Monday, June 3, 2024

Honey, I'm home.


Ain't gonna lie. I had a pretty tough show in Palos Verdes, maybe a little better than a very dismal one last year. 

I started doing the show last year after a thirty year layoff. 

It is held at an old Episcopal Church, St. Francis.

And I will probably do it again next year. Why? Because the parishioners are exceedingly nice and they pamper us. 

They serve us lunch, and tea, and bring us a wonderful dinner at the end of the show.

Now in its fifty third year, the small antique show is the last general antique show left in California south of Santa Barbara. 

The only other show is Palm Springs Modernism, believe it or not.

I am, at this point, an antique dealer for life and will go down with the ship.

I had a lot of interest in my wares but two decent sales, my typical price point being a bit north of the buying whims of a population with a median age nearing seventy five or eighty. 

As I approached the show Tuesday morning, I passed a huge water geyser, perhaps somebody clipped a hydrant? 

Maybe it was a strange omen for a show that never really fired for me.

Wealthy but not really interested any longer in feathering their nests. 

I bought a nice Navajo concho belt from a woman who was no longer wearing that stuff, probably overpaid her. 

I also bought a nice small Sydney Yard tonalist painting of Carmel.

I got on the phone and made some things happen with out of state clients, closed two more deals this morning. 

I am, all in all, glad I went, even with the diminishing returns.

I stayed in a Ramada Limited in Redondo. Motel was alright but limited was the keyword, mainly parking.  The staff was great and I made do. No complaints. 

Had a nice breakfast meal at the Yellow Vase, a very stately old restaurant in Malaga.


I also went back to my favorite taco shop on Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, Tacos el Goloso for the killer birria and potato tacos.

Nine of us dealers  went out for great Chinese on Friday night at Seashore off Calle Major. 

We had a sumptuous feast, whole crab in ginger, whole Peking duck, walnut shrimp, chow fun, fried rice, on and on and on. I think they made a big mistake on the bill, it was less than $250 dollars. Hey, we don't read Chinese...

I am exhausted from the last month. I got a service on my car three weeks ago and I already need another, driving to San Francisco and back twice and beyond. I am home now for a while and want to put the shop back together and make it presentable, that is my goal. 

I have clients who are interested in material and I am woefully remiss in updating my website and AskArt. 

I got the smalls out of the van today, tomorrow the paintings. I am without a car until Leslie's comes back from the body shop, need to drive the van.

Good to be back on dry land. I need to rest, recharge and start back with my yoga, walking and photography again, try to catch a little me time.

1 comment:

Blue Heron said...

Yes, I’ve read your Blast. I grew up in Hollywood Riviera, which is the cheap seats to Palos Verdes, just north in Redondo Beach. I went to St. Francis Episcopal church until I was 12 or 13 when I QUIT the church, after they refused to allow my sister to get married to a CATHOLIC. I thought what a bunch of hypocritical assholes. I turned to transcendental meditation instead. It’ been bliss ever since. haha