Dear Fellow Ruby Lane Shop Keepers,

I am a shop owner on Ruby Lane. My shop is called Jantiques. I am also a graphic designer, in business for over 30 years. I have been perusing other shops on the Lane, and am amazed at all of the unique and fascinating items being offered by shopkeepers here. What amazes me even more, though, is the lack of professionally designed store identities!

Ruby Lane Customer Care & Share

Acknowledge the Customer’s Needs

Passing along a great surprise to my clients is so much fun, it is almost as much fun as finding things tucked away in the purchased article. Whenever this happens , I try to price the item so it is still the reasonable price it needs to be for my margins, but also may be a little perk I can add to the cost of the piece.

Some of the major reasons you are on Twitter, in addition to promoting your business, are to socialize and to network. Leave a good impression, and you'll always have followers. Concentrate on being the real “you” - that person others find interesting and want to chat with. Establishing the real “you” will also entice people to your website, your blog or whichever site you show in your public profile. But first, you want to establish yourself through your Twitter Profile.

A month or so ago, I bid on a locket. Even though I sell antique jewelry, I often see pieces that I want all to myself. This locket was just such a piece. Yes I am greedy for lockets. The seller was selling the locket for the heir of an estate. The heir, decided not to keep the locket after having it tested for gold content. The seller said he did not deal in such pieces. Lucky me!

How are the bunny and the hare linked to eggs?

I recently sold a large Fenton Hobnail basket to a customer who asked if I would please ship it to her sister. She went on to tell me that their Mother always had a similar blue basket out at Easter so she had been looking for one for herself and one for her Sister so they might carry on the tradition in their own homes.

I received an e-mail from Dennis Hull and Gary Domzalski, co-owners of Affordable Antiques & More in Naperville, Illinois, in response to “Its Time For Some Good News,” a previous Rinker on Collectibles column. Their upbeat, positive attitude about the future of the antiques and collectibles marketplace is most refreshing.

Three part guide to understanding what the marks are in glass and how they affect the value of the piece.

Part I. Manufacturing Marks:
Marks in glass that are not flaws but part of the normal manufacturing process. They do not affect the value of the glass.

My snowy morning all started out with the internet not working, because of the snow piled high on the satellite. Which lead me to work on a project in the house. My husband and I had decided a few months ago to redo a bathroom. The ideas were great, lots of help from the kids. We decided on the plans, and started to gather the tools, materials and dare I say it, "A drink or two." We took out the old shower, found a leaky valve. This will not be the last water issue either. We gathered the 'rock' for the shower.