We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danielle Ferrari. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danielle below.

Danielle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The idea for Valhalla came together sort of on accident. I didn’t set out to start a clothing rental business but once the idea formed, there was no turning back for me.

About 8 years ago, I found myself ready to change careers and industries but I was having trouble finding a good fit so I decided to start a business, something I had always wanted to do. My first idea for a business came from my obsession with the share ecconomy. I loved the idea that we don’t need to own something in order to consume it.

My initial idea was to start a peer-to-peer tool rental business. Think Airbnb but for tools. I loved the idea that we don’t need to own a blender or a lawn mower, we could borrow these items from our neighbors and they can get reimbursed for the use. After doing some research, I realized that this business wasn’t for me as I have no programing experience and I scrapped the business plan I had started.

I was extremely disappointed giving up on the idea of a business centered around sharing but I really didn’t have any other innovative ideas. I decided to start a resale business because I love clothes and a good deal. I figured owning a business that let me be around clothes would be satisfying enough even if it wasn’t innovative.

Pretty much the only career experience I had was in heavy civil construction so I didn’t really know much about the resale clothing industry so I started doing some research to write my business plan. I quickly discovered that women’s clothing is one of the most wasteful and environmentally harmful industries in the world.

That’s when I had the a-ha moment. If I mixed resale clothing with the share ecconomy, I’d have a mix of my two greatest passions. My dream idea and my safe idea came together in an earthshattering revelation. I could do both!

By structuring Valhalla as an affordable clothing membership I can connect people with new clothing to wear every single day. Members can rent 3 items of clothing with our basic membership at a time with unlimited exchanges. They can switch them out for new items as often as they like and we do the laundry.

Danielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Valhalla Resale is the first and only brick and mortar clothing rental membership. With two locations, one in Tampa and the other in St. Petersburg, FL, we help people wear something new without the burden of ownership.

We don’t typically think of clothing ownership as a burden but once you become a member, you might. There are many factors that owning clothing comes with that are absent when you rent them. Financial: The price of buying new clothing has gone through the roof even for cheap, fast fashion. Time: Or buying used can take a lot of time sifting through thrift shops hoping you find something that works for you. Time: laundering and putting away your clothes takes a lot of time and energy for some. Space: Clothing can take up a lot of space and when you have smaller closets, it can require additional armoires and dresses to house it all.

We also offer personal styling with our membership. As members can switch out their selections as often as they like, our stylists are always on the look out for styles that we think they’ll love.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

During the beginning of the COVID pandemic, in Florida, we were required to be closed to customers for 30 days. I took that time to post items we would typically box up for the season on Poshmark along with some of our higher priced items. I also started a Shopify store at the same time with the same inventory.

I thought if I had all this extra time and excess inventory, I might as well sell online.

I really wish I had spent that month “relaxing” on the couch binge watching my favorite comfort shows. Posting on these sites was a colossal waste of time. I wouldn’t recommend anyone sell used clothing online themselves unless they don’t value their time.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best way we get new members is from member referrals.

When I was first starting out, I was reluctant to offer a member referral program because, as all start ups do, I was struggling with cash flow and I didn’t want to reduce the income I was already counting on.

I ended up structuring the member referral program so that members get half off their next month when a friend joins and their friend get’s half off their first month. That helped us not have to reduce our income but also benefit from a generous referral program. Our income remained the same but if we impressed the new member and retained them for the next month, we increased our income.

We also naturally get referrals because our members are walking, talking billboards for our membership. When they get compliments at work or out for brunch, it’s a great time for them to shock their friends by telling them it’s rented and all the things they love about their membership.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.valhallaresale.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/valhallatampa
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/valhallaresale
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/16223528
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/valhalla-resale-st-petersburg-st-petersburg