Giveaway time!

Well, yesterday I promised you a special post, and since I {always} keep my promises, here it is! That shirt I was wearing yesterday? you know that really cool one with the tiki ladies printed all over it? Well, it was just one of the cool finds you'll get from etsy shop Vintage Urban Renewal!

Today, I've collaborated with them to offer one lucky reader  a $25 gift certificate!

 I wanted to do something a little different and asked shop owner Michelle a few questions in order to know more about the person behind the shop! Here's what she had to share:

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Michelle, I grew up in Boston and married someone from Hawaii named Jon. We met halfway in between in a small rural valley in Southern Oregon called Grants Pass, where we live with our two daughter's Olivia and Maddie, a cat named Bagheera and four chickens. 


2. What got you into vintage selling?


To keep ourselves busy in our sleepy little town, we own a snow and skate shop and a small new and used clothing boutique as well as a Japanese restaurant.  Buying used clothing for our store, I realized that our town is a great place to buy vintage clothing but does not have much in the way of buyers, due to the abundance of retired people. That is why I decided to open an etsy shop about 18 months ago by the name of Vintage Urban Renewal.

3.What is the thing you like most about your job as a vintage seller?

Growing up in the 70s and 80s has given me a great nostalgic love for bohemian and retro style clothing which seems to find it's way into my life in large quantities. I love wearing and styling this era of clothing and have passed this on to my daughter's who also have come to appreciate the quality and beauty of vintage pieces. Some of our best family memories are packing up our vintage mercedes that runs on veggie oil from our restaurant and going on a road trip to all the small towns in Oregon and Northern California looking for those hidden thrift stores, where that incredible one of a kind piece is just waiting to be discovered. 

4. Tell us about one item that made you think twice about not keeping it for yourself! (what was it? why you liked it?)

One of the hardest parts about buying and selling vintage is: YOU CAN'T KEEP EVERYTHING THAT YOU BUY. Luckily it does not all fit me especially shoes. Which brings me to another interesting observation: THE CUTEST ITEMS ARE USUALLY THE SMALLEST. Even in my most determined moments when I found a pair of tall, fringed leather boots with turquoise stones embellished on them from the 70s made in Spain, I could not squeeze my size 9 feet into their size 6.5 bohemian loveliness. This is where my daughter's come in, because most everything fits them and they have now become a part of the business, buying items, listing items, and modeling items.

Another huge challenge for me is inventory management and my newest endeavor to get control of this beast is a 24' vintage 1964 trailer that i am converting into a studio for taking pics and storing items as well as using as an office. I can't tell you how excited I am to transform this and make it my own space.

5. Any tips you've learned along the way to pass on to new vintage sellers?


The biggest tip I can give to newbie vintage sellers would be: JUST BECAUSE IT'S VINTAGE DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD SELL IT. What I mean by that is, over time I have come to define better and better what I want to sell as opposed to just selling anything. Figure out what you want your shop to look like, will you use a mannequin or live models, will you specialize in a certain era or type of clothing, will you sell higher or lower priced items, are your customers young working women or older collectors. can you find a certain abundance of these items easily, etc.  Whatever you sell should interest and excite you. Do not sell fancy gowns from the 50s if that is not your forte, no matter how much someone else is making on etsy selling that item.

 Above all---Be true to who you are.---and everything else will fall into place.

***

What an amazing lady! I mean, a vintage Mercedes that runs on veggie oil? What about her cute daughter that models for the shop!! I'm so glad I got to know this wonderful woman through this collaboration! 

 And now to enter the giveaway:


1. Visit Vintage Urban Renewal and tell me which item from the shop is your fave! 


2. Don't forget to leave me your email so I can contact you if you win. 

**For extra entries, tweet or mention this giveaway in your blog post! {Don't forget to come back and let me know that you did so.}


Giveaway ends on Friday August 26th at noon! Good luck to everyone that enters! This is an international giveaway.