Vintage Is a Form of Luxury with Jennifer Kelly-Nichols of Vintage Frills

Hey, friends. Welcome. And welcome back to nosey AF conversations about art, activism and social change.I'm your host and friend Stephanie Graham, and we are doing this 31 days of black Business series. And it has been such a joy. And I would love to tell you about today's guest, Jennifer Kelly.But before I do that, I want you, especially if you're not driving, especially if you're not driving, to take a step back and close your eyes and sort of like imagine that you're walking into a beautiful boutique. And inside this beautiful boutique, there is a room where every single thing is red.And you walk out of the red room and then into a blue room where every single thing is blue and then a green one. And now it has you thinking about the Emerald City sequence in the Wiz. Do you know that scene? I know you know that scene.If not, please do yourself a favor and watch the Wiz. Anyway, that's vintage frills.And Jennifer built it after years as a logistical backbone at Chanel, Tiffany's and Neiman Marcus, all of these jazzy luxury stores. And so vintage frills started as a pink school bus that she bought and she was too scared to sign a lease.But now she is here in Chicago and what a dream. So we're going to talk to Jennifer, but of course, here's my theme song.And then we'll have a colorful conversation with Jennifer Kelly of the vintage frills. Welcome to nosey AI gotta get up, get up tell the whole world you.

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Jennifer. Welcome to nosey af.

Thank you. So happy to be here.

Yes. So happy to. To know that you are in Chicago with vintage frills. What a treat to the city.

Thank you. I'm trying.

Yeah. Thank you so much. How long have you had vintage frills?

Well, we just had our fifth year anniversary this past July, so five years. That's amazing.

Yeah, I love it.

Right during the COVID weirdness mask. Like, you're right at the pivot of it all.

Yeah, yeah. That Covid was something. And then it also made a lot of change for people.

It's just like everybody and we're still experiencing that change. It's amazing. Like, wow, it really did. It effed some people up. But then it also like Some people evolved as a result.So it's an interesting combination.

Absolutely. You know, let's get right into our conversation.So you grew up around resale and retail, but then you've worked for some of the biggest luxury brands in the world.

Thank you. Yes. What did.

Working with Chanel, Tiffany's, Neiman Marcus, Gucci, all the brands that us black women love. Love.

Okay. Love Doubt.

Love Doubt.

Oh, my gosh.

What have. And also our uncles. Our uncles.

Oh, my God. Right? Yeah. I just, like, wow. And I'm excited and.

Yeah. So sharp.

Gucci. Oh, my God. Yeah. Especially the shoes. Endorsement. I love it. Yes.

What have. Working at those brands and those experiences that you've had, what have those taught you to bring into vintage frills? Ooh.

Oh, that's a great question. Well, I feel like it got me ready. It was like boot camp for vintage frills for me, because the standards are very high.You know, that's step one, highest standards in the world. You roll out the carpet, the red carpet for everyone. That's step two. And then you constantly activate.You constantly try to evolve the business, because not everyone can afford. So you want to have them aspire, have them save, have them find a way to get what others find easier.So with that being said, I took all of those nuggets and I rolled it into vintage frills. Okay, here we are.

Yeah. I've seen, you know, workshops on sales and marketing, all these different things like that. I look to, as an artist, to build my own skill set.I will see that there's, like, business, and then there's luxury business.

Yeah.

Is there. Is there a difference?

Oh, yes, ma'. Am. Such a huge difference. Because with luxury, the price point is so different.

Yeah.

When we talk about business, we could talk about Walgreens. We could talk about software. There's so many versions of business.But when we talk about luxury business, it's a whole nother ball game, because we're talking about the numbers, we're talking about the clients who have the funds, you know, to afford all these big ticket items. So it's definitely different. I feel like the basics are the same, but once we start getting down into the nitty gritty, it changes off course.Like, for instance, you wouldn't go into an Old Navy and expect a glass of champagne. Okay. You know, like, where my champagne at, girl? I got my flip flops.Two for five, you know, but you go into a Tiffany's, and we're talking about a $5,000 starting point for something, and it's a totally different. You're gonna. You're gonna have a seed. We're gonna romance you. And I think that's the biggest difference. Romancing the stone, so to speak.

