Sharon's Collectibles
& MoreSharon's Collectibles
& More
411 S. 18th St., Bismarck, ND 58504
(701)222-2034
News Organization: Associated Press
Article Title: Antique Craze Taking Hold in North Dakota
Date: Sunday, February 20, 2000
By: John Hoffner, Associated Press Writer
BISMARCK, N.D. - Wanted: lunch boxes, gas pumps, pottery, water cans, cream cans, spark plugs. Will pay top dollar.
Antique collecting is going strong in North Dakota, thanks to Internet auctions and a desire of people to recapture the past.
"It's just skyrocketed. Everybody wants a piece," said Sharon Balkowitsch, who sells antiques with her son on the popular Internet auction site, eBay. "The whole world has gone crazy for this stuff."
The craze seems to have made antiques out of just about everything from the past. Dealers say lunch boxes featuring 1980s television shows sell for several hundred dollars.
Stained-glass windows can fetch $2,000. The price tag on rare "Star Wars" toys can exceed $1000.00.
Internet auctions have played a big role in antique collecting changes. Small stores that used to rely on customers in their neighborhoods can post collectibles online and sell them within minutes to people worldwide.
"The world is looking at it, not just Bismarck," Balkowitsch said.
Customers can now do their collecting via computer, and dealers who used to rent space in antique stores are going online.
Balkowitsch said antique dealers who are hesitant to go online will not survive.
She and her son, Shane, have sold over 3,000 items on the Net, and they were recognized by Time magazine last year for having one of the most successful eBay businesses in the Upper Midwest.
"There are some jealousies now because (dealers) have been in business for 20 years and I'm outdoing them," she said.
Balkowitsch said North Dakota especially can gain from growing antique business because collectors from the East and West Coasts put on premium on items from rural states.
News Organization: Associated Press
Article Title: Mother, Son Business Team Honored by Time
Date: Monday, December 28, 1999
A mother and son team is being recognized by Time magazine for having one of the most successful small businesses in the Upper Midwest on the auction internet site eBay.
Sharon Balkowitsch owns Sharon's Collectibles and More, which sells antiques.
"It's just astronomical how much we've grown," Sharon said, speaking of the changes the business has gone through since going on the Internet.
Sharon combs estate auctions, flea markets and other antique shops to find items to sell. Her son takes care of the computer part of the business.
They work at the business part time, and Sharon says business has been so good that she's thinking of hiring help.
The Associated Press made both these articles available to local and national news organizations.