Meet Brittany Philbin of Curly Girl Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Philbin.

Hi Brittany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2020 I started shopping secondhand because of my interest in sustainability. By that point, I had transitioned most of my household cleaners and cosmetics to more environmentally friendly options and wanted to do more. I realized that one big change I could make was to shop secondhand before purchasing new. 

At the time, I was working full-time with my husband on his business and wanted something to call my own. I started shopping garage sales and thrift stores for home decor. I opened an Instagram account where I sold a lot of my finds and, surprisingly grew very quickly. Slowly over the last almost 3 years, I have found a love not of just secondhand but primarily vintage decor. 

After about a year of having my online shop, I was able to open a storefront. I had an ideal situation. My husband owns the unit for his business but doesn’t use the showroom because he doesn’t sell to the public. We decided to renovate the front showroom space into the storefront it is now. 

Partway through the renovations we found out we were pregnant! So now I bring my daughter with me to estate sales to source items for the shop! 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was pretty smooth in the beginning. I really had a knack for marketing myself through Instagram, and grew to 10k followers in a year. But like all social media, the algorithm changes. I have had a hard time with the new algorithm and reaching the audience I worked so hard to build. I have had a hard time being consistent with my content like social media wants. Less people see my posts and therefore have less sales. 

Also, having a baby changes a lot! I am a stay-at-home mom and do as much as I can for my business, but it is not nearly as much as I could while working on it full-time. 

Opening a storefront is also its own challenge! It’s a whole different type of marketing. Obviously, you need to focus on the local customers and try to reach new ones. I have relied on social media and my following on Instagram a lot for that but isn’t quite enough. I have been branching out and trying to figure out how to market the storefront better by doing local markets and ads 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
I sell vintage home decor, furniture, and clothing. 

I have an eclectic style, and most people can find something to fit theirs. I do gravitate towards a lot of midcentury, boho, rustic and French country designs. I love to find the unique as well as nostalgic items. Many people come into the shop and get excited about how something reminds them of their grandma. 

I’m proud to give vintage pieces a second life. So many people discard items because they are “old” or out of style, but I truly enjoy those pieces and think the can bring a lot of character to your decor. I am so happy when I can find a home for an item that otherwise would have been discarded. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m not even sure what my own personal home decor style is! 

Contact Info:

• Website: Curlygirlvintage.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/curlygirlvintage_

Image Credits
Lydia Fach Photography