Okay. Yeah. Cause at first, like, when I would see these differences, I would think, well, isn't it just about making sure a customer feels good?

But that is. You're absolutely right. But there's, like. I don't know. There's just, like. I don't know how to explain it. There's just levels. I was gonna say. Yeah.

Is there levels?

There's levels to the feel good that you provide. A person who's just buying a pair of entry level earrings may not get the same level of feel good as someone who's buying a $10,000 bag.You're gonna feel good regardless. But however. Yeah, you know, we go a little bit deeper. The feel good is, like, at the utmost.Kind of like when you go to a resort and you got your entry level, you know, Resort package. Yeah, that's what it comes down to. Which package did you buy? Oh, no, this is the VIP package.You know, so they get, like, how come they're getting this and that? And they paid for it, so. Yeah.

Yeah, they paid for it. I really felt that luxury experience at the movies when if you pay for, like, the stub. The StubHub, you get to skip the line. And it is different.It's not Chanel, but it's like.

No, it's that level of Chanel. There you go. Yeah. You're like, for the movies. Yes. Cause, like, I gotta wait in the line and y' all just zoom in.Like, you got your specialty seats, you know, Very nice.

In my research, you said you had gotten burnt out, and then Covid became this unexpected moment where you had to rethink what you were doing.

Yeah.

When you started creating the business plan for vintage frills, what did you know you wanted to do differently this time?

Oh, that's such a great question. I knew that I needed to do things my way because I bounced around a lot in luxury retail trying to find my forever home, and I just.I never found it, I guess, so to speak. And I think the reason why is because I needed to create my own. And I knew with that, I said, I already know. Vintage is a form of luxury. It is.These things are impeccably made. Okay. We're talking. And then we're talking luxury fabrics. Wool, silk, cashmere fabrics that cost so much money.Now, even if you're going into, like I say, like, A Marshalls or something. Like, it's extremely expensive. So I know it's a form of luxury. And this stuff is made a long time ago. It's already past the.So that in itself is what, like, to me, the definition of luxury is it's something that's exclusive, something that's well made, well crafted, and that's what vintage is.So I said, if I'm gonna go into this, I have to make sure that a while it's luxury, it's affordable luxury, because, you know, I don't want people aspiring to buy vintage.That's how I grew up, actually, and that's how I went from working in a thrift store on Stony island to start my journey in fast fashion retail, and then slowly making my way up, because I always aspire to have these things, and I couldn't afford it. And I said, what's the easiest way to get. How can I get this Coach bag? That's what. That was my initial tier right there.This is the ultimate luxury coach I wanted. And guess what? I got a seasonal job at Coach, and it was like the best job in the world at the time.And I was a gift wrapper, and I'm like, rapping, and they're like, hurry, hurry, hurry. The customer's lady. You know, everyone wanted their bags gift wrapped for the holidays, and then we got these special discounts on bags.And I was like, oh, my God, this is so different from, you know, an Old Navy experience. It instantly opened my eyes to, like, how to treat a customer like, versus, like, Old Navy. It was really fast paced and, you know, let's go, go, go.And then for luxury, it was still fast paced, but it was like, I don't know, we're gift wrapping, you know, we're wrapping these bags and we're presenting them to the customer in a different way. So that was the beginning, and then now.I don't remember if I went off on a tangent or if I answered your question, so you might have to repeat and make sure you.

No, it was just like, what was when you were burnt out and then it's Covid. And then getting back into, like, what had to be different.

Yes. Okay, Right. So I had to do it my way. It had to be affordable, and I didn't want to be burnt out anymore.I didn't want people telling me, you know, the best way to do things anymore. When I kind of felt like I already knew, you know, I wanted to climb the ladder.And every place had a ceiling for me, and I'd Hate to say that it was based on race and things like that, but that's just what it was, guys. Yeah. Like, let's be real. People are like, oh no, you can.And it just took me so much more effort to succeed when I knew I was already doing a great job. You know, I knew it to my core, but because of my race and it held me back. And then I said, I'm.I'm just going to go, I'm going to do my own thing and I'm going to figure it out myself. So it was a good time to be burnt out. It was a good time to be quarantined in the house and, you know, working on ways that I could excel on my own.

