Obligatory 'Sorry About the Neglected Blog' Post

But I'm back! Sort of... I am actually super busy these days, so most likely this blog will continue to be neglected. But hey, a girl can dream... In fact, the only reason I am on right now is because I am skipping class right now - shhhhh. 

And now for some random rambling...

The weather has completely sucked in New York lately. We had a handful of REALLY nice days, just enough to make us all think that spring was finally here after a particularly brutal winter, but guess what is expected tonight? SNOW. Ugh. 

In other news, due to aforementioned super busy-ness, my Etsy has been just as neglected as my blog. But inevitably spring will eventually come, which means I need to get some cool spring/summer gear up there for all you vintage lovers to buy. I read recently that L.L. Bean is going to start offering free shipping on ALL orders. How rad is that? I know that will definitely make me more likely to make a purchase with them. But then again, I think the fact that I come from Maine makes me more likely than most of my peers to make a purchase from L.L. Bean anyway. Regardless, I was thinking of doing free shipping on all of my Etsy items as well. I'll let y'all know what I decide and how it goes. 

That's all for now!

Molly

Momma Don't Eat My Toblerone

Hello friends, 

I know it has been awhile, but I am inspired to blog today because today - totally out of nowhere - I got two separate orders on my neglected Etsy site. Yay! The stars must be aligned, or maybe the Fall shopping season has begun. Either way, keep 'em comin' people. Keep 'em comin'. 

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I would talk about my foray into flea marketing. Well let's just say that I have not 'forayed' too deeply. I spent every other Sunday this summer setting up shop at a new flea market in my Brooklyn 'hood, but unfortunately sales were somewhere between lackluster and non-existent. Unfortunately, the market I signed up with was poorly organized, and quite often there weren't more than two vendors there (including myself). I knew they were just starting out and so I had hopes that things would turn around but, for whatever reason, they did not. I have no regrets about the experience, as I learned a lot from it. First of all, I learned that the markets need the vendors just as badly as you need them and so I shouldn't feel timid about making sure I am getting what I need from the experience. It was also a good step towards getting myself out there, because I can often be a bit on the shy side and hesitant to try new things. The market also gave me an opportunity to practice setting up shop and speaking to customers in a low-key, low stress environment. 

These two sales, along with the onset of Fall (the get down to business season) has inspired me to charge full steam ahead with working on my own business again. Everyday I am further convinced that I will not be fully happy until I am working for myself and so that is my ultimate goal. 

Anyhoo, we've all had a rough day so let's eat a Toblerone and listen to some good tunes. 

À bientôt!

First Polyvore Set

I just made my first set on Polyvore. What a fun tool! This here is inspired by the simple beauty of Anna Karina in one of Godard's classics Bande A Parte.

Starting a Start-Up

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was great as I attended a beautiful wedding on Fire Island. Now I am back in the city and ready to put my nose back to the grindstone. There is nothing that will inspire you to work on your business more than being surrounded by wonderful (and very expensive) beach homes!

Today I wanted to give a little background on myself, and talk about my plans regarding my relatively new venture as a vintage retailer. Personally, I am always very interested to read other people's tales of success and what obstacles they encountered along the way. I would like to share with whomever is interested where I am at now, how I got here, and update you along the way. I have not become successful YET, but hopefully if you are reading this now, and you choose to stick with me, we will all learn some things together. 

First, about me. Originally I am from Maine, although post high school I lived in Boston, Los Angeles, and then back in Portland, Maine for a few years. Then, on August 17th, 2009 my boyfriend and I packed up a U-Haul and left our quaint city for the far less quaint neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, located in Brooklyn, New York. We arrived without ever having seen the neighborhood or the apartment that we had already rented off of Craigslist, but so far things have managed to work out. Whew.

We came here so that I could pursue a career in fashion, and he could pursue a career in music. While both of these things may have been possible back in Maine, we needed the inspiration and the opportunities of New York in order to get us motivated. 

We have been here for almost a year now and I work at a cafe in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene. I have also been attending classes part time at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and up until the beginning of April I was interning with a company called Zachary's Smile (ironically the bf's name is Zachary) which is where my tale of vintage selling really begins. 

Zachary's Smile is a fashion company with two stores in Manhattan. They sell vintage clothing and also there own line that also gets sold wholesale at places like Barney's and Anthropologie. My job as an intern with them consisted mainly of altering and repairing a lot of the vintage clothing that would be sold in the stores. It was through this that I initially gained an eye for vintage trends and how alterations can make a lot of vintage items more appealing to the younger market. 

