Retirement…still going to do it!

In January of this year, I announced I would be retiring in June of this year…final auction June 11-14.

I must admit I have been somewhat overwhelmed by the response! Most people wishing me all the best in my retirement…some joking that I just can’t retire!  Some flattering me by telling me I am too young to retire,  but that flattery isn’t going to work.

I opened my antique store in 1984 and in 1996 started doing live auctions, and then of course in 2020 started the online auctions.  So, I have been working in the antiques/auction business for 39 years now.  It’s time.

The online auctions have been very successful, but also incredibly demanding.  I tried spreading them out to very 5 or 6 weeks instead of 4 weeks…but they just got bigger!  It’s very hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

Naturally there are aspects of the online auctions I really enjoy, and of course some parts I don’t.  I think it’s obvious I enjoy doing the photos, but it becomes all encompassing. A 600 lot auction requires over 5000 photos, in order to do it at the level I want to.  I could work 7 days a week, and still not be caught up.  I have not been able to hire anyone to do the photos with me, so the entire business is run by myself and Rick Osborne, with my brother in law Gerry doing the shipping.  Rick is my right hand guy (and mother hen), and he has been invaluable to me, but it’s still a lot of work for both of us.

Many people ask if I have a plan…what am I going to do?  They tell me I am going to be bored and wish I was back working.  The truth is, I want to relax and enjoy the summer months of July and August. In my adult life I have never had the summer off.  I want to work around the house, visit with friends, take day trips, be part of family activities…do all the little things I have missed out on the last few years. It’s cliché but stop and smell the roses.

Come fall, maybe I will pursue some of the offers I’ve had.  Rick and I want to continue doing something in the antique business, but we are not sure what. We’ve worked well together the last several years, and have many contacts in the antique business, so I am sure we will follow up and do something.  I am not sure what, but that’s what makes it interesting….new chapters!

I realize my leaving is going to create a void in the market in my area, and that concern has been expressed to me many, many times since January.  I am sympathetic to my regular customers and consignors who have clearly stated they don’t know what they are going to do when I leave.  However, I have made the decision to retire and it is going to happen.  I will help and redirect people in any way I can after I leave, and I do have auctioneers I will recommend depending on what items are to be sold.  Wrapping things up with my long time customers and consignors,  certainly is the hardest part of deciding to retire.

So I will have more to write about as we get closer to the final auctions, and I will keep you informed!

Rob