Yeah. Were you scared when, like, to start a business, like, to go from corporate to starting a business? Oh my God.

And I call it like, yeah. I say I used to be a W2 employee because that's what I was and I'm not anymore. But yeah. Are you kidding me? I almost.There were so many times I almost didn't do it. Like, I was terrified. And on top of that, I actually kind of.I feel like I kind of cheated a little because I was so afraid to open up a brick and mortar that I just bought a school bus. And I said, I'm gonna have this mobile shop. You know, we're gonna take it slow, we're gonna take it easy.Which is not a bad place to start, you know, but in my mind I was like, it's just gonna be the mobile shop. It was gonna pop up everywhere. You know, it's Covid anyway. Yeah, just find a place to pop up and hey, you know, come shop.And it just as easy as I thought it would be. And then also it just felt like it wasn't enough. I was like, this is not enough.And my sister was like, let's go looking around just to see what's out there. And we found the place that I'm in now. And it actually, it like already had these built out rooms.And that was in my business plan to have like a red room, a blue room. I call it the dark dungeon room on my business plan, but it's called. It's neutral's room, basically.

Okay.

But in my business plan, it's like the dungeon room. All these like fancy names. And this building was already built out for what I wanted. And I was like, huh, maybe.And then it was still like, it was like 2021. And I spoke to the person who owned the building and they were like, yeah, Come on, let's hurry up. It was empty, and they wanted someone in there.

Please come.

Yeah, exactly. So I got a great deal, but I was terrified the whole time. I kept talking. I have an uncle who, he was the first thrift store that I worked in.And I was like, I. But I'm scared. He was like, of what? Yeah, no, I'm just so scared. And I. And he was like, you know, just do it anyway. And. And I did. So here we are.

I love that. Does your uncle still have his own vintage business or.

No, he's, he's retired now, but he, he did a lot in the community, south side Stony island commercial. He had a lot of stores, and he taught me a lot. One thing I take from him is, like, he would have furniture in the parking lots.

Oh, wow.

Just so that, like, when you're driving past, especially on Stony Island. The building has been demolished, by the way, but it was like, on Stony island by the White Castle and the Taco Bell.

Oh, yeah.

And he would have all this furniture in the parking lot because it was, like, free publicity. It was free marketing. So people driving past can go, ooh, look at that, you know, sofa. Ooh, look at that chair. And I took that from him.I don't have furniture, really, but I take. I have a little rolling rack outside. It's our $5 holo rack, so. And it definite helps if the passersby will stop and be like, what's this?You know, so, yeah, I, I, I take that from him, for sure. I love the other books.

I love that tip, because I certainly have pulled over for many of sofas I've seen outside.

Like, wow, what's this?

You know, and sometimes it's even just people, like, getting rid of it. Like, can it fit in your car? Will you come back and get it, please?

Or it just, it just stops you. It gets your attention for sure. Yeah.

Yeah.I love that you brought up the school bus and the different color rooms, because I know that you started with this pink school bus, and now you have your brick and mortar shop where everything is organized by color. And you say that people literally travel from around the world to shop in your store.How did you figure out that experience was going to be such a big part of your business?

I really didn't know. I just knew that I wanted to immerse the customers in color, but I also wanted it to be a luxury experience.You know, when you think about luxury retail, you go in and there's a Persona there. You feel a certain way like, oh, my God, this is, you know, whatever brand that is. You feel that brand walking through the door.And I knew that I just wanted to have fun with vintage. I wanted it to be different. Like, what's more different than literally going into a room filled with one color and shopping it that way?I always ask people, you know, where they're from, because sometimes you can tell just by the way that they're dressed that they're not, you know, a little. Little old Midwesterner or whatever, or.

Or there's.

They have an accent. And then you just slowly discover that, oh, my God, you're from where. You're from Ireland or you're from Brazil or, you know, all these fancy places.And then I'll ask them how they heard about me, and they'll say, TikTok. That's why I like TikTok.

Yeah. Shout out to TikTok.

Shout out to TikTok. So it's very interesting.

