Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Umberger.
Hi Leah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the countryside of Ohio, raised by my mother. I always had a strong interest in fashion, even from a young age. I loved to play and dress up my Bratz dolls and I was always starting small “fake” businesses, such as “Leah’s Walmart”. I think part of my love for fashion came from all the time I spent in thrift stores growing up. My older sister would go to local thrift stores to buy clothing and then resell them for a higher profit on eBay. She had taught my mom how to do it as well so we would all go together and split up at the stores. It wasn’t long until my boredom turned to curiosity to learn the brands that were selling for more so that I could help them finds good items. Fast forward to my freshman year of high school, I discovered an entire world of online beauty and fashion videos. I spent all of my free time watching makeup tutorials, outfit ideas, etc… Unless I was watching 90210. This led to me creating my own YouTube channel, “Leah Lynn,” where I now post mostly vlogs of my daily life. I always wanted the finer things in life, the things I saw other people have on the other side of the screen. Due to personal reasons, I decided to finish high school online, where I eventually ended up graduating a year early. While finishing my high-school education online, my mom encouraged me to get a job. The idea of working a normal 9-5 job was unappealing as I had watched my sister work for herself for years. So, we compromised, and I was going to make money the way I had watched my sister and mom make it. While I made a decent amount of money, I still dreamt of moving away to a bigger town. After graduating high school at age 17, I was off to glamorous Boca Raton, Florida to study Fashion & Merchandising at Lynn University. Throughout college, I continued to resell clothing for a part-time income. This continued on when I moved to New York City in 2019 to start my first “real” job as a social media manager for a jewelry company. While I learned a lot during that short period, I was extremely unhappy with the position. After many tears and discussions with my boyfriend (now fiancé) we came to the realization that if I went full-time selling clothing online, I could potentially make more money than I was at my current job. I vividly remember the day I quit, as I sat in a coffee shop to send a resignation email because I was too scared to go in. I then walked to probably the smallest, most unorganized thrift store in NYC on my walk home where I found a Chanel tweed dress for only $3.50. I took this as a sign from the universe that I had made the right decision. About a month of hard work and late nights later, my fiancé and I then launched our website, www.TheClosetNY.com on Black Friday of 2019. We have since grown and changed our business model to higher-end, designer clothing/shoes/bags. We also upgrading our sourcing strategies from thrift stores to clients. After living in New York for a few more years, I was missing my home state and family in Ohio. The beginning of this year, 2022, my fiancé and I built a new home close to my family. We already know that we made the right decision as we are so happy here, and it feels like home. I absolutely love living in Ohio once again, and I feel as though moving away helped me to see the beauty that is here.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road. I remember questioning my fiancé/business partner several nights as to whether or not we had made the right decision. Soon after we launched our business, the pandemic hit. We knew we were no longer going to be able to source from thrift stores, as they were closed. We then began to find clients by asking around and word of mouth through family and friends. This is what helped us to expand from thrift store sourcing. Although sourcing inventory was not as easy, the pandemic actually helped our sales because we were online. More people started shopping online as it was the only way to shop, and there was simply not much else to do. We have had several other bumps along the way. Such as wondering when to hire on other employees and when to invest in a warehouse for our inventory. There are no directions as to when you should take these steps when growing a business, but we have found it is always best to follow your gut.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Closet. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
We are an online authentic luxury clothing store. We buy and sell new and gently used designer clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories. What sets us apart from our competition is our ability to find unique, in-demand pieces. We also differ from most competition by offering an on-the-spot payment for pieces rather than taking them in on consignment. We have found our clients do not want to wait for their money or worry about not being compensated if the item does not sell within a given amount of time.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was always very interested in business and fashion. I had friends but was not a social butterfly. I enjoyed spending time by myself and with family. I think because I enjoyed hanging out with my mom and older sister, I was pretty mature for my age and always enjoyed being around adults.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheClosetNY.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecloset_ny/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/leahlynnxo
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@theclosetny
