Melanie Alexander

To start off the new year, I would like to say hello to everyone new and share a few reminders about how things work around here at Lost & Found :) My name is Melanie, and I’ve been selling antiques and vintage decor for 12 years now. I love sourcing unique items that may be that “just right” treasure you’ve been looking for. I do my best to make shopping with me easy and professional. Here are the main ways I make items available: ⭐️ Shop with me 24/7 in my online store, LostandFoundVintageShop.com. I accept all major credit cards as well as PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Meta Pay, and Google Pay. I also offer flat rate shipping of $5.99. When you shop in my online store, you get automated order confirmation emails with your tracking number, so you can keep an eye on your package. You can also create an account if you like so all your info is saved for super-fast checkout. ⭐️Shop my IG store, where you will find the same inventory as I have listed in my online shop. The only difference between shopping on IG and in my online store is that local pickup is not available when checking out through the IG shop. ⭐️ I will also host occasional square sales, flat lay sales, and live sales, mostly with items not yet listed in my online store. If you would like to know when those happen, comment below and I’ll add you to the tag list so you’ll never miss a sale! ⭐️ Lastly, if you’re local to #northwestarkansas you can shop with me at my booth space inside @gatheredgoodsnwa Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have a question for need help finding that special something! Thank you! #igvintageseller #igvintageshop #howtoshop #lostandfounddecor #virtualpopupshop #vintagedecor

The top lessons I’ve learned from 12 years as an antique booth owner… 👉🏻 Location matters. A good booth won’t survive a bad mall. 👉🏻 You don’t need as much inventory as you think you do. Too much inventory is a path to less money in your pocket. 👉🏻 Don’t be the cheap booth. Price your items for shoppers, not pickers. 👉🏻 Brand your booth. Give it an identity so customers can remember who you are and what you have to offer. 👉🏻 Take charge of your own advertising. Don’t rely just on the mall to get the word out about your items. 👉🏻 Use your booth as a platform for more revenue streams. Interior decorating, custom shopping, selling online, leading a flea market trip… lots of other ways you can generate revenue. Was this helpful? If so, I’ve got a ton more free info about running an antique booth business over on my blog. Or comment YouTube and I’ll dm you a link to my playlist of videos just for booth owners and vintage sellers! Save this for reference later and tag a friend who need help with their booth biz! #lostandfounddecor #antiqueboothdisplay #antiquebooth #vintagebooth #antiqueboothtips

2 super snuggly vintage quilts landed yesterday in the online shop 😍 If you’re looking for a unique gift idea for a vintage-lover or just wanna treat yourself to a cozy cuddle by the fireplace, these are both in usable condition and ready to be loved 🤗 🦋 Shoo Fly Vintage Quilt 🎁 Sampler Heavy Winter Vintage Quilt $5.99 flat rate shipping to all US addresses, ready to ship now! LostandFoundVintageShop.com #vintagequilt #vintagequiltforsale #antiquequilt #antiquequiltsforsale #fleamarketstyle #fleamarketdecor #cozyquilt #quiltcollector #quiltsmakemehappy

Starting a business sounds so sexy and glamorous. It’s easy to think that you will instantly make piles of cash and grow like crazy. Then when you don’t, that’s when the “this doesn’t work” talk starts. But here’s the truth—starting and antique booth or vintage resale business is not an instant path to riches. Nothing works that way. Building a solid business takes time, years in fact. So you have to be patient and understand that the start is just that—the START. My first booth was tiny—the size of a jacuzzi bathtub. It produced maybe $50-$100 of profit a month. But I used that to save up, and after a year invested in more inventory and a bigger booth space. Then a year later, I bought into a product line that generated more sales. Then I opened a second booth, then an online store, and then bought another product line. Then 7 years after I first started, I opened my own brick and mortar store. It took SEVEN YEARS to get that far! If you chase sales and only sales at the start, you will likely miss out on the real purpose of what starting a business is. If $50 a month for a year isn’t worth it to you, you will never get to the $3000 or $5000 a month, or whatever you goal is. It’s never gonna be huge at the start (unless you have a 1 in a million kinda luck), but with a plan and consistent effort, it CAN grow over time. Tired of chasing sales and ready to actually build a business? I can help :) Comment GET HELP and I’ll dm you 3 ways you can learn with me 🤗 #antiquebooth #antiqueboothdisplay #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #resellerlife #vintagereseller #mompreneur

