ique
for your vintage side
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I
Contents
4
How to Haggle in Europe
Taking a hop over the pond soon? Learn how to get the most for your money in a new culture. The bazaars in Europe are worlds different than the flea markets in the US.
8
Made in West Germany
What began as a normal day in the pawn shop turned into a history adventure after one very unique antique came through the front doors of John Roberts’ store.
10
The Unexpected
With an open mind and a small budget a day at the markets can turn into hundred of dollars in your pocket.
16
Merchant’s Report
So you’re looking into starting your own flea market booth. We spoke with merchants worldwide to get you all of the vital details to have a successful time selling your junk.
22
World’s Greatest
In an exciting exploration around the globe, Ique magazine partners with The Travel Channel to find the 12 best bazaars, flea markets, and antique stores in the world.
31
Supersized Selling
This weekend, thousands of vendors will gather in Memphis, Tennessee as they always do on the third weekend, but they have some record-breaking goals in mind this time.
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I
HOW TO HAGGLE IN EUROPE by: Rick Steves
At Europe’s lively open-air markets and bazaars, bargaining for merchandise is the accepted and expected method of setting a price. Whether you’re looking for door knockers or hand-knitted sweaters, seize the chance to bargain like a native. It’s the only way to find a compromise between the wishful thinking of the seller and the souvenirdriven lust of the tourist. Bargaining can be fun if you learn how to haggle. Among many good markets where you can practice your skills are Amsterdam’s Waterlooplein, London’s Portobello Market, Paris’ Puces de St-Ouen, Madrid’s El Rastro, and the souk of Tangier in Morocco. Caution: Pickpockets enjoy flea markets as much as you so wear your money belt. Before making an offer, determine whether bargaining is appropriate. It’s bad shopping etiquette to make an offer for a tweed hat in a London department store, but it’s foolish not to at a Greek outdoor market. In Venice, Italy, walk away from knockoffs;
sellers and even buyers are subject to fines. To learn whether a price is fixed, show some interest in the item, but say, “It’s too much.” You’ve put the merchant in a position to make the first offer. If he comes down even 2%, haggle away. If prices aren’t posted, assume there’s a double standard: one price for locals and one for you. So it’s to your benefit to find out what the locals pay. I remember thinking I did well in Madrid’s flea market until I learned my Spanish friend bought the same shirt for 30% less. To avoid buyer’s remorse, decide what an item is worth to you before you begin to haggle. In determining the item’s value to you, consider the hassles of packing it or shipping it home. (If a merchant ships an item for you, take a picture of yourself with the item and merchant; it will help you get the item replaced in case it arrives in pieces.) When you’re interested in an item, look indifferent. Too much interest means you’ll never get the best price. Your job is to determine the merchant’s lowest price. Many merchants will settle for a small profit rather than lose the sale. Promise yourself that no matter how enticing the price becomes, you won’t cave in. Work the cost down to rock bottom, and walk away. That last price the
vendor shouts out as you turn away is likely the best price you’ll get. Work as a team with your spouse or a friend. While you bargain, your companion can act the part of naysayer, threatening to squash the deal. This trick can bring down the price faster. Obey the rules. Don’t hurry. Bargaining is rarely rushed. Show you are serious by taking the time to talk with the shopkeeper. Dealing directly with the owner can lower the price (because there’s no sales commission). If the price is right and you are ready to buy, show the merchant your money. Hold out the amount you are offering to pay for whatever you are haggling over. The seller will be tempted to take your money and say, “OK.” Prices can drop at the end of the day, when merchants are starting to pack up. Swoop in at closing time to snap up the real deals. If the price is too much, move on. Never worry about having taken too much of the merchant’s time. Vendors are experts at making the tourist feel guilty for not buying. It’s all part of the game. It’s true that you might find the same souvenirs in a large department store, with a firm price. But where’s the fun in that? Store shopping can be quicker and easier — but it’s never as memorable.
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I
Made in West Germany Germany’s history in the analog photography age of the 19th and 20th century is a bizarre one: Modern Germany’s existence began very slowly in 1816 when the German principality Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, home of the German author and scientist Goethe, launched the first Constitution of a country of the loose post-Napoleonean German Confederation. Through their constitutions the German principalities got elected parliaments, and their citizens got some rights. In 1835 the principalities were united economically in the German Customs Union. In 1848 the Germans established a real democracy with equal right for all citizens in their first national uprising since the German peasants’ war 324 years earlier, but freedom lasted for just one year.
