Cards on the table. I do all of this myself. The hunting, curating, buying (!), mending, cleaning. All the photos, all the photo editing and garment measuring. All of the researching on dates and labels and textiles and construction details. All of the website work (built it myself, maintain and run it myself). I manage customer inquiries, sales, complaints. I do all the packing and shipping (and buying shipping supplies).
Myself, alone.
The vintage dealer world has grown by leaps and bounds since I started in the early 2000's. When I started the 1970s were the most recent allowed as vintage! Now it's mid 90s! I've kept up with supplying up to the moment vintage on my site as well. I have on hand, between my shop and my storage, well over 4,000 pieces of vintage.
I screw up sometimes, I mix up shipping labels, ship something that I meant to add a button back to, forget to ship something someone bought via email rather than the site...I'm managing the website, Etsy, OpenSky, Chairish, Facebook selling pages, Instagram selling and my local shop. I am far from perfect, but I try to do my best and when I fail I try very hard to make it right for that customer. I love vintage. I wouldn't do this if I didn't, and I wouldn't still be doing it 15 years later if I didn't feel passion for it. I'm a Mom, a daughter and a spouse. I run a household (and the yard that goes with it), manage a local boutique and try to help my extended family as I do all of this.
Things have not gone well the last 6 months or so, and I've managed to tread water, but my house is in foreclosure, my shop rent is behind and bank accounts overdrawn. I've got a bill coming out of Paypal tomorrow on auto-pay that I can't cover, and if not, it will go to my bank, which is overdrawn...and then it spirals into fees and I'm struggling to get back into the black from the last time it happened.
So this is me, being honest and real with all of you and offering 50% off everything on the site. Thousands of items half off. Designer stuff, antique things. Jewelry, hats, dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie. AND I'm happy to do a volume discount and cheap ship! I've been at this a long time, and am trying to STAY able to do this. SO being 100% honest, personal and real with all of you. This is a real "hail mary" move for me because I'm desperate to get back on track.
Thank you all, if you've read this far, for loving vintage and loving my site!! And to anyone still waiting on an order that is late, know that as things are going out rapidly to get me caught back up and everyone squared away. 
Code HAILMARY50 at checkout, and thank you all! ---->Â https://dorotheas-closet-vintage.myshopify.com
3 kommentarer
Sorry that a $50 purchase won’t make much of a difference in the finances. Really wish I could have done/bought more.
But if it means anything, this is a significant and sentimental purchase for me. It’s not the costliest investment I’ve made in vintage, but it’s one I’ll remember well.
When I first became interested in vintage hunting and starting a collection of my own, when I first learned the value, the history, and the unusual design/durable material, this is the first dress that caught my eye. I can’t remember where or why I stumbled on it, but I know I didn’t purchase it because it was the wrong size or too expensive. Now, years later, you have it in my size, and the sale meant I have it in my closet. For some reason, now that I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of vintage and vintage collectors on Instagram and Etsy, developed my own little following, following the women on social media and lusting after vintage beauties every day, I’ve now come full circle with this buy. Hope that makes your day like this find made mine. Thank you!
Hello, I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear things are so tough for you at the moment. It is deeply impractical for me to buy clothes from you as I live in the UK, but I have done so for the 3rd time tonight because your stock is always of such beautiful quality and arrives so carefully packed and in such excellent condition. I don’t buy that many clothes and am always wary of doing so online but I love your website, and can’t imagine what a job it must be to keep the whole thing going on your own – my heart goes out to you. I hope things pick up soon, all best wishes, Lucy
Hello,
I am so sorry for your troubles! I know too well how hard things can get. My health took a tailspin a couple years ago and I had to give up my whole life and move in with my mother ?.
I gave up my apt. My car. My career. I was in med school with 200 clinic hours left. Everything I own is in storage . But I’m still alive.
I found no matter how depressed I get I have to get some kind of exercise . Walking fresh air. It’s help quell all those anxious thoughts and $$ worries. So do it even when you have a million other things to do. It really helps!
Thank you so much for all the work you’ve done on this site! I adore your store! Sometimes when I’m feeling really bad . I just come here and scroll thru all the pretty things and I feel so much better. I have posted your sale on my web page and I will keep doing it. I’m trying to figure out what to buy myself ( hmm can I not pay a bill this month lol).
Anyone I will send you my good thoughts and prayers often and I hope everything gets better soon!
Love,
Jessica Bunny
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