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.