Yes, the Store is Open! (Part 3!)

Guten Tag! (Just felt like saying hi in German!) Thanks for stopping by for another chapter in the chronicle of Shelley’s Vintage Life & Design!  

Last post led through the maze of paperwork, setting up bank and Paypal accounts, all that stuff. Done, store is open! So now is it time to kick back and relax, hard work over? Hardly – that was the easy part. However, the hard work part is also the part I love, so there you go. Not that the paperwork will stop, but anyhow. . . .

The green dress below was made by my Maternal Grandmother in the mid 1950's.

I have been collecting Vintage since I was in High School without realizing that’s what I was doing. I just bought things I loved. Turns out most of it was Vintage. It was in college when I really started wearing  redoing and re-purposing things I found.

Obviously I can’t speak for every purveyor of vintage, but when I find something fabulous, it’s just the beginning. If you’ve ever wondered why vintage items are so expensive, here’s the answer – in several parts! 

1)      Scarcity. If it’s vintage, it is something that won't be produced again. If it's very rare the normal rules of supply and demand apply. More established vendors will charge upwards of $200 for a 1950's dress in Very Good Condition. The older the item, the harder it is to come by. Finding anything older than the mid 80’s in mint condition almost never happens. 

2)      When I find something, it has to be very carefully looked over so I can see how much time I’m going to have to put into it before it’s saleable. I’m pretty picky and it has to be worth it. I can’t afford to spend a week working on one item.

3)      Once I own it, I clean and/or sanitize the item. After all, I usually don’t know the history of it (sometimes I get lucky and actually get to talk to the person I'm buying it from, but not often) and I won’t sell an item to someone that’s not in a condition I would use or wear it myself. This can be an extremely laborious task with vintage items – very rarely can they be thrown in the washing machine. I’m an expert at stain removal and can get stains out that most people just give up on, but it takes time and care. I use a lot of the same methods that the curators at Fashion Museums use.

4)      Often, there are repairs that have to be made. This is not always possible or desirable, some items are more valuable in “as is” condition with their scars apparent, but most of them need some work. This takes time and knowledge about a wide variety of things and restoration tactics and sometimes more research.

There you have it; this is why Vintage can be expensive. I (or any Vintage or Antique Dealer) not only shelled out for the initial purchase, we’ve invested a tremendous amount of time in the item as well. It’s a lot of work and the return on the time investment isn’t large for most of us, but it’s a labor of love. We do it because we love it. For me, it’s also a way of preserving the past and the Earth at the same time.

When it comes to provenance (the timeline of an item, where it was made, why, who owned it, basically as much detail as you can get) I am so into it. If someone buys one of my items, I want them to love it.  I want to tell the story of an item. I want to know everything I can about it. I love everything I buy, so selling it is kind of like losing a beloved friend. If I don't already know, I research everything obsessively. I want to know and I want you to know. I will look at fabric content and weave, stitching, catches on jewelry, maker’s marks and anything and everything else I can use to find out where and why an item was made, even though it’s not always possible. I research the company, find out when they started, where they did business, how they did business. I really want to know every detail. It is time consuming, but I feel like it’s an essential part of what I’m doing. I see my job, as a Vintage Shop Owner, as part conservationist, part environmentalist and part shop keeper. I am a firm believer in the whole “recycle, reuse, reduce” tagline. I see Vintage as a huge part of that.

 Now that I have the items and they’re in saleable condition, what next? Well, every item has to be photographed extensively. I won’t misrepresent an item and all flaws have to be carefully noted and photographed as well. I’ve photographed items myself, using my daughter and/or a dress form for clothing and various backgrounds for other items. It has to be done during the day, because natural light makes the photos much better.

  

 This compact was made by Stratton, a British company that still makes compacts, and was renowned for their high quality compacts in the 40's and 50's.  It is in Mint (or perfect) Condition, making it a rare find, thus, it's worth quite a bit more than some of the other compacts I have, even though many of them are older. It would be worth even more if it still have the puff and sifter, which it does not.

The best photos though, have been taken by a friend of mine, Richard Lim of Howell, Mi, in his studio. This means lining up models, sorting out outfits and accessories, hauling all the items and spending four or five hours getting the photos shot. Again, not a quick process, but they turn out great! I am really fortunate to have a couple of friends who are photographers and are willing to do this. Another friend, James Bradbury, is doing a photo shoot for me this next weekend and I’m sure those will turn out great as well!