The following conservative restoration period was the one when some of the mightiest German optical companies got established: Zeiss and Leitz, and Voigtländer moved from Austrian Vienna to the German Braunschweig. In 1871 the German Empire was revived, under a new, a protestant Prussian dynasty. Austria was excluded. New mighty photography companies emerged which were merged later into ICA. The tradition of citizen rights was further developed so that the German parliaments got political parties which lasted even through the democratic period from 1919 to 1932 that followed the breakdown of the Empire in WWI. The democratic period brought a new big merger in photo-optical industry,
Zeiss Ikon was formed, the name of the company showing that it was part of Zeiss’s mighty photo-optical industry network. New political parties came up, dangerous antidemocratic parties, the communists and the Nazis (“national socialists”). They got their chance to be elected during the Great Depression in the U.S. of 1929 to 1933 which swashed to Germany soon. In 1933 the Nazis got to power for twelve years, enough to help establishing Franco’s dictatorship over Spain, to apply inhuman anti-minority nazi ideology on Germany, to conquer large parts of Europe and little parts of North Africa for a few years, and to murder lots of innocent people in that temporary area of influence. After the war the Allied forces governed Germany for four years. In 1949 the western
occupation zones of France, Great Britain and the United States of America were united to form the Federal Republic of Germany which got a provisory real democratic Constitution which includes a catalogue of basic citizen rights including the right for everybody’s dignity. This is still the constitution of Germany. The eastern zone of Germany was occupied by forces of the Soviet Union. Thus it became the German Democratic Republic which wasn’t truly democratic. It was Stalinistic. An exception was the West of Berlin which was occupied by the western Allies. The most representative politicians of Germany were the West German economy minister and later Federal Chancellor Ludwig Erhard who established the concept of the social market economy in West Germany,
and the East German communist party leader Walter Ulbricht who built the Berlin Wall which divided Berlin into East and West as Germany was divided by the “iron curtain” during the “cold war”. Even Zeiss-Ikon was divided into its West German and East German partitions. East Germany managed to reach the highest level of concentration of its photooptical industry. Since sooner or later all namable companies in the socialist state became state-owned the whole bunch of East Germany’s “own” camera makers were merged into the state’s large “combinate” Pentacon. West Germany’s photo-optical industry got new companies after the war. The success of the good companies rose until the 1960s. Then the decline began, especially
because of the rising success of Japanese camera brands in Germany. The East German state ended after 40 years when a nonviolent popular uprising led to free democratic elections there. Then the elected East German parliament decided that the East German federal states should become parts of the Federal Republic. Then the last really big German photo-optical company Pentacon became the first victim of the infamous German “Treuhand” office which had to operate the sale of state-owned companies of the former East German republic. Only Zeiss and its glass maker Schott, Schneider, Rollei and Leica are the small core that lasted from the heydays of German photo-optical industry.
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I
The Unexpected I find that the most unexpected items in an antique store can be the most rewarding. A unique item like a porcelain mask opens countless opportunities for home decoration, photography, and crafting. When I venture out for a day of flea marketing, I never go with a plan. When you have something in mind that you’re looking for, you’ll never
find it, but if you’re just browsing and open to making a spontaneous purchase, the possibilities are endless. You can find items like a porcelain mask for less than five dollars and this one inexpensive item could turn into an award winning photography that could win you hundreds of dollars in return.
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I
POLAROID Family Tradition since 1948
letter from the editor Dear Reader, Thank you for taking time to pick up a copy of “ique” magazine. This publication is a random record of the chaotic and entertaining journey that happens each time one enters an antique store. There is no rhyme or reason to the things we find. Nature just finds a way of placing a unique item in the path of a unique shopper and from there, the possibilities are endless. My choice has been to write and research the random oddities I find. What will you do next time you go junkin’?
austin sandy photographer, editor
Next Month
a brief history of musical time
1963. compact cassette. 1895. gamaphone record.
1993. mp3.
1877. phonographic cylinder. 1930s. reel to reel.
1989. walkman.
enjoy.
ique magazine. march 2015. volume I, issue I