You know what's interesting? I feel like black folks really rock with social media, like, in a different way. Like, it's a cultural. It's like a cultural thing.I know, like, as business owners, I know it can be hard to, like, run a business and then also have to create content, but there's, like, sort of like a cultural thing there that is really sort of starting to reveal itself to me.

Like, for the black culture in particular, we're always looking for, like, referrals.

Yeah.

To the best. What's the best? Where can I go to eat?You know, we like to experience some of the best things, and the easiest way to get that referral is through social media, because we have access to hundreds of millions of different opinions, you know, and that. That popular opinion will show itself to us, you know, somehow. And then we'll be like, oh, we're going to go, like, my husband will send me a video.Let's go eat here. You know, someone's, like, got this big burger, like, you know, diving in and talking about their experience.So we definitely look forward to look toward it for those, I don't know, like, secret items or, you know, hot things that maybe haven't exploded just yet. It's a lot easier to do it through social media than just asking your cousin. They don't always know.

Right?

Exactly. But when you're traveling, you're like, in New York, where's the best place to go thrift shopping or, you know, all that stuff.Social media's got you covered through and through.

What's been your best experience about running your business?

Hmm.I think the best experience is being able to call the shots, and not in a way, like an arrogant way, but like, being able to see what I need for the business and to implement that, to grow. My favorite thing within this five years is definitely being able to call the shots and make my own decisions and see what's best for the business.Because, you know, working in luxury, you can have as many opinions as you want, but you're not at the top. So very rarely does it even reach the person who needs to know. So I get to see things from the inside out.I get to see the foot traffic, I get to see what's trending for my shop, and I get to make almost instantaneous decisions. So if I notice, oh, certain sweaters are trending, I'm gonna go digging through my inventory to make sure those get on the floor.If a certain color is more hot than another.For instance, I saw firsthan, for some reason, red blazers, like, and it was like, within one week, it was like, I'm looking for a red blazer or what's going on with the red blazers, but let me double check my stock and make sure they're all on the floor, you know, so I get to do things like instantly versus that trickle down effect where it comes from corporate. And it takes forever to land in the store. And by the time it does land in the store, it's like, too late. People have moved on.

Yeah. Yes. You're able to, like, sort of instantly act in, like, real time. Yeah.

Yes, exactly. And I love. I love to do that.

Yeah.You know, vintage is often thought of as, like, thrifting or bargain hunting, but obviously I love your definition of vintage being luxury, and you've created something that feels so much more like a luxury shopping experience. Why was it important to you to treat vintage as luxury?

And it was important for me to treat vintage as luxury because, as I mentioned before, the fabrics that we used, we were making this stuff in the usa. We had a factory of people making garments right here, and standards were really high, so everything came out great.So that is something that, like I said, high standards, that's a luxury attribute. So it applies to vintage. And then the fabrics we were using polyester didn't really take any space in clothing until the 70s.So before that, everything was wool, cotton, cashmere, silk, and it was still impeccably made. Again, going back to luxury, impeccably made, hottest fabrications that you can find.So that is why I treat vintage as luxury, because I could show you a tweed jacket from the 1980s. That looks just as good as one from Neiman Marcus. And I see it all the time.You know, I have the eye and I'm like, oh, my God, this would be $2,000 at Neiman's. This would be $5,000. You know what I'm saying? So it's like you can get that same quality from vintage that you can get from luxury.

Yeah. And you are so right, like, about, you know, all the fabrics and stuff like that.Because I guess when I was thinking about vintage, I thought of it as, like, someone went out and found these pieces and, like, you know, mended it or cleaned it, like. And so basically, like, you're paying for the curator's time for sort of pulling these items together. Yes.So I love thinking about it as like, oh, no, this stuff, like, is luxury. Like, you're. I mean, like, I love your. Your definition. And it also reminds me of Lifetime did a movie about Coco Chanel, and.

I haven't seen that. How was it?

You know what I think? Because with knowing anything about her, it was.It was really well done to me because there was a scene of her showing, like, I think she tried something with like a. Like a sewing machine and it didn't come out the way she. She liked. And she's like, you know what? That's it. Everything else handmade, Handmade.And I was like, oh, all this stuff is hand sewn. Oh, I see how, you know, the price goes up.