Next step is a written description of each item including accurate measurements. Even if it has size tags attached, we all know how unreliable sizes are today, and they are even more so with vintage clothes. Which is why, if you are interested in vintage, you need to get your own measurements to compare with pieces you’re interested in if you can’t try them on.  Explanation on measuring for vintage fitting is on my website and Facebook page and anyone can contact me via email or Facebook with questions anytime!

The hat in this photo belonged to my Paternal Grandmother. She wore it in the 30's.

 

Not only do I need to describe the item accurately, I try to include information about the manufacturer where possible, as well as the condition and measurements. Then the description and the photographs have to be loaded into the site. This has to be done for each item and is also a fairly time consuming process.  It’s exciting though, to see the final listing go up!

That’s pretty much where I’m at right now. Adding inventory is a non-stop process, obviously. This week in addition to the ongoing repairs, restoration, measuring and descriptions, I’m getting things together for next weekends’ shoot and trying to get the marketing online. With an Etsy shop, or any online business, the key is exposure. The more people you can get to view your shop, the more sales you’ll get, especially for vintage. It takes the perfect person finding the perfect item, it’s kind of like a dating site – I’m a Vintage matchmaker!

So please, pass my website, blog, Facebook and twitter info around, the more the merrier!

Thanks for following along and Have a Vintage Day!

www.shelleysvintagelife.etsy.com

Facebook:  Shelley’s Vintage Life & Design

Twitter:  shelleysvintage

Store Open - Part 2!

Hello! Welcome back to the ongoing (although I am back-peddling a bit here) saga as I open and run my online vintage store!

First – if anyone wants to see the promised photos of Legally Blonde Costumes – here are the links. We were lucky to have some very talented photographers taking pictures! It was a great show, lots of fun, and lots of work. 

http://legallyblonde.seeyouthen.com/web_pages.php

So back to my store (after all, that is what this blog is about!)!

Step 2 - Research and planning. I started thinking about what I could do and how I would do it. I made notes and used a little bit of work time (not much, honestly, my conscience bothered me too much) when I should have been doing other things to look stuff up online.  Mostly I made notes about stuff I needed to look up when I wasn’t working. I read success stories, I researched people who’d made it work and I read everything I could find about starting a successful online business. 

This process jump-started a bit (I’m now looking at it as a plus, although I didn’t at the time) because I was working as a retail manager at the time and hurt my back, badly. I had to go on medical leave for several months. Turned out that my back was so messed up all of my doctors agreed I needed a different career. My physical limitations for a while gave me the perfect opportunity for spending hours online doing research and on the computer writing.

Step 3 – Choosing a name and filing paperwork with appropriate authorities. I am not a paperwork kind of gal, I freely admit. I hate it. Yet, the time I’ve spent in various business environments has made me realize that it has to be done and done right. I knew that I would be setting myself up for future problems if I didn’t go by the book.  I spent hours and hours reading regulations, both state and federal (and I still can’t figure out the tax code – GRRR!).

I spent quite a while thinking about names and it was frustrating when I came up with a great one and someone else had come up with it first  - which happened a lot. Whoever said there are no new ideas definitely knew what they were talking about, that’s for sure. I thought of original ones, bounced them off of a few people and Shelley’s Vintage Life & Design is what I ended up with. I’m happy with it. It’s not too complicated, pretty easy to remember and spell and it completely describes my business. My life is all about Vintage and Design. In fact, it’s a lot better than some of the early names I came up with that were already taken! So there you go, my business has a name – woo – hoo!

Filing out the paperwork wasn’t that bad. Once I figured out which direction I needed to go regarding company formation it was easy to download the forms. Then you just have to pay the money and file them with the state. So the easy part was almost over.

Step 4 – Finding an online provider. I spent some time thinking I was going to put up my own website and even bought a domain name. Then I realized how much time I was going to have to spend sitting at the computer figuring it all out. I could do it, no doubt, but I don’t want to. I hate doing it. I also hate sitting figuring out computer stuff for hours on end. So after a brilliant suggestion from a friend (thanks, Mel!), I decided to check out Etsy. I had looked at it before, but never spent much time there. Now I did.  They do a whole bunch of the work for you, (although I still have to do plenty), which makes it much more manageable for the non-computer brain. Thank goodness I didn’t go the solo route!

