If you have any questions please call the store at 805-628-3289…

http://www.kickstartcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=7FF2CB21-8A24-49FC-9294-87759EA393E1&pid=efe98f6b99584f1a87e510b15acb1d41&bn=1

This is the Basic Course offering an Introduction to the Annie Sloan Method of Chalk Painting…Furniture, Lamp Shades, Fabric, and just about anything!

Come learn four techniques during this 2-hour hands-on workshop. We will cover painting, waxing, buffing, mixing, blending,
distressing, and so much more!!!

You will create 3 Sample Boards with different finishes to take with you and all the confidence and knowledge you need to go home and tackle any project!!!

Please wear painting clothes and aprons will be provided…..you don’t need to bring anything except maybe a friend!

Can’t wait to see you and help you learn about the…..
BEST PAINT IN THE WORLD!!!

Check out this before shot of two black glass front Ikea cabinets that were for sale in the store.

Here is the after…I eventually bought them and repurposed them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue and an IOD decor transfer. Voila!  Don’t miss our first chalk paint class of 2020!

Now, let’s check out some of the new fun furnishings that came into the store recently.

This beautiful chaise lounge and ottoman are priced at $495.00.  The Papasan chair came in at $195 and is currently at $156.  If it is still here on January 25th it will go down to $117.  That is a bargain!

And NOW……drumroll, please…I am pleased to announce a new section written by a guest writer!  This article was written by Emma (my son Houston’s girlfriend)

Why I Love Baggu: The reusable bag I never leave the house without

A few years ago, the overwhelming stress from college (Pepperdine), the sorrow of a recent shooting nearby (Borderline), and the threat of climate change and the Woolsey Fire meant that I lived in a state of anxiety and dread. But there were a few things that made my experience more bearable:

1. Blenders in the Grass (their peanut butter banana smoothies ran through my veins)
2. Main Street Ventura (I could walk up and down the street for hours and always find something new)
3. The Morongo Casino gas station on the way into the Coachella Valley (I have bought way too many mood rings there)
4. Baggu…

What is Baggu? you are thinking. I could go into a long monologue about how these compact, reusable bags have taken over my life and filled my bags/pockets with colors and fun prints. Or how every conversation I have somehow includes a long-winded encouragement to buy these bags.
But, all I will say is that Baggu is life-changing.

They are the perfect bag to stuff in your back pocket, purse, suitcase, etc in case you’re like me and tend to buy things on a regular basis that I was not expecting to purchase (especially here in Ventura).

And the best part? We sell them here at Lynn’s Consignments! Seriously, we have Baggus out the wazoo (hey, that rhymes).
Some of my favorite styles at the moment (they constantly retire and come out with new styles) are the Lox Plate pattern that is the bag equivalent of Trader Joe’s “Everything But The Bagel” seasoning and the Cantalope Slice pattern that reminds me of the sherbet I used to eat in the summer. You know you could never show me a plastic bag that looks that good!

Come check Baggu out and see if they change your life as much as they did mine.

-Emma

P.S.  I am looking for my forever job…It is my dream to work at Patagonia.  Do you know anyone?

Thanks, Emma!  Great guest column 🙂  And these amazing bags hold between 30 and 50 pounds each and sell for $10, $12, and $16 depending upon the size.  The bags that Emma is holding sell for $12.  What a great gift!  And they are the new trend in Hollywood…I just saw Jeff Goldblum carrying one 🙂

If you are not local to Ventura (and even if you are), we have just launched our shopping website and they can be purchased here!

We are still working on tweaking the shipping costs so if they seem out of line, please call us at 805-628-3289.  Also, for you locals, you can order and pay online for easy and fast pick-up.  Just like Grub Hub!!!

https://lynnsconsignment.ricoconsign.com/

OK! Now for an eBay score. Y’all (that Y’all comes from visiting Houston in Oklahoma City this past October where he is doing his Masters Ed teaching this year–I LOVE saying Y’all) know that I will always sell on eBay. It is part of my DNA….apparently.

So, check out this score! I bought this at a very “sketchy” estate sale in Palm Desert about 3 years ago. I got three pieces of this rare pottery that was made to look like Native American baskets. Pretty cool, huh?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401248021140