Conversations with Tyra Sledge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyra Sledge

Hi Tyra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
6th Street Vintage actually started as a hobby. I moved back to Cleveland in 2009 after living in Florida for less than a year. At that time, I wasn’t able to bring all of my clothing back home, so I began thrifting as a means to have clothing for work. It was there that I begin finding items that would eventually define my personal style. After about two years of discovering my hobby of Thrifting, I realized I had collected nearly 2000 items for my personal wardrobe.

After becoming pregnant with my son, I was forced to move most of those items into storage to temporary make room for him. I eventually became tired of paying for storage, so I began using my front room as my closet. It was at this time that my friends and family would come and get styled or borrow clothing for different occasions out of my closet. It was then I decided to start selling my thrifty items.

Without any business knowledge at all, I basically decided to start taking and uploading pictures of my items to Instagram. I wanted to name the business. Some thing that was special to me, so I decided to call it 6th St., Vintage after the street that I grew up on, 146th and Kinsman. Even after receiving my masters degree in 2012 from Cleveland State University, I still decided to continue my entrepreneurial journey.

During the first years of my business, I mainly curated clothing for the main purpose of reselling. However, over the years, I desire to learn how to re-construct some of those garments. it was, then that I began to study YouTube video’s and seek assistance from my mother to learn how to sew.

And although I currently do still curate and resell vintage items, many of the garments in my studio today have been re-constructed to add a personal 6th street vintage touch!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey of 6th St.,, Vintage from its establishment in 2013 until now has not come without some challenges. When 6th St., VINTAGE was created, I had no business knowledge at all. I had just graduated with my masters degree in health, science from Cleveland State University. My decision to pivot into entrepreneurialship immediately after graduation was met with some obstacles that I didn’t foresee at that time. I created 6th Street Vintage with no business plan or structure in mind. All I had was an amazing collection of hand, curated, vintage pieces, and my desire to present those pieces to anyone that was interested!

At the time of 6th Street Vintages’ establishment, reselling vintage clothing online was fairly new. It wasn’t as trendy or as popular as it has become over the last 5 to 6 years through social media. So at that time, making sales online was fairly easy. There were also opportunities for vending that allow me to spread awareness of my brand.

One of the challenges I met during my entrepreneurial journey involved the evolution of social media favoring videos over pictures. With the rising popularity of sharing reels over pictures, I was forced to become more creative with the content I created. I could no longer just post a picture for my audience to see. Initially, this journey wasn’t easy and was met with some resistance,. However, seeing a decline in the interactions of my customer base, led me to realize that I too had to evolve!

Over the years and as the business continue to grow, I realized that I would need a team in order to reach The Heights I wanted to see with my business. Running a small business by myself was a rather large task. There was always a need for photographers, models and graphic designers for marketing. With the variety of opportunities presented to me within Cleveland fashion community, I have been able to collaborate with those people needed to help both of our artistic visions come to life!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
6thstreetvintage is known for its unique designs and custom pieces created sustainably from Thrifted clothing and textiles. Aside from selling statement pieces that help add dimension to your wardrobe, I enjoy, taking things like old blankets and curtains, and turning them into clothing items! Usually when a customer reaches out to me, they are looking for a piece that will help them stand out in a crowd!

One of the things I’m most proud of are my fashion shows that I host featuring beautiful designs created from old clothing! The audience really enjoys how simple items such as blankets curtains, and I will be at sheets can be used to create beautiful jackets, gowns, and more!

I think one thing that says me apart from others is my personal style and how I use the items I have curated and up cycled to inspire others to look at fashion more sustainably. I enjoy, showing others how to view fashion from a more broader perspective! I’ve been able to share my knowledge and show others how to display their personal style in a more sustainable way! I’ve also been granted the opportunity to teach others how to up cycle their own wardrobe! I think that by showing how my personal style is not defined by trends encourages others to look beyond what is popular when looking to find the style that suits their personality! .

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
One piece of advice, I would give to anyone looking become a small business owner is to remember that your journey is your own, and it is not to be compared to the journey of anyone else.
It’s really easy to get discouraged as a new business owner when you see the success of others online. However, we must remember that what we see online it’s just a snapshot of what it took for that person to get where they are.

One thing I wish I knew as a new business owner is that you can’t put a time limit on your success. I remember thinking that everything would happen for me by a certain time within my business journey. I didn’t consider some of the obstacles that will come along the way. As a small business owner for 12 years now, I can honestly say that I embrace each milestone in this journey of continuous growth!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @6thstreetvintage
• Facebook: 6th Street Vintage