Every one of them raised their hands.
"Good," she said. "But from today on, it changes."
Doing anything - however seriously - for fun is different than doing it as a career. And that's as true for selling vintage as it is for anything else.
How many vintage sellers started because of a love of poking around in thrift stores, flea markets, yard and estate sales? (Yes, I see every hand is raised. Mine too!) But deciding to do it as a business: not the same thing.
I started out as a wearer and collector of vintage. I especially loved orlon and beaded sweaters from the 50s, shift dresses from the 60s and little novelty print mid-century blouses (still do!) But when you become a seller, rather than just a buyer, of vintage, you have to shop for everyone other than yourself. "Don't only look for small sizes," a friend told me, when I said I'd seen a couple of great dresses but didn't buy them because they wouldn't have fit me. "Women of all sizes love vintage."
Sounds simple, but it was an eye-opener for me. So Rule To Remember #1: You're not just shopping for yourself anymore. And once you realize you're not just shopping for yourself it becomes just a little less fun. My heart still goes pitter-pat when I find something remarkable (take a look at the gorgeous Lucie Ann robe, below) or unearth a fantastic deal - but it happens a lot less often than it used to!
When you're buying to stock a shop, you have to think a lot more expansively than when you're buying just for yourself. You rely on your taste and eye and knowledge, yes - that's part of what you're selling - but the narrow parameters of your own interests have to expand or the shelves of your shop (virtual or otherwise) are likely to be pretty bare.
And that means, you have to be out there hunting more than the semi-casual way you did it before. A lot more. The next post will be about how I figured out the best places to find vintage. Stay tuned!
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