The Collaboration Concept

What I like about antique and vintage stores is that most of them seem to find collaborating rather than competing does much more for the bottom line. The more stores there are in a downtown district, for instance, the more likely a shopper will pull off the freeway, brave downtown traffic, park and tour all the shops.

(The Cochran's Guide encourages that spirit of cooperation by offering free display ads to groups of shops.)

An example: events like the Shop Hop mentioned in our previous post bring people downtown, where they can stop somewhere for coffee or dinner, do some extended, relaxed browsing, and stimulate the local economy.

In Junction City, OR, ten stores are collaborating on a Girlz Night Out sales, drawings and other surprises. Time and Again Collectibles and Gifts at 177 W Sixth Ave will sweeten the deal with a Syrup Tasting of new flavors for all the waffle fiends out there. Ten stores are involved, a great evening's stroll with the girls (I'm sure they'll let in guys, too).

Tomorrow night in Phoenix, Pearly Mae's Resale and Home Again Furnishings and Antiques, neighbors at 4314 and 4302 N. 7th Ave., are having a Happy Hour Sale tomorrow, Sept 18, with both stores open until 8pm.  (Home Again is continuing their sale through the weekend.)

We contribute by promoting events like this, as well as in-store sales, on our Facebook page. If your store is in the Guide, and you're having your own sale, or a community event like Girlz Night, the Happy Hour or Shop Hop, we hope you'll let us know so we can help you toot your horn!

Photos: 1) something new from something old, a spoon bracelet by Spoon Candy, at Time & Again in Junction City, OR.
2) Gorgeously ornate wrought iron patio set at Home Again in Phoenix.
3) Tropical seating ensemble at Pearly Mae's Resale in Phoenix.

That Time Again...

Here at Cochran's we have begun work on the 2015 edition (our 26th annual!), to be published in early October. Right now we're contacting everyone who participated last year, plus a number of shops that contacted us after we went to press, to let them know our deadline (August 31!) and rates for next year.

If you have a store or antique-related business or produce an event in the five Western states (WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ) please click on PARTICIPATE in the menu above and see what we have to offer. Then click on your state on the little map, and you'll see the rates for that region.

Cochran's entire 152-page travel-size map guide is printed and distributed to the stores and shows in early November, and then uploaded on this website at the beginning of the new year. Click on CONTENTS in the menu above to visit any of the five states and their stores. Or see our Events section directly after our color section, to see antique fair and show schedules for the rest of 2014.

Freedom to Celebrate YOUR Way

Barbecues and fireworks are all very well, but how about, for a change, observing the Fourth of July in a bodacious antique store in Mesa, AZ? Munching hot dogs and slurping lemonade while losing yourself in the aisles of the Antique Plaza—now that's a way to celebrate freedom! Head over to 114 W Main St in Mesa to explore the oldest antique mall in Mesa, with more than 150 dealers in everything from furniture to ephemera, vintage fashion to art and kitsch.

But if you're not in the Mesa area, you can still visit Antique Plaza's website, where you'll find that the concept of repurposing has reached new heights. Erica and Kat, two of the dealers at the Plaza, write a regular blog detailing their explorations into repurposing and sharing their ideas. So, there is a useful future for that old army cot you couldn't resist snapping up years ago, or those old bus tokens that were such a deal but you can't think what to do with them. This blog is full of solutions and notions that can spark your own creativity.

Antique Plaza is one of a group of 26 antique stores and services in the Phoenix Metro region known as Valley of the Sun Antique Dealers' Association, which has a website with a map to all their member stores.

Patriotic display at Antique Plaza in Mesa