I got to thinking this morning why the price of glass, china, hutches, dining tables, etc. has fallen so drastically.  Could it have to do with more than just the economy?  Could it actually be a lifestyle change of the average American?

If people do not have dinner together; if they no longer formally entertain; if the dining room has become a forgotten room, would this affect the price of anything that goes into that room?  I rather think the answer would be yes.

It makes one wonder about how the change in lifestyle will change the world of antiques and collectibles.

Great point, Daye. I think prices on these items are under pressure because of incredibly low-priced foreign imports of new glass, china, furniture, etc. + housing crisis + online sales + lifestyle changes. Supply dramatically exceeds demand. Check out ebay prices--some people are giving these things away. And it's not only dining room stuff--living room, bedroom, any room stuff is falling just as dramatically. The online world, of which we, gratefully, are very much a part, has allowed everyone to see just how much antique merchandise there is for sale. Only way out is to gravitate to the high end. High end antiques are selling at all-time highs--every high end auction worldwide is blowing away pre-sale auction estimates.

Don't you think though that people who enjoy antiques still enjoy them? Why would that change with low-priced imports? Not that the answer would be important but I was just pondering whether the changing American Lifestyle has affected the antiques and collectibles industry more than we realize and that it may not recover, at least in our lifetime.

I agree with your answer to the current problem. I would say that many people's response would be - but I do not have the cash to buy the high end stuff. Wouldn't you say though that it comes in steps?

I would assume that first you have to "know" your area and then with each sale you re-invest so that you get to the point where you have the cash.

I think people have been buying the "look" above the authenticity. Now they even have rusty and distressed paint items from China. I try to find stuff that is cooler and stronger than the faked items. It is always more the item than the price.

As we are all in constant "hunt" mode, I'm still trying to get a handle on buying the right things at the right price point and also upping the level of items that we have. And maybe that is a big part of it - it is what something "looks" like, not how it is constructed.

Even as a kid I was curious about what dishes people ate from. Have endless glass tableware and dinnerware. Just buy and stash cause it is so cheap. Yesterday bought a 56 pc set of 70's Picard china for $37. Have no use for it, could not leave in the store at that price.
I don't think this stuff will ever come back. Young people want something fresh and new. A friend of mine tried to give away a huge set of the Staffordshire bi-centenial blue dinnerware to a young couple. They looked at her like she was from a time warp. I gave a nice antique set of china to a friend a few years ago and when I went to Christmas dinner she used mismatched crap saying she had not nice china. I reminded her I had gifted her a set....."Oh...I forgot"
Fine china to the grave for me I guess.

Sounds like a set I gifted my sister. She chipped the gravy boat the first time she used it and was like Oh Well...no biggy. I would have kept it if I had known that she really did not care.

I keep hoping it will come back but maybe you are right Rick. No one sits down to a formal dinner anymore except maybe Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas but even then, a lot of people are watching football and eating on the couch.

How sad that people no longer do fine entertaining - they are missing one of the gracious aspects of life (sigh)

I was so proud of my daughters. They wanted to have a garden dinner party before Prom. They set the table with all of our white Franciscan Coronado dinnerware, green ivy and garden tea lights. My girls joyfully shared with their dinner guests which serving dishes came from thrift stores, or were a "lucky finds". Soon the dinner topics for these 15-18 year olds evolved from dinner ware,thrifts stores finds, Amercian Pickers, Storage Wars and values of various items to college students paying their way though college by selling on eBAy. A little knowledge goes a long way. It was refreshing to see young people get excited about antiques :)

That is absolutely so cool Kira! I was thinking that I should have a formal dinner for friends. I think it would blow them away :)

I think that many Dealers are missing the opportunity to see what the current antique trends are, esp with so many people blogging about and other social media sites. Even in this industry, there will be trends and changes.

Currently, one hot trend is mid-century, which seems to be very appealing to the younger millennial generation.

Sometimes, I stop and chat with dealers who I see have some of this type of merchandise in their booth/case...I ask them if they notice if it's been selling well and they say "yes"...but, they {the dealer} still keep their focus on the glass and other dishware, brown hutches, etc. that continue to sit around for perpetual time...I speculate that it's because it's what they have always sold.

Good point Pamela. There are trends in this industry and we need to be paying attention to those trends. I think part of the reason a lot of people stay with what they have always sold is because we tend to buy what we like. So, to begin dealing more in mid-century collectibles we have to change and that is not always easy.
I know for us, we sell a lot of mid-century collectibles even though I prefer antiques. So, we mix it up between the two and that seems to have been a winning combination for us.

keep changing with the times as the previous collecters have homes full of the stuff they love, no room for more, they are down sizing so more of that oak and walnut era stuff is comming on to the market, which the next generation has NO warm and fuzzy thought of they have warm and fuzzy thoughts of the stuff grandma and pa had 1950-60-70's stuff or there childhood not mom and dads child hood. it is all supply and demand, some of the earlier stuff has come down in price so it is interesting to the younger crowd just as usuable furniture and items
Craig Phillips
B & C Emporium antiques and original hardware
http://www.b-c-e.biz
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BandCEmporium

I guess like any business it morphs. Need to be attentive to what is going on within the industry.