365 Posts Within 365 Days

I started this blog in early January 2024. My goal was to write at least 365 posts for the year. The reason for this was simple: the more people visit my website, the more people will want to hang around and read it, and the larger this fun vintage community grows.

Now, I do have a couple of ulterior motives. One is that it leads readers to my vintage shop. I sell vintage clothing online on Etsy, and I've just begun my 15th year there, so naturally, that's where I want people to end up (if I have any business savvy, that is).

My blog is also monetized, meaning any time someone clicks on an ad, I'm rewarded for it. Now it's not much. We're talking literally a penny or two for a click.

I'm definitely not going to get rich writing about the joys of vintage, but then again, that was never my intention. I love vintage. And writing about it is a perfect outlet for me to keep my writing skills up (I'm an independent writer) and keep my vintage knowledge growing.

Now that it's December, it's hard to believe I've accomplished that goal of 365 posts. In fact, this is my 368th post, and I'm so grateful to you if you're following along and enjoying my finds and learning as much as I am learning. The more I research vintage, the less I feel like I know anything, so I'm learning all the time.

If you ever feel the need to click on an ad that shows up on your device while you read my posts, great. :) Click away. Know that it's always deeply appreciated and every little bit counts. 

 Thank you for following along my vintage journey with me, and I can't wait to see what 2025 brings me in my vintage endeavors.

I plan to keep blogging, though I don't have the desire to do 365 posts for the next year (Whew, that was a lot!). I'll post when I feel led to post but I'll still be here. I have a substantial base of posts for folks to peruse and that was my goal for 2024! Mission accomplished.

Have a blessed rest of December. And I'll post again soon with my next vintage find. Thank you again for reading my work and being just as excited as I discover all the vintage goodness - and love for vintage fashion that leans heavily into slow fashion - that surrounds me.

-Heather

Thrift Haul │ Vintage Finds December 2, 2024

I had a fun vintage-sourcing excursion on Tuesday. As is the way with the future of my shop (quality over quantity), I will tell you that's exactly what I found.

• two pairs of '80s Levi's 501s - I even found that awesome label again in one of them!
• one '60s military shirt
• one '80s / '90s Eddie Bauer wool cardigan
• one '80s Otagiri mug - yes, I'll probably be keeping this one for myself.

I'll take a small -but incredibly strong - thrift haul any day. ♥

It's all headed to the shop this week or the next.

In the decade I've been selling Otagiri, I had yet to come across this one. So cool.

I can't believe I found this label again! This is only the 3rd time in fifteen years.

December 2024 - Margaret Tarrant December

Welcome, December. It's been a wonderful year.

Take a moment and reflect on all the good things that happened to you. That's what I'm doing.

It will take my busy December and temper the bustling of the season - making it easier to see what this month is about.

Celebrating family, celebrating God's goodness - and the biggest gift He could give anyone - and celebrating the season.

Happy December, my vintage friends.

-Heather 

by Margaret Tarrant

My Fifteenth Year │ Selling Vintage on Etsy

If you had told me that I'd still be selling vintage almost fifteen years later after opening a shop on Etsy, well ... actually I would've believed you. 

Because selling, wearing, loving, talking about, reveling in, collecting, and being captivated with vintage clothing (and other things like Pyrex and Coach purses) is a part of my life. And has been with me since I was a teenager.

Today, November 30th, marks the first day I "opened" my shop on Etsy. While it began as a small venue with a handful of things, it has grown substantially and at the highest point this year, had just under 800 items.

For clothing, that number is on the high side because storing clothing is an issue for clothing resellers. I'm lucky to have garage space but that amount was my max. 800 items. And I was bursting at the seams.

While 14 years of selling vintage has had its ups and downs, mostly up, I'm at the point where I would rather have quality items over quantity. In other words, I'd rather work a little smarter than harder, and I'm lowering the number of items in my shop drastically for 2025. For sure, the amount will be cut in half and maybe more.

This means I won't sell as many items per day as I used to but it also means I don't have to. Better items equal higher prices, which evens out in the end. So for example, instead of selling three items at 33 dollars each, my plan is to sell an item a day worth closer to $100. Quality over quantity.

As of right now, I'm letting items sell while I'm having a sale and letting Etsy listings lapse (meaning, I don't renew the item to list for sale in my shop) which means I'll probably be donating some items back to the thrift stores from whence they originally came.

Which is fine. Easy come, easy go. And I have had a wonderful time sourcing and selling vintage so that nothing is lost or wasted. Not even my time. Every day I sell or source vintage is a day living the dream.

So this is the start of my fifteenth year and after a full 14 years of accumulating as much as possible to sell, I'm reversing that action. It will take time to re-learn how to source, but I know this is the direction I want to go. 

It's been a joyous 14 years selling on Etsy and I'm so thankful and grateful for all of my followers who buy my vintage, wear it with love, and tell their friends about my shop.

As a wonderful, engaging, and enlightening era, I can't wait for another 14 sourcing the best vintage I possibly can for you. 

Thank you for being a part of my vintage journey.

-Heather

Black Friday Finds │ Thrift Haul

While Black Friday is overrated, and I didn't need to buy anything for myself, I hit a couple thrift stores for the shop. 

The stores weren't that crowded, and the people were all very nice, so it was a pleasant Black Friday crowd. I found a handful of things, and it helps when the stores are giving us half off of all merchandise!

• a vintage '60s kimono style robe
• a '60s mink fur stole
• a '60s leather coin pouch
• 2 vintage '80s leather belts
• a '50s gooseberry Pyrex bowl (for my collection, only at $7.50!)

It's a fantastic day when I thrift Pyrex from the 1950s! It was missing the lid, but I had an extra one.

There she is, right smack in the middle where she belongs.

Voila! So, that one find was for me, and the rest will be headed to the shop later this week. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.♥