And then when you're knitting these, I'm talking, like, hand knit sweaters.

Amazing.

I'm talking, like, in the 80s, there was this big boom of, like, sweaters with, like, stuff on it or whatever. Like, think of a Cosby sweater.

Yes.

Those sweaters were. A lot of those were handmade.

That's amazing.

Do you guys know how hard this stuff is?

Yeah.

And we don't do it anymore. That's the next thing. Like, everything's made in China or, you know, a foreign country. And it's made rapid fire.So the quality is poor, the fabrications are poor. So I'm constantly trying to educate my customers and my staff that this is luxury. Trust me, I would know.

Okay. Yeah, right.

Period. I'm trying to find. I'm trying to show you, like, silk blazer. Where are you going to? Where are you going to find that?I just went into Zara the other day just to see, like, what's going on. Obviously the prices have increased because, like, that's the law of the land. But it was a polyester t shirt. For $39. And it was.I'm like, do you guys know this is plastic? So now we're educating. Polyester is plastic. So you're wearing plastic on your body. That's why you're so hot. You know, how about we try just a cotton.It's amazing how hard it is to just find cotton when that used to be the standard a while ago. So there's so many different levels to it. But back to the vintage and thrifting, the difference. It can be similar.It can be similar because with thrifting, you're looking for a deal. You can find deals in vintage. So to use the term thrifting, but you're only going to vintage shops. It kind of works because that's the term.Like, thrifting means looking for a deal, a resale deal. You know, it doesn't necessarily mean going to a classic Goodwill thrift store. And I think that's where people get a little confused. You can.Because I don't mind it when people come in and they're like, oh, we're just thrifting for the day. I'm like, oh, nice. You know, you'll find some deals here. Absolutely. Because that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to make it affordable.So thrifting is about finding affordable resale options. Vintage is typically a higher price point because of its quality. But you can thrift vintage.Antiquing is the only one that's like way different because antiquing is like really, really old stuff, like hundred year old stuff. But you can say thrifting for vintage. And then I want to bring up like Goodwill Salvation Army. I love to remind people this stuff was free.It was literally just like you probably donated a bag a couple weeks ago or whatever. They get everything at no cost. They have a zero cost for the items that they receive.So their prices, actually, to be honest, let's be honest, they don't reflect the cost that they paid.

Yeah, for real.

Which is this. And then here I am buying, you know, like I have, I buy, I source. None of this stuff is free.So when people come in and say it's so expensive, I'm like, first of all, it's silk. Let's start there. Silk is a natural organ, like high quality luxury fabric. So that's already, it's already priced down because of that.And then I bought it for you, you know, it wasn't free. So I try to remind people of those little details.

Yeah, that's a, that's a huge detail. Like, yeah, I didn't I did not know that. I don't think. I just am not educated in it.

No, people just don't think about you. Don't even think about it.

But it's so true. You're right.Like when I was cleaning out my closet, I did take a bunch of those garbage bags over to Salvation army because it is a place that will take it absolutely, you know, for free and outsource it. And it even makes me think, like, do you. How do you find your clothes? People don't drop off clothes to you, do they?

No, they do not. And I would never want that.

I know that's right. Don't come over here.

Right. I don't want your sheen, sweetheart. Not that. Not. Don't get me wrong, it's not always sheen.I've seen some when I get calls from customers and they're trying to donate like high quality quality stuff that maybe their mom had. And this just happened to me.A lady called, she said my mom was a dancer and she named brands that today's market wouldn't recognize, but I would because they're vintage luxury brands that don't exist anymore. I was like, oh, my God, absolutely. I will take that from you. You know, occasionally I will get that kind of donation, but they're far in between.But in general, I source through estate sales, and it's one of my biggest secrets.It's not a secret I tell everybody, but when I was first coming up with my business plan and I knew I wanted to open a vintage shop, I said, I already know. Thrifting at Goodwill or Salvation or a Village discount or whatever is not sustainable. Their prices are constantly increasing.So if I buy a jacket for $20, then I'm forced to resell it for, you know, X amount, yada, yada yada. Where else can I get clothes at a nice price point and better quality? And then I went online and look at that.There's a whole website called estatesales.net. That's the one I use. There's also a dot com, maybe.But anyway, you go in there, you type in the zip code of the area you want to go to see what shops are. I've perfected it, so to speak.But even if you just want to go to just kind of see, you know, Hyde park has some of the best estate sales, by the way. These black women, I'm talking lawyers, doctors, they're just innate. The style is impeccable. And so I love to do estate sales to source my garments.

