Celebration musings
It is fair to say that a considerable amount of my time today is being taken up with birthday celebrations, in fact this is being written in what is a small hiatus. Birthdays are just another day but we attribute great significance to this anniversary of our births and likewise those of people close to us. I consider myself blessed – I have a family that is cohesive and friends who honour me with that friendship. I may not have a perfect life, but I have a life that is fulfilling and comfortable.
My retirement earlier in the year saw the end of a career but also the opportunity to perhaps follow my heart rather than my head. I left a job that paid well – very well by some measures and at 69 re-invested energy into two interests – photography and antiques. After a short gestation Auld Curiosities was born amid a world fighting the biggest pandemic since 1919, so no expectations of immediate success. At first I was preoccupied with creating a photographic signature that would separate Auld Curiosities from other similar ecommerce sites. Once that was underway attention moved to deciding what to say about each item – trying to find a balance between brevity and loquaciousness. eCommerce is certainly about sales and I like any other business owner would like to see a return, but I have always enjoyed the research of items as much as selling them. So brevity wasn’t for me, no matter how much it speeded up the process of selling. I am content to slowly build a presence in this little corner of the World Wide Web and enjoy the process as much as the results. But is any business owner/promoter ever quite ready for the work involved in trying to demystify and negotiate the demands of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – oh my goodness it is as much a demand as the rest of business needs put together. It is no wonder businesses have sprung up to manage this aspect, for ecommerce sites that can afford the outlay. Doing it myself has been a learning curve that I can only equate to trying to get a boisterous puppy to see that you are there when it gets distracted by so much other stimuli. Then again, who doesn’t enjoy rising to a challenge and the website insights suggest that steady progress is being made albeit slowly.
Much of the items we have to offer are bought through third party opportunities such as auctions, in fact I have my eye on a couple of pieces that will be auctioned tomorrow. For all that New Zealand is a small country, low in the South Pacific, and Dunedin is toward the lower end of the country, we still seem to be able to access a good range of antiques, collectables and curios. Perhaps it is the growing interest in waste reduction or perhaps a general realisation that modern day mass manufactured items don’t have the longevity that used to be the hallmark of quality, but it is certainly noticeable that auctions are attracting a growing audience and the bidding is more energised and competitive – it is a happy environment to be immersed in. Hopefully we are finding items with appeal to you our viewers, but please feel free to discuss any items that you would like us to look out for.
Kind regards
Bill
