A Love Letter To Vintage Clothing: Why I'm Restarting My Business

 Friends,

Thrilled to share that I’m emerging from my cocoon and am in the process of relaunching Quinby Vintage. I miss the insistent sparkle of sequins before noon, the ridiculous novelty prints that lead to wonderful conversations with strangers, and the bright colors that challenge me to be as bold as they are.

I even miss the hard parts: engaging in hand-to-hand combat with stains that have had decades to set in, pouring sweat while lugging around collapsible clothing racks and suitcases full of new treasures, stabbing myself 10 times with a needle while I attempt to fix a ripped seam but end up making it ten times worse.

Most of all, I have missed all of you: friends who turn errands into occasions, who are all too happy to invent excuses to dress up, who encourage me to continue to believe the lie that one day, I will finally master pincurls. I miss being in community with fellow vintage sellers, so many of whom I’ve watched deal with the challenges and heartbreaks of the past few years with equal parts grit and grace. I miss seeing a customer’s face light up because they’re rocking a style they’ve always wanted to try but were afraid they couldn’t pull off. I miss the thrill of the hunt, the sale, the swap, the bargain, and the perfect accessory.

Conversations with friends in and outside of the vintage community have made me realize I’m far from the only one turning over stones, trying to find lost parts of myself.  Many of us are currently, however tepidly, entering phases of rediscovery, reconciliation, and regeneration–all while facing unprecedented uncertainty from every direction. We’re introducing our old selves to the people we are today, and wondering if they’re even still compatible. Contradictions abound, complications arise, but we keep going–even if we take a few steps backward to steady ourselves every now and then.

I invite you all to join me in my journey to reconnect with something that brings me joy: vintage clothing. I’m not sure what that journey will look like, but I know it has been one I’ve been wanting to embark on for quite some time.

Most importantly, I invite you all to rediscover the parts of yourself you miss–however trivial, however indulgent, however long it’s been. Call that old friend. Pick that hobby back up. Rewatch that show. Restart that club. Because I’ve learned: what we miss misses us back.

I can’t wait to reintroduce Quinby Vintage, and myself, to you all.

All my love, 

Katherine