Pottery Barn sells shuffleboards, right?

I am starting to get the knack for staging things. Last week, I staged a wood table in my backyard, flipping a twenty dollar investment into $75 dollars. Flush with confidence over my new found skills, I tried my luck again and staged another garage sale find. How'd it turn out you ask? I am proud to say I am now two for two!  

She said take it!

Days after my righteous $75 dollar farm table flip, I was at it again at the morning yard sales. I stopped at a women's garage sale that I've been to in years past. I can't quite figure the lady out. She sells exclusively "antiques" at her sales, so I think she may have had an actual store at one time. Since I am not an antique guy, I didn't plan to spend much time at her sale. After  a quick look, followed by paging through some old college year books she had for sale, I was ready to leave. I then noticed an old wood shuffleboard propped up against a tree. It stood about six feet tall and had an aged coat of red and gray paint which gave it a nice shabby chic look. Brass hooks had also been added to the board, which the antique lady used to hang some handbags on. On a lark, I asked what she wanted for the old shuffleboard? Being an old pro, she flipped the question back at me, asking what I would give her for it? Since old shuffleboards have never been on my "must-have" list, I really didn't care if the hunk of wood came home with me or not. I fearlessly threw out the crazy-low number of five bucks. To my surprise, she told me to take it and began hurriedly pulling the purses off the hooks! 

I was now the proud owner of a six foot plank of wood. At only five bucks though, I wasn't stressing about making my money back. In fact, I began immediately thinking about my farm table flip and hoped to do the same thing with the shuffleboard. Antique lady was not done wheeling and dealing with me however. As I slid the shuffleboard into the back of my truck she shouted across the street, asking how much would I give her for the old yearbooks? Going for broke, I silently held out my five outstretched fingers toward her. Her reaction told me I pushed my luck too far. Throwing her hands up in the air, she shouted back, "What? That's only a dollar a yearbook!" As she turned and stormed up her driveway, I sheepishly tried to explain that's all the yearbooks were worth to me. (The yearbooks were fifty years old. I really don't think any of the-now, 75 year old graduates are looking to buy them back.)

Once home from the garage sales, I sat down for lunch and began discussing my next flipping brainstorm with Mrs. Dude. Visualizing another "Pottery Barn" photo shoot featuring the shuffleboard, I asked Mrs. Dude if she had any "stringy" things I could drape on the board's hooks? I guess I wasn't explaining my concept very well because Mrs. Dude looked at me quizzically, "What do you mean stringy?"  I gulped down the last bite of my sandwich and tried to explain my artistic concept, "You know...old rope type stuff I can drape over the hooks... shabby chic...antique things...stuff like that." Mrs. Dude thought for a moment, then suggested I use the Christmas berry garland she uses every year to decorate the dining room chandelier. Mrs. Dude was on to something! The garland always looked great on the chandelier...hopefully the same great look would transfer to the shuffleboard. After retrieving the garland from the Christmas boxes, I went about "Pottery Barning" the shuffleboard for a Craigslist. Here's how it turned out......

Shabby Chic Shuffleboard Foyer Hall Piece Antique - $60 

 

Take a look at this wonderful vintage shuffleboard that is now doubling as a foyer hall piece. This vintage piece stands just over five feet high. It seems like it started life as an old shuffleboard. It has some age to it and looks like it was painted with some red barn paint. Along the way someone added brass hooks, turning it into an adorable decorative piece. This old shuffleboard would look beautiful in your shabby chic, vintage room.

Let your creativity run wild and take this one-of-a kind piece home! : )

I think you'd agree the photos turned out pretty awesome. You may have also noticed when reading the description that it doesn't sound like your favorite Dude speaking. That's because when it comes to furniture, my audience is usually a women buyer. I have an unscientific, but accurate theory, that women prefer to buy from another women. (I think the same applies to men too...guys would rather deal with another guy when buying or selling.) Given this sexist theory, my Craigslist description was written to create the impression that a women was selling the shuffleboard. It's not difficult for me to write this way. I just listen to Mrs. Dude when she's talking to one of her girlfriends. She uses words like "wonderful" and "adorable" in her conversations. She also inserts smiley face emoticons at the end of her e-mails : )

Apparently my writing style worked. Two days after posting my CL listing, "Evelyn" e-mailed back saying she wanted to buy the shuffleboard. But now the problem became-do I break character, answering as "Dude", or do I continue my ruse?  In Evelyn's case, I continued my little act and typed Mrs. Dude's name at the end of my e-mails. (With smile face). Evelyn quickly wrote back, telling Mrs. Dude she'd be over to pick up the shuffleboard that evening.

You might think this Craigslist charade is all a little deceptive. Don't worry....I made it all better in the end. After a quick briefing as to who was coming over to pick up the shuffleboard, the real Mrs. Dude answered the door! Mrs. Dude proceeded to speak with Evelyn for a couple minutes on the front porch, while I popped out with the shuffleboard. (Such a helpful husband!) After Evelyn handed over sixty large to Mrs. Dude, I carried the old shuffleboard down to her car. Mrs. Dude had turned...whoops.... I mean, I just turned $5 bucks into Sixty dollars ! It was....Wonderful! : )

Just like the farm table flip, proper staging and some well placed items retrieved from the Christmas box made this another awesome flip! Share your flips and suggestions in the comment section below.....
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