Basically, I love the education piece of it all, you know, I was just talking to a friend even just about clothes. Like, you know, she was.She's been losing weight, and she has all of these, like, beautiful suits that she would wear, you know, like, in the office and stuff. And she's like, I don't want to just give this to Salvation Army. Yeah. And he's like, so she's been trying to interstate, like, find.I think she ended up finding, like, a not for profit for, like, women who are, you know, doing jobs for success.

Yeah.

And it's like, just thinking about the sustainability of all of this, you know, it seems like vintage is, like, where we should start first. Just thinking about the sustainability of it all.

Absolutely. Exactly. Cause these garments have been around so long. Stuff from the 80s, you know, is 35, 40 years old. And then it just goes, like from the 70s.Like, you just start to say, wow, it's already been around for 50 years and it's still here. Like, it's not ripped to pieces. It doesn't have lint balls all over it, and it's still in great shape. What does that mean? That means it's luxury.

It's good stuff.

Just like your Chanel bag. A vintage Chanel bag is going for sometimes just as much as, you know, a current day one.They keep their value because they're well made, and that's what vintage is.

Yeah, for sure. You know. Any thoughts around the girlies who are out here? Like, I'm gonna open up an online boutique.It always seems like that's like, the quick, you know, I need to start a business. Let me open up an online boutique. When folks say that, what are they getting into? When somebody says, I want to start a boutique,.

Baby girl, you need to be ready. Okay? And I want to talk directly to those people who want to start even just online. That's a great starting point. Absolutely. Starting online.But you have to be ready for the ups and downs of retail in general. When I was working in luxury retail, even a manager in particular, I would think I would be in a bad mood if the sales were down for the day.And I think, like, that's so rude. How dare you? You know? But now I get it.I get it now, like, but even more because it's like my business, you know, so I'm, like, responsible ultimately for the sales. And it kind of hurts, you know, if you're not making your sales goals, it definitely can bring you down.So be ready for those mood swings, the ups and downs of it. You know, maybe you have one customer and she buys a lot from you. But then you go a month and you just get a couple sales.Or if you're doing popups, pop ups are also hit and miss. You cannot expect to just win and, you know, sell out a booth. That's never happened to me.Like, there's some of these pop ups I do that are some of the biggest names. I don't want to call them out by name, but you don't always make any money.You know, like, if there's like 75, 80 other popups doing the same thing, it's oversaturated and there's too many options. So you have to also decide what's gonna make me different.I'm not just gonna open up a boutique with stretchy, stretchy dresses, you know, sexy little, you know, BBL dresses or whatever. What can I do that will make me stand out from a sheen or a fashion nova, you know, like, what's gonna make me different?And that's the number one thing you have to decide before you even get started.

Yeah. Yeah. It's not just that simple.

No, no, not at all. Anybody can go and like, sell some stuff online. Like, come on, I have some stuff online now. But it's. Then you have to design your website.You have to, you know, all the expenses, too, that come with owning any business. And of course they double once you open a brick and mortar. But even online businesses, where are you going to house your inventory?You know, who's going to work on your website? There's a lot of pieces, and the more research you do, the better.But I will say it's also possible to do too much research and get overwhelmed by options and ideas. I had a friend like that, and she never took her business off the ground because she got overwhelmed with everything.She got a business who was like, oh, yeah, we'll help you get your llc. We'll show you everything you need. And then they completely destroyed her confidence because there was so much on the list.If you feel like you've taken a lot of those initial steps, I would say just get started versus continuing. Okay, now I got my llc. Now I gotta get. Just go open the website. Yeah. You know, and then you'll start to figure things out as. As time goes on.But you have to be fully committed and fully ready.