Patience & Intentional Waiting. When my booth location had to suddenly close back in May (a tornado hit the building 😫), one of my most steady revenue streams went down the drain. The summer was financially slim, to say the least. I found a temporary place to sell my paint line, but the sales were a tiny fraction of what they usually are. And I got on the waiting list at another mall, but everything stayed full. Then, when I was able to get a space at a great mall that was reopening (also hit by said tornado), that opening was delayed by almost a month because of some bureaucratic issues with the city. I missed the busiest sales month of the year. So yeah, I’ve had to be patient. So much out of my control. So many things that just weren’t in the cards. Business is like that—it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes you have to slow down and just walk the darn thing. That doesn’t mean failure. It’s just an adjustment. I’m grateful for my other revenue streams that kept my paycheck coming—which is the #2 lesson for the year! If you are looking for steady income as a reseller, multiple revenue streams are key. So let’s see what 2025 holds! Hopefully less chances to develop patience 😂 #smallbusiness #antiquebooth #boothowner #mompreneur

I filmed this short YouTube video 2 years ago, showing the way my mom taught me to add lights to my tree. It’s by FAR my most popular ever video and goes viral each holiday season, so crazy! 😅 If you wanna have the most twinkly tree ever, comment VIDEO and I’ll dm you the link :) #christmastree #christmaslights #howtolightachristmastree

This is how my crew does pictures 😂 Happy Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for!

This summer was the first time in 12 years I haven’t had a physical retail location… and I missed it terribly 😢 I was so excited to grab a spot at the reopening @somewhereintime.rogers_ar, only to have it be delayed almost a month due to some city code issues. All this Christmas goodness has been waiting for weeks… and the day is finally here when the store can reopen and welcome in shoppers 🤗 This Friday the store will be open from 9-7, and again for extended hours on Small Business Saturday. 🥳 It’s been a HUGE effort by so many people, and I am so grateful for the chance to sell treasures again locally here in #northwestarkansas. If you’re local, I hope you can stop by this weekend to support the reopening of this fantastic shop! #antiqueshop #antiquebooth #fleamarketdecor #vintagestore

It got cold here yesterday 🥶 Snuggle time is here! And to help with that, 2 vintage quilts are coming soon to the online shop 🤗 #vintagequilt #quiltlove #antiquequilt #cozyroom

It’s amazing how stuff still in bags and totes in your garage won’t sell 😂 Yall wanna know why I haven’t listed this amazing vintage Christmas tablecloth yet? Because I didn’t wanna iron it 🤦🏼‍♀️ I mean, ironing is the WORST. But still, I need to get my act together. So this is your reminder to spend some time this week listing or tagging that back inventory! No more doom pile by the end of 2024 👊 🌟 Want or need more help with your vintage resale business? I have 3 private Coaching spots left for 2024. Just let me know if you’re interested and I can send you the details 🤗 #doompiles #antiquedealer #boothselling #vintagereseller

Homemaking is way to create a place of refreshment, beauty, and peace for your family and for anyone else who visits. I DO believe anyone can create a home that’s beautiful, unique, welcoming, tells a story, cozy, and doesn’t break the bank—with VINTAGE and FOUND decor 🤗 It’s time to drop shopping from the chain stores and instead curate your own special space with things you love and wanna share with others ❤️ #mycollecteddecor #blameitonmyvintageheart #fleamarketdecor #fleamarketstyle #vintagedecorating

I think I need to get me some of that Nuga-Tone 😂😂 Just goes to show… advertising hasn’t changed in a 100 years 🫠 This fantastic book is also available now in the online shop! #antiquebooks #vintagedecor #antiqueadvertising