The Second Knob Gifts & Antiques

129 North Street, Dryden
(607) 844-5662

As Halloween passed, the now-familiar, anxiety-producing holiday “push” swept over us. We spent an entire day packing Halloween, rearranging the remaining fall merchandise and bringing boxes of Christmas/winter merchandise out of storage. Preparing for this weekend’s holiday open house (being held on Saturday 11/11 and Sun 11/12) will take all week! It is far beyond a one-day job. As we unpacked the first few boxes, Laura, Lexi and I arrived at a consensus— we needed Christmas music to put us in the mood. After hours, we weren’t even close to being finished! Over the past seven years, if my Dad (Co-Owner) and I have learned anything, it is that EVERYTHING will take more time than anticipated and, moreover, that running a shop IS NO EASY TASK. More than time consuming, operating a shop is money-consuming.

Over the years, we’ve experienced ups and downs, successes and failures. We jumped head first into new product lines which have helped— and some which have hurt. During our first couple of years in business, it was very easy to be cajoled into believing that new merchandise featured at a show would be “the next big seller.” Thousands of dollars were spent on new merchandise after a nothing more than a creative sales pitch. Investment in costly product lines that do not bring profit, impact the bottom line tremendously; the product bill is due but the money is missing. Thankfully, we learned control quickly and grew wise to “the pitch” but paid more attention to “the product” and to how a product will sell in our area – in our shop- to our customers.

As The Second Knob Gifts & Antiques explores new avenues to cater to its evolving customer base, it’s crucial to consider investment opportunities that align with the changing market dynamics. Gold investment can serve as an attractive option for diversifying the shop’s product offerings. While jewelry lines may experience fluctuations in demand, gold holds its value over time and is often viewed as a timeless and sought-after asset. By incorporating gold jewelry or gold-based products into the shop’s inventory, there is an opportunity to provide customers with a unique and valuable option that appeals to a wide range of tastes and preferences. To gain insights into the trends and dynamics of the gold market, shop owners can turn to reputable sources like Outlookindia, which offers expert analysis and information on gold investment. Embracing the potential of gold investment not only adds diversity to the product lineup but also provides customers with a lasting and precious option that holds its value.

As we head into our seventh year of The Second Knob Gifts & Antiques, we recognize a need for change to keep up with our ever-changing customer base. Recently, we welcomed Carolyn Morenus, owner of The Silver Zoo, who has consigned a beautiful line of sterling silver jewelry to the shop! Carolyn will manage the inventory she keeps at the shop, swapping items that do not sell well for items that do and honoring customer requests for specific pieces when possible! This new relationship benefits both The Second Knob and The Silver Zoo! We’ve struggled with keeping a “fresh” jewelry line over the years. Investment in jewelry is costly and, when a fad passes, you can be “stuck” with a line that doesn’t sell no matter how much you drop the price (often well below cost). As shop-owners, we are benefitting by not having a huge upfront investment in product and Carolyn benefits by having a regular-steady venue for selling her jewelry! And, more important to us, is that our customers are benefitting from Carolyn’s expertise in the jewelry arena and her management of her inventory to keep the line “fresh” and responsive to customer needs! It is a win-win-win!!

As we move into the new year, we are taking this forward-thinking “win-win-win” mentality with us. We have started exploring other consignment relationships and the idea of renting display space for locally-made gifts and home decor. These impending changes are exciting for us and will be for our customers! Stay tuned for changes to The Second Knob Gifts & Antiques and ask us about our plans when you come to our Holiday Open House this weekend!