Community Highlights: Meet Christianna Reese of Petal Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christianna Reese.

Hi Christianna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I fell in love with the antique business while I was living in Virginia Beach in my early twenties. It was a period of my life where I was feeling lost. I had dropped out of college & was in a rocky relationship. I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in life. One day I wandered into an antique bookshop & started talking with the owner. He told me he was looking for an assistant & I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I worked for him cataloging rare antique books & estate hunting.

Every day I woke up so elated to just sift through old musty books for hours. I was obsessed. I would fantasize about one day owning my own shop but at the time it felt like a pipe dream. A year or so later, life threw me a curveball. I found out I was pregnant. I then moved back to Ohio, leaving my job at the antique bookstore behind. For five years I worked in healthcare caring for the elderly and navigating the struggles of single motherhood.

The time I spent working in the bookstore haunted me every day. I was feeling unfulfilled in my job. So I decided to start buying & selling antique books & small vintage items as a fun side hustle. I slowly started gaining attention on social media for my vintage finds. The little items I was selling turned into big items like antique furniture & it wasn’t long before I found myself quitting my healthcare job & starting a full-time antique business.

I was hesitant at first to take the risk but it felt right to follow my dream. I opened multiple booths in various antique malls in the area & continued to sell online. One connection led to another & now I will be opening a storefront at an amazing location in Waynesville Ohio. It has been a dream come true for me & I love that my daughter can witness all of this so that one day she might chase after her dreams as well.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have been many obstacles along the way. When I first started selling antiques, I had to teach myself quite a bit with little to no guidance. I had some knowledge under my belt about books but learning the ins and outs of other areas of the business took a while. I’m still learning new things every day! Overall I think the biggest challenge for me was & still is balancing motherhood with being a full-time business owner. It’s tough to juggle everything & manage time but it’s worth it!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Petal Vintage?
My business is called Petal Vintage. I specialize in vintage furniture, home furnishings, antique books & other vintage items! I sell vintage from all periods, primarily the 1970s and earlier. What I feel sets me apart from others is that I see my antique shop as a creative art form.

I truly have a passion for it & love curating space with relics from other times/ mixing styles like midcentury, Victorian, and folk art. I am fascinated with finding something old dusty & forgotten, seeing the beauty in it & being able to move it into a new phase of life where it will be adored and treasured. I am very proud to be able to find & offer unique pieces of history for my customers!

I strive to find items that are special & rare. I am also proud to say my business is helping support the environment by keeping old beautiful furniture out of landfill. Every purchase is like a form of recycling! I also pay cash for vintage items so customers can come to me to help clear out furniture, books, vinyl, clothing, etc that they or family members are parting with.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My daughter first & foremost. She is the world to me! Being her mother has taught me so much about life. She was born with a critical heart condition that required open heart surgery at 3 months old. We lived in the hospital for most of the first year of her life. Watching her overcome everything was like watching a miracle & has inspired me in so many ways. From her, I have learned patience, gratitude, resilience, strength, and true unconditional love.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @petalvintageshop

Image Credits
Arabella Photos