Behind the scenes of the revaluation of the second hand

Behind each mottled object, there is not only a story, an era, and one could even speak of a soul. But to this is also added all the care taken so that this object has a second, even third, fourth... in short, a new life, with you!

Here are all the stages of a revaluation at the Ateliers de Minnie Valentine before the object arrives at your home:

FIND THE RARE PEARL
If you hunt like me, you know very well that nuggets don't come knocking at your door.... Like a buccaneer on his galleon, you have to go find them, like in a treasure hunt, with his only friend, his instinct.
I hunt everywhere, all the time. As soon as an opportunity arises: house clearance, recycling center, flea market, you name it! And we don't always come home with a bag full of nuggets. It is also all this time that hides behind the job of second-hand goods dealer.

CLEAN, RENOVATE, RESTORE
Sometimes (often?), we find objects in deplorable states. But behind all this grime, all this rust or the use of time, we are aware of its potential. The essential step is therefore to clean, renovate and/or restore these objects: a bronze chandelier that has rusted and gathered dust, a vase that has not seen its bottom cleaned for a long time, a ceramic that has a unfortunate brilliance but whose robustness and usefulness are not shaken.
Les Ateliers de Minnie Valentine is committed to repairing as best as possible and restoring all its splendor to our objects of yesteryear.

HIGHLIGHT
There is no secret, the goal is to show you that the object is as unique as you and that you project yourself with it to the point of having an irresistible desire to have it at home!
For this, nothing beats beautiful photos of the object staged in a bright setting, showing it in its most beautiful light (and reflecting its many qualities and faults... we are not going to lie to each other, these objects have had a life before you and are not new), in an aesthetic and refined environment.
And that takes time too!

CATALOG
Don't look at me with those big eyes... that's not a dirty word!
What do I mean by that? The object is thus referenced in my catalog of objects and it is at this time that I take the time to find out about the object in question and to describe it with accuracy and precision, to find its brand, its era if I have not already identified it, its history, but also define its value and its rarity in order to set a price for it.

TRANSPORT, STORE, PACK
Aaaaaah the logistics! The most undervalued point in our profession...
Of course, the objects do not transport themselves by the operation of the Holy Spirit to your home, in its simplest device. This one is already arriving at Les Ateliers de Minnie Valentine and we're not just talking about decoration... there's also furniture to bring back to the workshop! Once all the previous steps have been completed, the object is stored in our premises, then carefully packaged so that it arrives intact at your home. Time is money and all that does not make money. This is what is called in the jargon, a hidden cost (but then well hidden that one!).

So many stages which cannot be seen and which are very often underestimated. So the next time a professional second-hand dealer announces a price, think back to this article. ;)