Well, why not?! Here’s five reasons why it’s a great choice for any home!

1. Uniqueness

   Most vintage items are singular finds. Each vintage item has lived a separate life, and because of that, most of the time, even if it was mass produced at some point, it’s unique circumstances have made it one of a kind. When adding vintage to a space, you’re adding an element that can’t be replicated easily. These add interest and depth to a space, as well as telling a story.  This is especially true with family heirlooms, things acquired in places that are special to us, or pieces that were just lucky finds.

2. Quality 

In a throwaway society, quality is available, but it is not always accessible on the average budget. Common things used to be built to last and to be enjoyed for many years and often many generations. Because these items are made this way, vintage is easy to maintain- and sometimes even gets better with age

3. Good for the planet

This seems like a no-brainer but it’s a big deal. The less demand for new items, the fewer resources used in manufacturing and transporting them. The less disposable goods we use, the less goes into landfills. That’s good for all of us, and future generations.

4. Fun to shop for

With sites like eBay and Etsy and Chairish and so many more, it’s easy to look for very specific pieces and find something that exactly fits the bill. The range in pricing also makes certain styles much more accessible for whatever budget you dealing with. If you enjoy shopping in person, what could be more fun than digging through local antique malls and flea markets and eclectic shops with vintage inventory? And then there’s the thrill of finding just the perfect thing- pure adrenaline! 

5. Supporting small businesses 

This is definitely another feel good aspect of purchasing vintage. Most businesses selling vintage are small businesses, run by a family or an individual. If you go the thrift store route, a lot of those support nonprofits. Your purchase makes a much larger impact for these sellers than for mass retailers. Everyone loves charming mom and pop shops. We all complain when areas become filled with chain stores, but without the community support, financially, this is a predictable outcome. Vintage stores are no exception.

I’d love to hear the reasons why you  sometimes choose vintage, please share in the comments!

  Today my mind is on my vintage clothing sales. I ran down to the shop this morning to swap out some inventory. I tend to pack my clothing racks a bit too much! What I’m doing now is making sure I only have a certain amount of hangers and then swapping out new inventory to the amount of empty hangers or items I need to bring home and put online. 

  I’ve set up a clearance eBay account that I use as a “last chance“ inventory dump. I list stuff at the price I paid for it plus shipping and a small handling fee to cover materials and fees that I have to pay to eBay. It’s an attempt not to take a loss on an item. Most of the time stuff does sell but after it’s been up a month, if there’s still no interest, it gets donated.

  The clothing inventory I have in the shop is not online so when I do swap things out, I list them on Etsy first. I love the shop dressing room lighting so I usually snap a few pictures there and it ends up being less editing for me later. After a month on Etsy, it goes to eBay.

  I find that creating a cycle helps me keep my inventory fresh no matter the platform or place that it is. It also takes the guesswork, about where something will sell, out of it because there are multiple opportunities lined up. I think I need to figure out where Mercari or Depop could fit into all this. If you have experience with vintage clothing on either one of these sites, I would really love to hear about it. I dipped my toe in Depop and didn’t have much success but it was never my focus so that probably has something to do with it.

Friday, September 28th~ 

My stressful mess...

This is what an eBay week looks like. It drives me nuts for my business stuff to overflow and get all over the house, but really this house is way too small to run any sort of business out of. Hopefully most of this pile will sell. I've decided not to buy or shop for any more inventory until I get my living spaces back. 

The sad thing is if I let go of all the baby stuff, I'd have room. I'm worried that as soon as I do though, something will happen that we would need it. Maybe that's wishful thinking. When we got all that stuff, we got really good quality because we expected to use it for more than just one baby. =(

Wednesday, September 19th~ Not sleeping well lately. I just wake up every hour. After 4 am, every time I wake up, my mind starts racing and I have a horrid time going back to sleep. I've always struggled with sleep and I think that's exacerbated by caffeine later in the day and just being under a lot of stress. 

Here's some of the stuff I've got listed on eBay at the moment: 

White party GAP dress

Vintage bamboo print halter top

My prized embroidered jacket, I can't believe I'm selling this!

Blue peasant top

Children's Chinese Prince outfit

Another favorite I really don't want to sell- padded Asian brocade jacket

Peacock top

Red Chinoserie jacket- this one you have to go to the auction to see the amazing embroidery on this- pagodas, geishas, birds, oh, my!

9/9/2012~ There's nothing like being at another church to make you miss your own! I have a bunch of random thoughts along those lines. The day was full- baptism, birthday, group, etc., also eBay photographing and listing, oddly enough...

Auction starts 9/16

Auction starts 9/16

Floral one piece- new!

Retro one piece- new with tags!

Children's Chinese Outfit

Thai caftan top

Thursday, September 6, 2012~

   Feeling better today. The day started rough, I won't lie, but after Julian got over his snit this morning, things vastly improved. My Thursday morning group at church started up again. I'm part of a "guinea pig" group this time around. We're doing Warren Wiersbe's study on the book of John and that's not unusual. The part that's different is that it's a small group that requires each member to set a weekly personal goal and a goal that requires us to go above and beyond our usual habits. We're also committing to monthly service projects for our community. There's a high level of accountability within the group. I've mentioned before that I'm pretty burnt out on long book studies so this is a great fit for where I am and where my heart has always been.
   I left as soon as we'd finished so I could get up to Tampa. I do love seeing my former co-workers at Family First. It's been 4 years since I worked there and I still think about them and the programs all the time. I don't know when I'll go back to work full time, but it's a little dream of mine to be able to work there again. Anyway, I had lunch with my dear friend Amy. We had such encouraging conversation. It really made my week!
   Tomorrow I've got a fun morning and afternoon planned with another good friend. We're headed to St. Pete. I think Jason is craving Delco's so we may end up there too. What a good way to finish this week of ups and downs! 

Getting a better feel for the new camera. I'm excited to have a lot to list on eBay this weekend!

Vintage Squirrel bookends

   My in-laws are preparing to move out of the home they've lived in for almost 20 years. We went over this afternoon to get some plants and see if we wanted anything before it goes out at the next garage sale. I ended up with some nice textile items.

   I hope we never have to move. I have way too much stuff! I am trying to sell some things and have stopped adding to certain collections, but it seems like every item I sell gets replaces by 3 other items. Right now I'm trying to put more up on eBay and I've got a few larger things to go on Craigslist. Etsy is a little slower going but I am able to sell a few things a week on there. I think I need to start planning a yard sale April/May. I really need to get control of things again.