Setting up the Etsy and Paypal accounts was really easy. In fact, I was actually confused because I expected it to be much more complicated – which was a nice surprise!

Not too much work you may be thinking, not bad at all. You’re right, so far it’s not too bad. However, that’s only the bare bones of the operation set-up. Now it’s time to fill it out. There is so much more to do.  Inventory, which I already have an enormous amount of, has to be dealt with. It has to be catalogued, photographed and described in detail.  Not a quick process and that is where Part 2 is going to stop. I tend to just keep going and realize I’ve completely shifted gears when everyone else in the room is nodding. Did I mention I get a little obsessive at times?

At any rate, thanks for reading my blog and thanks for checking out my online store! I hope you find something you love, I really do. That is my goal and my passion.  I welcome any comments, questions and requests, please share your comments and thoughts!

I have been collecting Vintage since I was in High School without really knowing what I was doing. I just bought things I loved. Turns out most of it was Vintage and good stuff. I have good taste. No, I’m not tooting my own horn (ok, maybe just a little), just being honest.  I really do give the credit for it to my Grandmothers - both environment and a genetic predisposition for recognizing quality and style, it really does run in my family. 

When it comes to provenance (the timeline of an item, where it was made, why, who owned it, basically as much detail as you can get) I am so into it. If someone buys one of my items, I want them to love it.  I want to tell the story of an item. I want to know everything I can about it. I love everything I buy, so selling it is kind of like losing a beloved friend. I make it even harder for myself by researching each item obsessively. I will look at fabric, stitching, catches and/or hinges on jewelry, maker’s marks and anything and everything else I can use to find out where, when and why an item was made. I research the company, find out when they started, where they did business, how they did business. I really want to know every detail and getting all this info can be pretty time intensive, but that's just how I roll. : ) 

Sometimes I’m lucky and know or am able to speak with the person selling the item. That’s pretty rare and it’s a huge bonus! Usually I’m reduced to research, which, fortunately, I’m really good at and I enjoy. It is time consuming, but I feel like it’s an essential part of what I’m doing. I see my job, as a Vintage Shop Owner, as part conservationist, part environmentalist and part trades-person. I am a firm believer in the whole “recycle, reuse, reduce” tagline. I see Vintage as a huge part of that. 

So, if you're reading, thank you! Thanks for following my blog and thanks for checking out my store! Success or failure is ultimately going to come down to exposure, so please, find my page and like it on Facebook, visit my site and even if you don't find something that speaks to you keep checking back - it will have regular additions! Please pass it along to everyone you know - it's all about exposure!

Have a Vintage Day!

An Online Vintage Shop, really? Awesome!

Well, it’s finally here. My online store is open. Shelley’s Vintage Life & Design is real, not just in my head any longer. I am ecstatic and exhausted all at the same time, it’s been a long road getting there and I’m just starting – still lots more to do.

It’s been about 18 months since I first had the thought; “I need to figure out a way to make this my career” while antiquing and scavenging with my sister. It’s been about 10 months since I actually started working on things, researching, etc. The site would have been up in November (my original goal), except that I started doing costumes for the musical at the local high school. Not a regret, it was a great (although very stressful and time-consuming) experience. I love working with teenagers and I love costuming productions, so I actually really enjoyed it. It would have been all positive except for my obsessive and controlling tendencies which definitely came into play and affected the rest of my life. The costumes turned out great though!

What that means in terms of doing this blog is that I really haven’t done much to document my steps – too busy doing costumes (I'm going to add some photos here!). So I’m going to try to remedy that by abbreviating the experience, at least for the past week or so leading up to the opening! I’ll beg your patience here:  I may have to break this up into several posts!

What are the steps that go into opening an online business? Maybe you’ve thought about it, maybe you haven’t (if not, you’re one step up from me in the sanity department, for sure!). Here’s what I’ve done, in a nutshell version. I can’t speak for anyone else, obviously!

