I LOVE it! I just don’t know what I would DO with it.

Every vintage dealer has heard this lament regularly from shoppers who haven’t quite been bitten by the collecting bug but are drawn to an occasional treasure-hunting road trip on a Saturday afternoon. You are often drawn to a color, a shape, or a theme - often one that evokes a memory. You walk past the item first admiring it from a far. You may comment to your partner in crime for the day as you continue your survey of the shop. Slowly you circle back giving the item a second, longer look. Finally unable to resist, you pick the piece up admiring it from every angle, taking it to the best light - looking for an excuse to put it back or simply appreciating it up close. You check the price, sigh, and say it.

“I just love this ______. I just don’t know what I would do with it”.

Even in the best merchandised space, customers often need help to envision how that piece that brings them such joy would fit into their home. They need an excuse to treat themselves to an impulse buy that they often subconsciously compare to the Milky Way on their way out of the grocery store only worse because the price is higher. However, unlike a candy bar, this piece won’t add an extra hour to their workout and it will continue to bring them happiness once they give themselves permission to treat themselves to a well-deserved indulgence.

So go ahead, buy it! You’ll use it somewhere. It will look great! And yes, it will find a place in your house and fit in just fine! You chose it, just like you chose the other things that you found, brought home and love. Those things have a way of weaving their way together to make your house your home.