One day, like many other poverty stricken days, it felt clear that the money I was getting from the cafe job was just not cutting it. However, I didn't want to get another food service job just to make ends meet. Really, I didn't want to get another job period. So I sat down and wrote down a list of ways that I could make money on my own. I can't remember now what my other ideas were, but through a methodical pros and cons list, selling vintage clothing seemed to be the winner. I went online and bought a 60 dollar/30lb. box of vintage cast-offs that were billed as being in fair condition to "needs repair". And thus, a business was born. 

With a few gems from the box, and some items that I had picked up elsewhere, I went ahead and started my Etsy site. I was very encouraged at first - I couldn't believe how many people viewed the items as soon as you listed them! I also got my first sale within a few days of opening shop and three more followed somewhat quickly afterwards. However, since then my sales have stalled. I haven't made a single one! Personally, I thought that the items I was listing were higher quality and more on trend than my initial listings, but apparently Etsy shoppers have not agreed. I have tried adjusting the prices and re-listing, but it doesn't seem to work. One area that definitely needs work is my photos. Currently I am using a point and shoot digital camera in an apartment that doesn't get the best light, so sometimes I am forced to put up pictures that area slightly out of focus just to get SOMETHING up there. 

But alas, that is where I am at now... Working on getting my Etsy sales on a somewhat regular track. 

Next time I will talk about my foray into the New York flea markets... 

À bientôt!

Sunday Night/Monday Morning

I am writing this on a Sunday night, but by the time I actually click "Publish Post", I'm sure it will have changed over to Sunday morning. I always have a lot of ambitions for the weekend as far as adding new items to my Etsy and working on my overall business and creative ventures, but more often than not I get sidetracked. 

This weekend wasn't any different. Yesterday, I found myself completely free of obligation (I usually have to barista on Saturdays) and ended up in Chelsea to check out the Etsy New New Team's Handmade Craft Fair. It was interesting to see a lot of Etsy artisans set up with their work in an outdoor space where they could more directly connect with potential customers. It was clear that some artists were more experienced than others when it came to selling themselves and their work in a face to face setting. I am curious to see how I myself will fare at this task in the near future. 

Also in Chelsea on Saturday: the galleries were bustling! Currently, it is New York Gallery Week. I'm not sure how many of the galleries I visited were actually participating in the event, but the neighborhood was abuzz regardless. One of the highlights of what I saw included the "Make Yourself at Home" multi-artist exhibit put on by 7Eleven Gallery. The exhibit included many versions of rooms like those you would find in a home, but re-imagined by the artists. 

ALISON ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Tap Left On, 2009-10
Wood veneer, shellac
71 X 75 X 48 inches

Image Via www.jamescohan.com

Another striking exhibit was that of Alison Elizabeth Taylor, entitled "Foreclosed" and being shown at the James Cohan Gallery. Taylor's work is all incredibly intricate wood inlay, which is not even immediate obvious until you stand close to the pieces. Her work depicts the ruin that many homes quite often fall to after being foreclosed on. If you find yourself in Chelsea, this is definitely one to check out. 

And of course what afternoon spent in Chelsea would be complete without a stroll on the Highline? I can't wait to get back to some warm weather so I can spend some more time on the wooden lounge chairs! 

On the Street

Photo via NYtimes.com

Who doesn't love Bill Cunningham? If the answer for you is no, then clearly you haven't heard of him! Bill Cunningham is a photographer who has a layout of photos every Sunday in the Times entitled "On the Street". These editorials depict people in New York going about their days, and the trends and things of note that he picks up on through the lens of his camera. Even better are the video versions on the NY Times website, where the photos are accompanied by his always excited and upbeat voice overs. This week was an especially interesting installment, detailing his departure from his home in Carnegie Hall, and the amazing history that he experienced in the legendary building. 

Watch the video at nytimes.com

Summer is Here!

It is 80 degrees here in Brooklyn today and it feels like summer has officially arrived, and with it comes a load of inspiration and hopefully fun times!

I got an update via email today in regards to the Bedford Village Market (that I had mentioned in my last post). It seems as though they are finishing up construction and have invited all the vendors to come and take a tour of the space at the end of the week - I can't wait! I would love to get in touch with anyone else out there who is participating in this, so if you're out there and you're reading this please, PLEASE shoot me an email!

This summer will be all about having fun on the CHEAP, and the first order of business is to get a bicycle! Every vintage loving guy or gal needs a cruiser to feel complete ;) 

This is my first full summer in New York, and so as I discover more ways to have cheap fun in the city I will try to share them with you all - and feel free to do the same here in the comments!