Addicted to :: Small Earth Vintage

I’m thrilled to introduce you readers to Karen of Small Earth Vintage, one of my favorite shops on Etsy. Karen is a vintage clothing powerhouse and, in addition to her fabulous thrifting finds, she is steadily bringing us amazing pieces from the estate of a woman who appears to have been quite the shopping addict! So head on over to Small Earth Vintage to help Karen reclaim her garage. But first, read on to learn more about this amazing shop owner.

Q: Tell our lovely readers a bit about yourself. Is buying and selling vintage your full-time gig or a hobby? How and when did you get started in this business?

A: It’s a full-time gig. And although I’ve loved and bought vintage clothing since I was a teenager, I didn’t get into the business of selling it until ten years ago. I was living in NYC then and working as a children’s book editor when I met Andy. Andy was my best friend Stephani’s college buddy, and he was in New York for a few days buying vintage shoes. Steph wasn’t sure we would get along…but we did. Very well. So well that we spent the next few months taking turns visiting each other in New York and Michigan. And then we decided all this traveling back and forth is ridiculous–so I moved to Michigan!

I intended to find a full-time job here (what kind of job, I didn’t know), and I spent my time doing freelance proofreading for New York publishers, and working with Andy. He mainly dealt in vintage athletic shoes to the Japanese market, but also sold vintage clothing through stores. He’d been supporting himself this way off and on since college (while working other jobs as well). We continued to work together at the business and I enjoyed it so much, I stopped looking for other work. So here we are, ten years later. It’s a difficult business and we both work constantly, but we love it.

Q: Do you have any favorite, never-let-you-down, treasure hunting spots? Would you like to share, or are they top-secret?

A: “On the ping pong table.” That’s what I used to tell ebay buyers who asked where we’d found our stuff. (The ping pong table in our basement is my packing and shipping table, and is always covered in piles of vintage.) Hee hee.

Thrift stores are my favorite places to treasure hunt, especially in small towns or rural areas. And it’s not necessarily because I find the best stuff there, but because I love the road trips! I do have this particular thrift store that I always stop at when I visit my parents, and I almost always find a gem there.

Q: Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when you’re thrifting? How do you decide what to pick up, or just pass on? Do you wait for an item to speak to you?

A: I don’t think that I conciously look for anything specific, but there’s definitely something happening on a subconcious level when I’m hunting. My tastes fashionwise run the gamut from the 1920s to the 1960s, but I’ll snatch up anything that grabs me for any reason, whether it’s the cut, color, or fabric. I love quirky things. High end pieces are great, but I’m much more likely to be thrilled by a handmade dress with interesting details or a unique print. This becomes even more evident when I look at housewares and home decor. I will often pick out something that makes Andy go “Huh? Really?” One of my favorite pieces is this crazy family portrait that was painted on clear glass. I found it at a barn sale. The wooden frame is all scratched up, and the painted portrait is discolored and scratched, too, and most people who see it say it gives them the creeps…but I absolutely love it!

Q: Be honest, do you keep many of your finds, or is it strictly business? And do you have any personal collections that you have built over time through thrifting?

A: I keep some. When I find something cute that fits me, heck yeah, I want to keep it. But I often feel guilty about this, which reminds me I’m overdue for a big closet purge.

Why, yes, I do collect things! I collect the following (though not religiously): paint-by-numbers paintings, animal figurines (dogs, deer, birds), Pyrex (especially in primary colors–love the refrigerator dishes). I used to collect melmac, but I think I’ve reached saturation point on that. Oh, and amateur paintings of dogs. We have a smallish collection of those we’re always looking to add to, and Andy and I are both pretty sure they were all painted by the dogs’ owners.

Q: Are there any items you’ve regretted selling and wish you would have kept for yourself?

A: No, I honestly can’t think of anything. Though my answers above might make me sound like some kind of hoarder, I’m always trying to simplify. Small Earth Vintage is a labor of love, but it’s also a business, so selling and making money is a thrill, too!

Q: Pick one and tell us about it: Weirdest, most valuable, or most satisfying find?

A: I think I already told you about the weirdest. Actually, I’m a little sad I can’t think of anything weirder. Oh, but I can tell you about the weirdest *place* I shopped–my grade school gymnasium! We were back visiting my parents and were driving by my old grade school to just look at it–and they were having a sale in the gym! I hadn’t been inside that gym in 25 years. It smelled the same. And I bought lots of great stuff, including some fabulous 1950s pumpkin orange pumps.

Probably my favorite find to date (I’d put it in the “most satisfying” category) is a black 1960s raw silk Galanos dress and matching jacket. I found it at my favorite super-secret thrift store, and I think I paid $8.00 for it. It ended up with a buyer in France. I also found a gorgeous 1940s navy rayon dress at a local thrift store recently. That was exciting because it was in excellent condition, and because I hardly ever find anything of that era in thrift stores.

Thank you, Karen! It was fun to learn more about your vintage addiction!

Robin Eastwood is a treasure hunter and vintage fanatic. Visit The Fancy Lamb on Etsy to drool over some of her latest finds, and follow Robin on Twitter to hear about her latest thrifting adventures.