Re-Sale Therapy

What's Old is Suddenly New
When you look back at times of need (the Great Depression, for instance), saving money, conserving resources and re-use of tools and home goods were all encouraged and practiced. Then when the economy is strong, people are working and have extra money, so the pendulum swings in the other direction.

That is when you get whole generations - or even societies - whose members only value what is new and packaged, used by no one but its original owners. The end of the baby boomers, who grew to adulthood in the 1980s are an example of this phenomenon. In an era where you could almost not not prosper (in other words, everybody's wealth grew), the 20-somethings came out of college fully expecting to walk into a 6-figure job, to drive a more expensive car than their father owned, and move into a house the size their parents could only afford after 20 years in the workforce.

These young adults bought new homes in planned communities, filled with Pottery Barn furnishings, and wearing only designer clothes, driving further away from the atmosphere that reminded them of their depression-era parents.

A common refrain at The Living Room Emporium, an eclectic shop in Canyon Country with both new merchandise and lots of vintage pieces, is the sound of customers sighing, "My kids don't want anything old - not great-grandmother's china, vintage jewelry or any of the antique furniture."

Of course, personality does play a part in one's taste in what they wear or how they decorate. But there are a large number of people in the second half of their lives, wishing their progeny would embrace the family heirlooms as they did.

The shift in economy has played a part in changing some of that sentiment...perhaps not among the same generation, but these antique shoppers are in luck. They have a shot that their grandchildren will value the treasures of their ancestors.

Once again, there is a newfound excitement about re-sale over retail. Secondhand stores keep opening and whole stretches of a town's "Main Street" become consignment enclaves, taking an aggregate approach to attracting treasure hunting shoppers.

So, grandmas and grandpas who worry that their Chippendale furniture, depression glass and Victorian doll collections will end up at the Goodwill when they die...there's hope in some Generation X and (all the more) Generation Y descendants who actually love the hunt for art deco fixtures, Fenton Glass collectibles and make purses out of old pairs of jeans, your wish is coming true.