Save the date (MONDAY!) for my first Paris flea market drop! ✨ Plus, some honest reflections on this journey so far
Open for a preview of my first drop 🙌🏼 how to shop, and some real-talk on mindset, roadblocks, confidence, and more.
Psst this post is best read in your browser or Substack app, as it’s a little long for email. 😉
HIII AUNTIES wow just coming up for air here! 😮
HOW ARE YOU? How was your week? Happy belated Valentines Day!
I landed home in Chicago last Wednesday, and my mom got in 24 hours later! She was in town visiting for 6 nights, so I wanted to soak up my time with her and try not to work too much, as it’s not often she gets here to visit! ♥️ (It’s a pretty major trek from Bend, Oregon.)
My mom and Junie. The past week of her visit looked like this pretty much like this-June in her PJ’s all day, my mom cooking us amazing food in the kitchen. ♥️
Since my mom left, the past couple days have been spent selecting items for my first drop, researching them, photographing, editing, creating my shop instagram, and drafting item descriptions! Also, figuring out shipping, how I’ll process payments, and a lot more–for as little hours as I’ve had to dedicate to this the past week, I really crammed them to the brim. 😂
As promised, I’ll give you a little update as to where I’m at with everything in this new process where I am learning SO much, some things I’ve been struggling with as doubt creeps in, and at the end, I’ll give you a preview of what to expect when my first drop hits THIS COMING MONDAY!
What my living room looked like with Janine (my house manager) and I going through and unpacking everything from my suitcases! 🤣 We only lost one item to breakage (😭💔 a scalloped pink glass dish that I adored, but all in all, I feel like that’s still a win considering how many breakables I had!)
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already read this post and this post by now, but if you haven’t, hit pause, and go back and do that, so you’re all caught up!
I hit “GO” on this entire idea just a couple short weeks ago (the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done, all thanks to the support of my incredible friend Jess. At the time, it felt absolutely insane. But it doesn’t feel insane anymore! 🤣) after YEARS of feeling a bit aimless, uninspired, and burnt out in my career. (Again, you really do need the whole back story, so read it here, I know you were hoping for the Cliff’s Notes but YOU’RE NOT GUNNA GET IT because some stories NEED ALL THE DETAILS! 🤪)
I’ve been passionate about vintage—especially flea markets—for as long as I can remember.
When I first moved to Chicago fresh out of college, my mom and I bought a little side table (which went on to serve as my makeup vanity throughout my twenties!) and a few small decor pieces at Praha. I still have all of them! That day, I learned that the owner, Todd, started his shop by traveling to Prague, filling a shipping container with antiques, and bringing them back to sell. I remember thinking, “Wow—THAT is the dream job.”
But it wasn’t until recently that I realized this could actually be something I explore for myself—if I choose to. I mean, what is there to lose?
I went into this unattached to the outcome, with the only point simply being to EXPLORE this thing–explore this passion that I’ve had for so long and see if it’s something that feels right to turn into a business. The only end game here being the journey.
After chewing on this idea for a while, as you know, it became increasingly clear to me that I should be really open about this entire process and document how it’s unfolding in real time.
Why? Because I haven’t seen anyone doing this on social media, and I think the world needs more examples of women just TRYING things to TRY them. There aren’t many examples of messy beginnings. Or any examples of just PLAYING around, just to see what you like!!
We are so conditioned to think that “not knowing the answers” or “trying something and then realizing it isn’t for you” automatically equals FAILURE. Which keeps women IN A BOX, just like everything else 😡 afraid to make a move–and if I can change that for just ONE person, it will mean so much.♥️
Turns out, I’m so glad I DID share all of this, because I received SO. MANY. MESSAGES. from so many of you who feel the EXACT SAME WAY–just kind of stuck in this weird floaty phase, unsure of where you even want to go, unsure of what you even want, unsure of how to pivot or how to move forward.
I am so glad I shared, because I don’t feel alone anymore! 🥺 Maybe this is actually a universal experience for women our age?!
So, in the true spirit of transparency, and after hearing from many of you that reading my post inspired your “creative wheels to start turning again” so to speak (which, can I just tell you how much that means? ♥️) I wanted to first share a more about what I think helped me take this thing from “pie in the sky” idea to having the confidence to put this little “test run” into action, so hopefully, you can take this idea and run with it too!
(Pssttt if you want more, I also wrote about a couple piece more of advice in this post!)
Think of how you can test your idea on a small scale!
As I mentioned above, in today’s world, we are conditioned to think we need to do the following to “start a new business” or even a “side hustle.”
Make a very large assumption that this new idea for a “company” is 100% what you want and worth all the time and money you’re going to put into it, even though you have no frame of reference and zero idea what you’re doing
Develop a brand name, logo, identity, website, and marketing strategy.
Invest a significant chunk of money (and/or ask others to) on said large assumption that…
This business is, in fact, going to turn into your new passion and be worth all the blood sweat and tears and money you’re about to pour into it.
That people even care about this business, brand, the products you plan to sell, etc.
But know what? I call bullshit.