Step 1 - Realization. Growing up I designed outfits for Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, plus neighborhood and sibling productions I orchestrated. I have been a jack of all trades for years, but most of it has been related to clothing and/or costumes and theatre in some way. Even when I worked for Engineering Firms (yes, three times – once as a secretary/receptionist – my high school DECCA job - and twice in sales) and other corporate positions where creativity is not valued, I spent ridiculous amounts of time figuring out my work outfits. From my current perspective, I really doubt people happily employed in those professions spend at least three fourths of their spare time arranging their outfits or searching for and redoing thrift store finds. If there are Engineers out there spending three weeks looking for the perfect black belt to match the 1979 Leslie Fay dress you found and revamped - it may be time to change careers!

Honestly, being happy about what I was wearing and planning future outfits got me through the day in environments and meetings that bored me to tears. I realized early on that I really, really hated sitting behind a desk. I did it to pay for college and never would have done it again after the first Engineering Sales job after, had financial necessity not reared its’ ugly head! I’m not a big fan of people telling me what to do either. The whole Corporate Environment doesn’t really do much for me. 

The big bonus that came out of those experiences?  I met my husband. We are so different and while at times we occupy different universes (God bless him, he still doesn’t understand why he can’t wear a blue and red tie with khaki green trousers and a pink dress shirt – not in a good way, trust me -  or why he shouldn’t wear white, high calf athletic socks with sandals, yes, he's one of those – it’s a battle every summer.), I could never have done what I’ve done without him, so all those tortuous years of being a Corporate Drone (well, trying to be at least - although I must say, a very well dressed one!) were totally worth it!

I have also worked as a professional actor at different times but every time, either unofficially or officially I ended up helping, or sometimes taking over, with costumes.  I have costumed and assisted at shows both professional and amateur and I have worked in retail off and on since high school. I adore fashion and I always have. In addition to being genetic, it probably has roots in both of my Grandmothers. My Paternal Grandmother didn’t sew, but had some pretty amazing wardrobe pieces that I loved when I was a child. She also used to take me shopping and talk about fashions and clothes the whole time until I was twelve and she became unable to make the trip on her own. After that when I visited I would watch soap operas (especially Days of Our Lives) with her, during which she critiqued wardrobes the entire time. My Maternal Grandmother, in addition to having a fantastic and original sense of style, is an incredible seamstress and artist. In her heyday, she could make anything from anything and I learned a lot from her without even meaning to.

When I first started earning money as a teenager, I spent it on Vogue and Bazaar magazines. I thought Seventeen and Young Miss were boring, exactly what everyone at school was wearing. A great aunt (actually she might have been my Dad’s cousin, not really sure!) I visited at 16 had a treasure trove of Vogue back issues dating from the 1950’s – I still dream about them and wish I’d hidden them in my suitcase when I left! Not to mention the shoes in her closets, oh dear God, I have to stop. Everything else that happened of import in my life was based on or at least referenced by clothes. Even boys I was desperately in love with are defined by outfits I was wearing at various times in the relationship. 

It’s obviously related, but I  love costumes and history. Really it’s a no brainer that I should be doing something with Vintage and fashion if I’d been a little quicker on the uptake! Somehow I had a rule in my head that you really couldn’t do something you loved that much as a career. Not quite sure where that came from, but it was there. I can’t blame it on my parents as I am pretty sure both of them would have been happy for me to pursue something I loved, that was never an issue. The strange things we do and the weird reasons why, who knows (did I mention that I’m also fascinated by psychology?!)? 

This is where I’m going to break for now – this post is getting way too long and I want it to be readable! The story does have a happy - or at least current ending - though – I promise!

So, please stay tuned – come back for the next installment of my journey towards opening an online vintage store!  

Thanks for visiting and reading my blog! Happy Vintage and Life and Love to all!

Shelley

Back on Track, version 2.0

Well, my plan to relegate costumes to the back-burner didn't work at all. Instead of 20 -25 hours a week, I spent 60+ hours a week for several months on them. They did turn out well though and the show was a rousing success.

Back to work now. I finally opened my business bank account yesterday, pretty exciting to be making headway, even if it is several months later than anticipated.  Today I'll get Paypal set up, then start uploading photos & descriptions. I will have at least some stuff up for my planned opening on the 10th!

I'll have a Grand Opening sale at some point in the next few weeks, more on that to come, so stay tuned. . . .