I love to go treasure hunting! I mean really, who doesn't? That love of the hunt is how CocoaTea By The Sea was born....
As a child I grew up in Philadelphia. My parents taught me early on the joys of bargain hunting. My mom especially was always on the lookout for a yard sale or flea market and we stopped at everyone we saw. She worked at an auction house and our family sold at flea markets on the weekend. So my childhood was made up of these things. Auctions, yard sales, thrift shops, church bazaars, and flea markets were my playgrounds. I was always surrounded by old things, antiques, expensive things, cheap things, broken things, things with a history, a story to tell. My weekends were a total immersion into the world of vintage, an education that you cannot get in school.
I was also lucky enough to be surrounded by people who have a deep knowledge of those histories and stories and loved to share that information. I was able to learn from them directly but also by osmosis as well. Just being in these places and hearing names, terms, phrases, values etc, I didn't realize until years later how much of it had really sunk in and I still call on it to this day.
So like I said many of my weekends as a child were spent either shopping at or selling at flea markets. I always loved treasure hunting and collecting. My collections have changed over the years but my enjoyment of it has not. As an adult I still frequented the markets and yard sales to find my next new treasure. I'm always on the hunt for that cool, unique thing that I just can't live without.
Having my own business and selling pieces myself was never something that I had really considered. I had a normal, boring nine to five job until my first daughter was born. After her birth I found myself a stay at home mom. As the years passed and the children multiplied, three altogether now, I started thinking of ways to work from home, I wanted to do something for myself. As all moms know, it's so easy to get wrapped up in taking care of everyone else and forget about your own needs. I decided it was time for me to do something on my own. It dawned on me that maybe I could open an Etsy shop to sell some of the items that I have around my house. My life's path has taken us to live in South Florida. The beautiful climate is perfect for yard saleing and flea marketing year round! I had so many items that I had purchased because I loved them but they didn't really fit anywhere in my home or life. My brain works like this. I see it, I love it , I gotta have it. If I like it then it must be mine. But.... that leads to a lot of stuffed closets and overflow in a house with children (there's three, remember?!), a husband, a cat and dog. We need as much space as possible, so when I started to think about getting into something for me it seemed like a natural fit for me to sell my home goods.
Well it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I get to spend time with my kids and my family. I get to go treasure hunting. I get to buy those treasures and then pass them onto the next person who will love and cherish them and who (hopefully) will have space to put them. My shop has expanded to include home goods, dollhouse and miniatures, craft items, artwork, linens, etc. Anything that piques my interest has a place in my shop.
So please take a look around CocoaTea By The Sea. New items are added on a regular basis and if you take the time to dig around you are bound to find the Next Thing That You Just Can't Live Without!!!
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