Addicted To :: Prance And Swagger

We have gorgeous vintage clothing and accessories to lust over this week, my dear friends! Say an advance apology to your checking accounts, and read on to learn about how Desirée, the shop owner behind Prance And Swagger, found herself selling vintage clothing full-time on Etsy.

Q: Tell our lovely readers a bit about yourself. Is buying and selling vintage your full-time gig or a hobby? How and when did you get started in this business?

A: Hello lovely readers!!! My name is Desirée and I am a full time vintage clothing seller. It started as a hobby and a way to supplement my income in my early 20′s. In 2004, when I was 24, I spent a summer working a very demanding, unfulfilling waitressing job in Grand Teton National Park. I was worn out when I came back to Portland. I didn’t want to work for anyone ever again. I started wondering if I could make selling vintage clothing into my full time job….. and I haven’t worked for anyone but myself ever since. I tried so many different avenues for selling vintage clothing in the six years since I made the decision to work for myself…. Etsy has been the best outlet yet.

Q: Do you have any favorite, never-let-you-down, treasure hunting spots? Would you like to share, or are they top-secret?

A: Top secret of course! And I’m sure any vintage clothing seller will tell you the same. It’s a very competitive and secretive business. I’m not really the competitive type, but a girl’s always got to have her secrets!! My not-so-top-secret favorite spots are Value Villages. So much better than Goodwills and still very well priced. They also give you a 20% off coupon when you make a donation.

Q: Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when you’re thrifting? How do you decide what to pick up, or just pass on? Do you wait for an item to speak to you?

A: I want to maintain a certain level of quality in my shop that my customers can rely on. There’s a ton of vintage out there, but only a small percentage of it is well made and lovingly, thoughtfully designed. That small percentage is what I want. I’ll generally pass on anything that seems cheap or just plain ordinary. I don’t want to fill my shop with things that anyone can go into a thrift store any day of the week and find for their selves. That is my job. That is why people come to my store. I spend a huge amount of my life in thrift stores sifting through all the garbage to find those rare, extraordinary pieces so that they don’t have to!

Q: Be honest, do you keep many of your finds, or is it strictly business? And do you have any personal collections that you have built over time through thrifting?

A: I really don’t keep much of what I find. I used to, but at some point my closet and house reached maximum overload. Now I only keep things that are really nice quality, perfect condition, and fit me perfectly. As far as collections go, I definitely have a huge collection of records and shoes!

Q: Are there any items you’ve regretted selling and wish you would have kept for yourself?

A: Oh, SO many. A lot from when I was younger and had much less money. I’d sell really amazing stuff just to make rent. And the real crime is that Etsy wasn’t around back then, so I was selling to vintage resale stores who gave me very little money for some of the most valuable stuff I had…… and because I was young, dumb, and broke, I had to accept it! One sweet story I have is from when I was 22…. I was really REALLY into the early Who albums at the time and I found a really amazing Who concert shirt with this incredible graphic on the front of it of the 4 boys all asleep under a Union Jack flag. Again, because I was broke, I sold it for rent money because I knew it was pretty valuable. I regretted it (and regretted it, and regretted it) so bad. I wouldn’t shut up about it. On my birthday I opened up a present from my best friend… it was the shirt! She had gone back to the store and bought it for me. So sweet. I never wear it anymore, but I will keep that one forever.

Q: Pick one and tell us about it: Weirdest, most valuable, or most satisfying find?

A: I once turned a $1 pair of vintage 1942 Levis into $1,200! That was years ago… I wish that would happen again! One really amazing find was a pair of Peter Max tennis shoes from the early 60′s. I had no idea Peter Max had been commissioned to design shoes back then. They were really incredible, just totally covered in Peter Max’s signature psychedelic paintings.

Thanks, Desirée! I think we’re all going to be dreaming about turning $1 into $1,200 now! Stop by Prance and Swagger to check out some of Desirée’s latest finds.

Robin Eastwood is a treasure hunter and vintage fanatic. Visit The Fancy Lamb on Etsy to drool over some of her latest finds, and follow Robin on Twitter to hear about her latest thrifting adventures.