Synopsis From Goodreads:
Whatever the American Dream once was, it now seems to be about making an Antiques Roadshow-worthy killing. Every weekend, thousands of us trawl cluttered flea-market tables of family heirlooms and rejects to search for the one thing that will establish our good taste and pay for junior's college diploma. Among those hunters is Curt Avery, the plucky antiques dealer at the center of Maureen Stanton's charming new book. Avery, a former high school wrestler who favors sneakers and shorts, doesn't quite fit the image of antiques connoisseur. Through his sometimes steep uphill learning experiences, Killer Stuff & Tons of Money guides us through this intensely competitive subculture.
Before this book, I never realized that flea marketing had it's very own subculture. I guess that should have been obvious, since everyone seems to have their own subculture, but it's not one I've ever thought of before. It's an oversite that I'm glad to have fixed. Maureen Stanton takes us into the lives of Curt Avery and his circle of friends and competitors. Before this book, I never realized that you could make a living off of buying and selling antiques, well outside of a store that is. It won't be a career I'll be starting anytime soon, but I will be watching all those antique shows with a new interest.
What I found to be the most interesting was the way antiques can keep passing through dealers hands, raising in price for years. Sometimes these things never see the home of a collector, they just keep getting passed around. The idea makes me sad a little bit, I think most of these things deserve to be in a home where they will be displayed and cherished.
One of these days I want to visit the large outdoor flea markets that Curt and his friends haunt, year after year. I want to walk down the aisles, handle objects that have been cherished or used by someone long before I was born, and give a new home to a few of them.
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