Frequently asked questions.

Where do you get all of this stuff?

We have multiple vendors who rent space in the shop and sell items they’ve acquired through various sources (auctions, estate sales, etc).

Do you take donations?

Not really.

Because we’re not a non-profit organization, you’re unable to get a tax rebate for donating items to us. However, if you want to give us free stuff because you support the shop and have stuff to get rid of, we’ll take it assuming it’s something we’re able to resell.

I have stuff to sell. Will you buy it?

No.

Because we’re a group of many resellers, all of our vendors have their own sources for finding merchandise. However, one of our vendors is willing to buy unique vintage items if you contact her directly. Angie @ The Quaint Curio - (320) 493-6576

How can I become a vendor?

We currently have no openings for new vendors, but if you’d like to be added to our waitlist, please send a message to Amy at amy@brainerdmerc.com with your contact info and the type of items you sell.

Do you ship items?

It depends on which vendor is selling the item. Some vendors are definitely willing to ship their items. If you see something you’re interested in send us a message at sales@brainerdmerc.com and we can forward it to the vendor to determine if they’ll ship it.

Why aren’t you open more?

The simple answer is that we don’t have the staff. Unlike a lot of resale shops, we’re not a non-profit organization so we can’t rely on volunteers to help staff the shop. Some of our vendors do work a few days a month in the shop, but most of our vendors have regular jobs and aren’t able to commit their days on a regular basis to us. And being in the resale business requires a lot of time out on the road hunting down items to stock the shop with, so we need to make sure we’re still able to do that as well.

Is there “wiggle-room” on your prices?

In general, no.

Antique shops have a culture of customers negotiating the price of items. We’ve been trying to get away from that in favor of a model where we keep our prices reasonable enough that there won’t be a need for it. Some vendors are willing to give lower prices on larger/more expensive items depending on how long the item has been sitting in the shop and how badly they want it gone to make room for new items. If a customer makes an offer on a more expensive item, we might text the vendor and ask them depending on whether they allow for that or not,

We ask that our customers keep in mind the amount of labor that goes into curating the collection of cool stuff we have in the store. Everything you see sitting on the shelves had to be hunted down, purchased, transported, cleaned, possibly repaired, stored, priced, and arranged before you saw it. It’s a lot more work than most people realize. We hope our customers feel that our already reasonable prices are worth it.