| Today, the antique business has a new problem: old | | | | cannot sit in them for hours at a time. Even starter |
| customers. Boomers and their parents, who have | | | | apartments have walk-in closets that make armoires |
| been collecting antiques for decades, no longer have | | | | obsolete. |
| the room or the inclination to buy more antiques. | | | | The twin essentials of furniture making have always |
| Their Gen-X successors do not seem to care for | | | | been form and function, or beauty and usability. For |
| antiques. "The trend is away from antiques", says | | | | boomers and their parents, furniture was for sitting, |
| Red Whaley, owner of an antiques business in | | | | eating, or sleeping. Simple functions. For the Boomer |
| Forney, Texas since 1968. "I think it skips a | | | | antique collector, beauty of form lent an added |
| generation. You just do not want what your parents | | | | dimension to the simple functions of furniture. |
| had". Attend any antique show in the US, and all you | | | | Function was a given. Boomers bought because the |
| will see is a sea of silver hair and bald heads. This | | | | Form was beautiful. For Gen X'ers, the opposite is |
| leaves antiques dealers in a quandary: their customer | | | | true. For them, furniture provides a place to eat, |
| base is shrinking, sales are plummeting, and they are | | | | sleep, sit, play video games, and sit for hours at a |
| buried in inventory. | | | | workstation for work or socializing. Function takes |
| The shrinking customer base is just phase one of the | | | | precedence over form. The furniture has to perform. |
| problem. When millions of boomers start to downsize | | | | Beautiful antiques that do not function well in the Gen |
| and the antiques they have been collecting for | | | | X lifestyle are an impediment. Why would they buy |
| decades hit the resale market, prices will plunge as | | | | them? For Gen X, buying decisions are made on the |
| well. There will be an overabundance of supply, and | | | | basis of performance, not beauty. |
| very little demand. Boomers that bought antiques as | | | | How, then, do we sell to Gen X buyers? We stop |
| an investment are in for a rude awakening. In many | | | | trying to sell beauty and investment as our primary |
| cases, they will not recoup their original investment. | | | | sales pitches. This is easiest to do with accessories |
| The antiques trade has tried everything to hook new | | | | and occasional pieces. Sell function first, then beauty, |
| buyers: scotch tastings, seminars, door prizes, even | | | | then investment. Functionally, a lamp is a lamp. An |
| handwritten invitations. Little progress has been made | | | | antique lamp will work as well as a new lamp, plus it |
| in capturing the pocketbooks of Gen X. Why are | | | | has the added benefits of being unique, beautiful, and |
| they not buying? I think that Richard Whaley, Red's | | | | a good investment. See what I mean? Start by |
| son, hit the nail on the head when he said: "it is more | | | | selling function. You cannot use that approach with a |
| functional now. We sell a lot of (decorative) | | | | roll top desk. It is not functional in terms of the Gen |
| mailboxes". | | | | X lifestyle. What does that mean for your business? |
| Functional; that is the key word. I have often been | | | | Re-evaluate your inventory. If an item is not |
| told by Gen X'ers that they do not buy antique | | | | functional for the Gen X buyer, liquidate it or you will |
| furniture because it does not fit the needs of | | | | soon find yourself with a store full of inventory you |
| modern technology. An antique flat-top desk has no | | | | cannot sell. Start buying inventory with Gen-X |
| place to run computer cords, store cd's or | | | | functionality in mind, and eliminate anything that does |
| comfortably place a monitor and keyboard. Old | | | | not fit that profile. |
| wooden office chairs are not ergonomic and one | | | | |