Yeah.

To some degree.

Right? Yeah. Cause I was gonna ask, like, do you think that the business plan was needed? I've seen that many times. And people are like, you don't need it.Just start. I think for that reason, like, the over researched.

But you do need a business plan, something like your bible, something to go back to as you're going through this process now. The business plan doesn't gotta be. It don't have to be crazy.It doesn't have to be like 200 pages, you know, it can be like two, three pages even of your ultimate goals and you know, the sales you wanna make. But it really helps to have something on paper that you can refer to as you're growing your business, you know?Cause there's so, like I said, there's so much going on. How can you even remember left from right if you don't have a little booklet about my business dot com.

Yeah. You know, since you have this like great career in luxury and then now you're with vintage frills. Has your definition of success changed?

Ooh, wow, you got such great questions.

Oh, thank you.

Has my definition of success changed? Age? Yes and no. It's crazy because I. Well, I'm a Capricorn, so that doesn't help. We are always like trying to climb and get to the highest peak of.

Moving the goal post. Always moving the goal post.

Yeah. So in, in a sense I don't. It changed my def. It does. Like, I don't feel like I'm successful yet. Like I, I don't see it, you know, like.But I had like a staff member and they told me, well, you're doing it, you got it, you're working for yourself. That's success. And I'm like, well, there's tears to it, you know, I wanna have like a really comfortable living.And if I don't have, for me, if I don't have that yet, then I don't feel like I've reached success. You know, it's not just about opening your own store. Cause people go bankrupt all the time, you know. And I'm still like, I'm sc.There's days where I'm like, oh my God, you know, how are we gonna make payroll and rent and this and that. You gotta do all these external pop ups because the customers aren't coming in.Think about this weird weather we've been having in Chicago where I'm like, are we in Florida or what? Severe warning storms like every day. So that affected foot traffic a lot.So then it goes, you know, you start to think like, oh my God, like what am I gonna do? So I don't feel successful yet. I don't wanna have those types of worries and I'm not there yet. So.

So yeah, you're on your way.

Right. Thank you. Thank you. But that. Yeah. So I feel like. I don't know, like, who's successful? I look at, like, other people. I don't know. I know, right?Other people, I guess. Like, I watch Shark Tank, and I see those people, and they're. They're like, well, we made out. Yeah, 20 million.And then they get the deal with Mark Cuban. I'm like, that. That, to me, that is success. So I'm not quite there yet.

Yeah, not there yet. Okay. Well. Well, you know, as we wind down, is there anything that you think needs to be said before we call our conversation complete? Oh, yeah.

Just the part where it's not that easy.

Yeah, it's.

I know. I know. And I feel like. I guess I'm thankful to be an inspiration to people, but I do. I constantly remind them that. Remember my background.Like, bro, I was. You know, I was in luxury retail, so I learned a lot of things from that.So when you just decide, like, oh, I'm gonna open up a resale store, and, you know. Easy. It's fucking hard. Excuse my language.

No, it's not good.

Not easy. It's hard. Just so you know. So be ready for that if you're gonna take the journey.I. I feel like I make it look easy because we have had some big wins. American Express and Business Insider chose us for, like, a. Yeah. And I'm like, oh, my God, that's great. But there's still so many down days, so.And you gotta be ready for that. You got to have the strong financial backing to some degree, once you run out of your, you know, capital or whatever that's gonna be.So you gotta have some kind of money or a bank. My husband's my bank right now, sadly, I feel sorry for him, but I'm like, bro, it's you or nobody, so it's gonna be you.And then there's just so many other things to consider. So don't look at me and think, ah, yes, she did it. I could do, too. Yes, you can. But be ready. That's all. Like, it's. It's not.I don't want you to go bankrupt. I don't want you to have to close your business. You know, I see it all the time. People move in too fast, and then they have to close their shop.And it's like, I don't want that to be you. I don't want that to be me, either.

So, yeah, definitely. Take your time. Yeah. Long and steady wins the race, doesn't it?

Thank you. Thank you. Yes. What is it? Short and steady. Short and steady.

Okay.

Yes, exactly.

