As many of you know, I recently restarted my Etsy shop this year and revamped it to sell vintage and vintage-inspired accessories. I've had a lot of fun getting it all set up and finding items, but I'm still working on improving it and making it better. Thus, this week I dropped almost all of my prices, permanently.
Let me explain why.
(As you read amongst pictures of some of the items in my shop!)
I was looking at other Etsy shops trying to find a dress for an upcoming event that would fit me and work with my style. I was pretty frustrated as it's hard enough to find a dress that fits me (or is close to fitting), not to mention the added frustration of not being able to afford anything that didn't require massive repairs.
Then..... I found it!!! The perfect dress.
It was not only my size, but it was completely affordable for me! In fact, it was even less than I thought I would have to dish out for a dress! Reader, you cannot imagine how excited and happy I felt to have finally found something I liked that I could also afford.
Pretty much immediately, I checked out the shop's other items, and I was pleased to find they were affordable as well! While not cheap, they were manageable for me. I saw some items that I've been wanting but thought were out of my grasp for a long while, like a 1940s coat and a lovely 30s hat. I had to fight to urge to buy them on the spot; I was so glad to have real options!
I then thought to myself, "Does my shop make people this happy to look through? Why do I have a shop? What's the purpose?"
I, of course, want to fund my own vintage habit. But I also want people like me to be able to enjoy beautiful vintage items in their own wardrobes. I want the timeless class, modesty, and originality of past times to be accessible to everybody who wants it, not just a habit of people with money to spare or who have the blessing of shopping for and wearing vintage as a career. I know how it feels to be frustrated looking for vintage because it's just so out of my financial grasp as a college student. I understand what it is like to compare myself to other vintage-lovers who seem to have an endlessly fabulous, large wardrobe that I can't "compete" with. It's very frustrating!
I then asked myself, "Does my shop evoke those feelings in other people?"
I realized that college students and others like me probably couldn't afford to get many of the items from my shop. I don't want them to sit in my shop forever! I want them to be enjoyed and loved and looking fabulous on some vintage gal!
Thus, I have reduced my prices quite a bit because of this shop-purpose reevaluation. If you've been looking at an item, now's your chance to get it! I hope that I've communicated my heart effectively on this matter and helped make the vintage world more accessible to you guys in my own small way!
P.S. The winner of the Valentine's Day Giveaway is...... Helen Mae of Lovebirds Vintage!
Email me with your address and I'll mail you your prize ASAP! Congratulations!