Behind The Scenes of a Thrift and Consignment Business

prettygirlfindz Valentine’s Day Fall taken by Daisy Perez and Emily Perez 

Shopping 2nd hand now has moved beyond just using your typical previous excursion to the thrift retail store. It has moved to on the web platforms and stylish thrift markets. The “secondhand sector is projected to double in the upcoming 5 many years, reaching $77B”, in accordance to a 2021 resale report by ThredUP.

Resale is getting increasingly well known and shopping 2nd hand is getting a to start with choice for shopping for dresses. The 2nd hand vogue industry is a community driven by vintage garments curators and crafty artisans. 

Rocio Perez and Daisy Perez are customers of this community. In Could 2021, the two sisters started off their very own second hand outfits and handmade jewellery organization named prettygirlfindz.

I interviewed the Perezs’ to get the inside of scoop on commencing a sustainable fashion enterprise and what it can take to offer at classic marketplaces. 

Daisy Perez and Rocio Perez selling at Pop-Up San Jose taken by Izel Gabriela 

The Beginning 

The sisters have been encouraged by their mutual friend Orlando who operates Outer Space Classic. Rocio to start with stepped into the earth of classic vogue when she accompanied Orlando at the Worlds Worst Expo, a classic marketplace primarily based in Sacramento. 

Soon after checking out the industry, Rocio introduced the strategy of starting off a company to her sister Daisy. 

At 1st, Rocio and Daisy centered on curating and advertising thrifted and vintage outfits. In the starting phases of the company, Rocio inspired Daisy to offer her hand-produced jewelry. 

They formally commenced their company in Could of past yr. The first classic market place they signed up for and were admitted into was known as Monarch Sector, a Bay Space-centered market for nearby vendors.  

Identical to owners of other little firms, The Perez Sisters ran into bumps listed here and there along the way. 

“We struggled a lot with the identify simply because it is some thing that you want to be unforgettable and mirror what our business enterprise is all about. After that were the elements. We experienced to borrow a tent from a good friend, the canopy, and then the Ikea racks we experienced to obtain held falling at our initial market”, said Rocio, reflecting on the hardest part of beginning their small business.

Daisy Perez and Rocio Perez showing off their jewelry exhibit and curated racks at Angel Aura Vintage  taken by Rocio Perez and Emily Perez

The prettygirlfindz Aesthetic 

Driving every write-up of garments and piece of jewelry, there is a tale or inspiration. For the Perez sisters, it was the type of the early 2000s. 

The sisters describe their business’ aesthetic as a mix of their two styles. Daisy’s design is pretty Y2K but provides it far more edge. Rocio’s wears her Y2K aesthetic with far more pink. 

Curating outfits is a lot more than just finding cute garments, it is a entire approach. 

Rocio is in demand of the garments side of the organization while Daisy crafts the jewellery. 

Rocio provides the perform-by-perform on the thrifting video game: “We do a large amount of sourcing at the thrift stores. That usually takes up a large amount of time. Then there are the bins. That is my the very least favorite aspect. It’s really daunting the initial time you go simply because you see a large amount of resellers and they’re usually males. It is kind of competitive”.

On the jewelry aspect of the organization, Daisy curates and layouts all of their items. “ I really don’t strategy it out prior to. I constantly get started off with a shade combination”, claimed Daisy. 

Daisy makes their jewellery items with a design and style board. It usually requires her four to eight hours on a day-to-day basis to finish their pieces. “Sometimes I do devote all day on it, at my own tempo. I’m not dashing or anything at all. It’s form of just like what comes to me”, reported Daisy.

The Gender Hole In The Reselling Market 

Vintage marketplaces are dominated by male sellers. Most of the time these markets are run by gentlemen, this means they have a lot more manage around who and what vendors get to market. 

“Women sellers received about 97 cents for each greenback adult males acquired. But with new products, in which the authors say immediate comparison is less difficult, females received about 80 cents on average for each individual dollar males sellers received”, in accordance to a February 2016 New York Situations report about sellers on eBay.

When the Perez sisters 1st started off, they were being struck by the gender imbalance in the marketplace scene. The sisters share their knowledge as feminine-determining vendors in a dominantly masculine place: “I find it tremendous intimidating when they’re all guys. They’re form of like, ‘Oh, I know better than you. They’re not tremendous inviting’, said Daisy. 

Sisterly Business enterprise Advice 

The logistics and costs of a reselling and handmade products company can be challenging to navigate, particularly if you’re a femme vendor. 

Just before the job interview came to an conclusion, Rocio and Daisy shared information for women looking to begin their very own business: “I commonly inform feminine sellers to make investments in racks. Also, be initial. Concentrate on your model and have a theme. Also, make absolutely sure you know who you are and set that into your booth and your brand name mainly because I think it is a little something that will make you glance genuine”, said Rocio. 

A essential idea that caught out to me in the job interview was Rocio’s assistance about standing your ground when it arrives to aggressive sellers and prospects who test to consider gain of you: “My very last tips is to be stubborn. You have to be organization and you have to go there [acting] like you know what you’re executing, even if you don’t”. 

This information is in particular essential when you are a femme seller in a house occupied by typically men. “It’s a ton of males. You have to be business. You are there and you compensated for your location. We have experienced a good deal of problems with male distributors not respecting our space”, explained Rocio. 

You can invest in their thrifted finds and handmade jewellery pieces on their website. prettygirlfindz can also be acquired in retailer at Angel Aura Classic in Santa Cruz, California. Abide by them on Instagram to maintain up with their most recent drops and future pop ups. 

If you obtain any of prettygirlfindz products, tag us @HerCampusSJSU