Mode of Program Participation
Community Organizing and Educational Programming
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Power Sellers: Discovering History and Appalachia's Online Economy
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This presentation will highlight the success of two Appalachian women who have created an online retail sales business from years of yard sale, flea market, auction and estate sale finds in southern West Virginia. Appalachian people are known for keeping (collecting) everything for use in the future or because someone else might want it or just because it belonged to someone's Great-Grandmother. After years of "keeping" all of this stuff in closets, outbuildings & barn lofts, the items eventually get lost, forgotten and eventually sold by someone who can't figure out why it was kept to start with at one of the aforementioned sales. We have found a market for such "finds" through online power selling using platforms such as eBay, Etsy, Instagram and Facebook to name a few. These sites offer an international customer base for items that will be added to collections, used on movie sets, displayed in homes and even used in every day life, while carrying the history of Appalachia to the new owners. This method of "power selling" helps preserve the culture of Appalachia by providing an alternative to the mono-economy that plagues our region. It also ensures the continued preservation of Appalachian history by placing historic items with people or institutions that can recognize and utilize their value. This goes hand in hand with the discovery or rediscovery of historic information that would have otherwise been lost. In the backyards and barns of rural Appalachia, lies a wealth of opportunity to preserve and improve our region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Wendy Johnston is a farmer who holds a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science and who raised her three children with the support of her online sales of collectible and vintage items.
Rachel Anne Parsons was the owner and operator of a successful used book store in Princeton, WV. She now works alongside her mother, Wendy, running their co-owned online business, Dayfly Books and Collectibles.
Power Sellers: Discovering History and Appalachia's Online Economy
This presentation will highlight the success of two Appalachian women who have created an online retail sales business from years of yard sale, flea market, auction and estate sale finds in southern West Virginia. Appalachian people are known for keeping (collecting) everything for use in the future or because someone else might want it or just because it belonged to someone's Great-Grandmother. After years of "keeping" all of this stuff in closets, outbuildings & barn lofts, the items eventually get lost, forgotten and eventually sold by someone who can't figure out why it was kept to start with at one of the aforementioned sales. We have found a market for such "finds" through online power selling using platforms such as eBay, Etsy, Instagram and Facebook to name a few. These sites offer an international customer base for items that will be added to collections, used on movie sets, displayed in homes and even used in every day life, while carrying the history of Appalachia to the new owners. This method of "power selling" helps preserve the culture of Appalachia by providing an alternative to the mono-economy that plagues our region. It also ensures the continued preservation of Appalachian history by placing historic items with people or institutions that can recognize and utilize their value. This goes hand in hand with the discovery or rediscovery of historic information that would have otherwise been lost. In the backyards and barns of rural Appalachia, lies a wealth of opportunity to preserve and improve our region.
