Do you remember the first time you opened an antique booth? If you were like me, you were excited, nervous and just basically a big old mess of mixed emotions. Or maybe you haven’t taken the plunge yet. While the majority of our readers are seasoned dealers that have been at this a while, we occasionally get e-mails from aspiring dealers seeking advice on taking the first step. 

Dawn and I are always looking for new ways to improve Booth Crush and help you get the most out of our site. So when Ashley McGowan suggested a couple of weeks ago we follow along as her successful home-based business transitions to a first time booth, we jumped at the chance. In her e-mail she explained the difficulty in finding information on this topic. She hopes by sharing her journey it will help someone else on this same path. The name of her business is Don’t Stress, Distress and you click on the name to visit her Facebook page. Here is a little bit more information about Ashley in her own words: 

I am soon to be thirty. (Eeek!) I have always had a career/job in the food service industry. I have always loved architecture, home décor & interior design but those were usually loves trapped inside my head and fueled by trips to Home Goods. After purchasing my first house in 2013, I knew I wanted it to feel like a home. 

I spent hours searching local furniture stores until I found my dream dining room table… a farmhouse table heavily distressed & worn. Well the price tag of $1700.00 was enough to send me to my grave before I even had the chance to move in. 

The sales associate was talking about how this look & design style was all the rage especially with the use of chalk paint. I had never heard of chalk paint before and left there deciding I was going to see what all it entailed. After hours of Youtube videos, Google & Pinterest, I decided to give it a try. I purchased a quart of Annie Sloan’s Old White & a $10.00 table off of a local Facebook swap site & I was on my way. 

Three hours later & a garage filled with profanities, I did it! I completed my 1st piece of furniture. In my excitement, I posted pictures on Facebook & watched in awe as all of my girlfriends started a bidding war with each other for my newly painted “masterpiece”… I use that term loosely. I never had any intent on selling the table, as it was the only piece of furniture in my newly inquired home. So it sold to the highest bidder because there will always be another coffee table & I truly needed the money more.