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| Some of my current mugs in my booth - I picked up the smurf ones this weekend |
Everybody needs a coffee mug. They are so irresistible at thriftstores - abundant, quirky and the prices are always right. I never leave without checking out the mugs. I have a shelf full in my kitchen, and I LOVE my mugs (and could not part with 3 of my favorites ever). Naturally, I have put coffee mugs in my booth as well to resell, and they are modestly successful - I have sold a few every month. Incidentally, one of the two items that have ever been stolen out of my booth was a mug - a milkglass mug with a Canadian flag on it. Not pointing fingers or anything, but I have a feeling that some shifty Canadian is drinking their guilty pleasures out of that one - just sayin'.
Anyway, I have always liked the Otagiri mugs - they have such great designs and their handle is the perfect shape (and easily recognized). I have sold about 10 Otagiri mugs of various designs in my booth - sporting owls, cats, ships, bears, seagulls and fish. The embossed ones always seem to disappear paticularly fast. Also, being in Maine, every mug with a lobster on it has sold. I have a few Taylor and Ng mugs as well, but have yet to put them in my booth (it's a ten-step program, folks).
Mugs don't bring in the big bucks, but since it is a steady seller, I don't mind. I never pay more than 99 cents, and I always price them at $5. Thus, the 3x investment minimum is fulfilled.
Do you sell mugs? Are they a good seller for you? Do you have a favorite mug design?
i loooove mugs and have a whole shelf full, even though I rarely use them. i have an otagiri duck mug that i really love! i have put a few cool ones in my booth but haven't sold any. maybe now that it is getting cold i'll get rid of some.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that might be a key to why they sell pretty well here - it's cold in Maine and people love their hot drinks. This is hot cider season as well - yum!
ReplyDeleteI have one big mug that I haven't sold yet, but have never tried the little ones. I always thought that since people tend to drink bowls of coffee (not judging, I have a soup bowl full next to me :) that they might not want a small mug. I'm going to give it a go! Hopefully I will the same luck as you! Good luck with all this weather madness!
ReplyDeleteSoup bowls of coffee? I think I would carry the jitters all day, lol. Yes, you should give the little mugs a try. Cheap and so tempting to buy (both for you and your customers).
DeleteI don't usually buy mugs, but I do look at them and wonder which ones might be collectable. My dad had a cabinet full of them. He was always buying unusual ones at the thrift store. He knew I always wanted a Range Rover and found a Land Rover mug that he gave me. After a year of drinking my coffee out of that mug I got inspired to look on eBay for one. Next thing I was on my way to Ohio to pick up my Rover. So I have great respect for the power of your daily mug.....lol.
ReplyDeleteThat is a fantastic story! I love how you got your real Rover - and presumably you still have the inspirational mug :-)
DeleteI love mugs too, I can see why the Maine ones sell, here in Florida I can sell anything with flamingos LOL. Thank you for your kind comment, I love MCM too, my little secret is that I would love to sell MCM, but I have had a booth for 10 years and my customers want pink and shabby (: ....I'm stuck for now SHHHHHH!
ReplyDeleteCarol
LOL. I am sure you could pull of anything in your booth, but yes, I can see how that would betray your loyal customers and established brand. Besides, for selfish reasons, I also just love checking in on your projects - it's such a soothing world that I love to occasionally get lost in. Same reason I occasionally stash Victoria magazines under my pillow and leave my Atomic Ranch on the coffee table, lol.
DeleteI am cracking up! Who steals mugs!?!?! Hmmmm!
ReplyDeleteI usually only put Fire King or Pyrex mugs in the booth, but I might need to branch out now!
I LOVE the Smurf mugs I spot up there!
I know, right? I kept thinking that the mug must have been displaced, but it completely disappeared, so somebody could not resist that big ol' red maple leaf (on milkglass no less).
DeleteYes, branch out - I know how easy it is for ME to pick up mugs, so I figure it is the same way with antique booth shoppers. And what is 50 cents to us equals about $5 for antique booth shopper, I think :-)
Oh I too suffer from a wee bit of a mug addiction...Otagiri just feels so good to the hand. I have a difficult time listing any of the really cool mid century goodies that I find...Mr. Moxie is not amused:)
ReplyDeleteHaha - hubby feels a bit of the same with my everyday mug shelf in the kitchen. But I have pared them down now - to about 6 Otagiris, 1 Dansk, and a couple of Scandinavian ones. Love my coffee mugs.
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