Steady wins the race.

Yeah. Don't be trying to open up six or seven stores back. That's crazy talk.

Yeah, I know. It's so easy though, I think because I, I love to dream about that stuff. And then you're always like, I want it now, obviously. No, I want it now.I want it to blow up. I want everybody to be, be interested in loving it. But I hate the slow. I hate the slow.

I know, I know. It's for the best tan. The slow. I wanted to open my first shop in Hyde park actually.Like, and, but the prices even during that time were like way too much than I can afford.I still want it to be there, but I gotta have sense to know, like, if this we gotta make home right first, you know, and once I feel like, okay, I'm ready to let baby go and focus on Hyde park shop, then I will. But. Yeah, Slow and steady wins the race.

Yeah. Do you still do the bus pop ups?

Oh, yeah, thank God I do. It's. It saves us from financial peril.

Okay.

Like, yeah, she, she gets a lot of attention because she's pink and.And then I had a graffiti artist like, do some donuts and like all these cute little like chairs and stuff, which I love the, the caricature type of art. So she gets a lot of attention. So we definitely use it. We were just at Logan Square Farmers market this past Sunday and we had a great market.So I'm happy she's, I'm happy I kept her. She's not problem free though. She getting old and you know, costly. But I'm glad she's still here.

Yeah, absolutely. You know, how can the community support the work that you're doing at Vintage Frozen?

Oh my gosh, that's a great question. I think just sharing the shop with people, you know, referring people.I don't always expect people to come and shop because if you don't need, you don't need. But you know, people who love vintage, you know, because it's a certain lifestyle. It really is to a degree. Bring them, tell them about it.You know, just share my story, share my shop with those who, you know, think would be most beneficial because I don't want to just be like, yeah, just show up and buy something that's okay. Just help spread the word and, and then, you know, if you build it, they will come.

Amazing. Yes. Jennifer, this is a personal question. You guys have plus sizes?

Absolute. Duh. Duh.

Oh my God. On my way.

I'm a curvy cutie myself, so of course I have to. And the thing is, ironically, right now I have more curvy stuff than average size. So that's another issue where I'm like, got it.Trying to balance it all out. But yes, absolutely. Now it does depend. It depends on what size because it gets hard once you go into vintage.Like, are we talking 14, 16 or 18, 20, that's even harder. But I do have some, some things.But it, if you don't like it, you know, if it's not even your style, then it's like, oh, you know, you're gonna walk out empty handed. But I, I make sure I stop plus sizes.

Okay. I love it. I'm gonna just come in my bodysuit ready to just try new clothes.

Yes. And then message me too. We have stuff in the back, you know, like, and I, I could just bring some stuff out.I can get you a whole fitting room, shopping experience going.

Oh, I love that. Now that is luxury. No.

There you go. Exactly. Yes.

Oh, my God. Jennifer, thank you so much for talking with me and sharing about vintage frills.I think, I think it's such a wonderful space to have available, like jazzy vintage clothes that we can rock. I love that.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Stephanie.

Yeah. Congratulations for all of your work. This is wonderful. Thank you.

Yeah. This is a great podcast to keep doing what you're doing.

Thank you.

Hey, I want it now. Right?

Me too.

Okay. Maybe that could be your next book if you do. But I don't know if you write books too, because you're very multi talented. I can already tell.

Thank you.

Maybe I should. I'm going to write that down. I want it now. Exactly. That's.

So that concludes another episode of nosy AF31 Days of Black Business. I'm your host and friend, Stephanie Graham. I hope you took something away from today's conversation and had a good time hanging with us.Be sure to check out the show notes to learn more about today's guest and consider supporting their work. You know how it goes, whether you're making a purchase, hiring them, or simply spreading the word. Listen, who doesn't doesn't love a referral.It truly all makes the difference. Quick thank yous go out to Queen Lex and Freddie. Bam Bam for the nosy AF theme music.And Emma McGoldrick who hooked me up with the COVID art and branding. Shout out to the partners and supporters for this series. You could check them out in the show notes as well. Super grateful for a partner.

Hello.

That's the show Friends until tomorrow. Stay curious and take care. Bye, Sam.