Why Ma'Questers Antiques Has A Website
Posted by Dawn F., Ma' Questers Antiques on Jan 25th 2024
I Love Antiques!
Hi. My name is Dawn, and I founded Ma' Questers Antiques. I am also a vendor/dealer with space inside Holly Antiques in Oakland County, Michigan. It is rare for antique dealers to launch e-commerce sites. Most dealers rent space inside a store and supplement marketing and sales through Facebook Marketplace and eBay. I do those things, too, but I have chosen to go further and launch an e-commerce site. As I started working on this site, many of my antique peers have asked me why I have elected to take this extra, perhaps sunken cost, step. The reason is simple: I love antiques!
I Am Building a Brand!
I am not in this business to make money (ssh.... don't tell my husband). I am in this business to grow my antique knowledge, hunt high-quality antiques, and sell them to collectors who love antiques as much as I do. Do not get me wrong, profit is not a bad word, and I want to make one. But, my higher goal is to build a brand centered around high-quality antiques. Over time, I desire to become a brand that the most avid collectors in the United States are aware of, and I do not believe you can build a brand through local Facebook posts or eBay. A brand needs a home base, and MaQuestersAntiques.com is my home base.
I Have Some Unique Items!
I also purchase some unique items for resell. Some are rare finds, requiring the right buyer to recognize their worth. Often, it is hard to sell these items from one store in one region of the United States. For example, I have a platter from the 1800s priced at $185. I love the small town of Holly and its beautiful residents, but most would look at a platter priced at $185 and think I have lost my mind. However, this particular platter is from the early 1800s and was made by Wiliam Taylor Copeland in the Royal Copeland manufacturing facility that made items mainly for the Prince of Wales. These platters are rare finds and typically resale between $575 and $1,450. While many who peruse Holly Antiques may think a $185 platter is outrageous, I am hoping an avid Royal Copeland collector will do a search engine search, find Ma' Questers, and feel I am crazy for selling this platter for only $185!
I Am A Marketer!
My corporate career started and grew through brand and product marketing. I believe in the power of search to bring awareness to items. And I am aware that a visit to a site often brings visits to several pages. Deep exploration of items is what it takes to understand me as a re-seller, and the more I am understood, the more my brand is understood, and the more visitors will talk to others about Ma' Questers. It all starts with a small website to compliment a booth in Holly Antiques. I am writing this post on January 25th, 2024, with less than 100 items out of my thousands in the store displayed on the site. Bear with me; I promise this site will grow. It takes time to take pictures of items and get them posted. We will get there. Keep checking back.