We recently connected with Nicholas Ayala and have shared our conversation below.

Nicholas, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

SLCT Stock’s main goal has always been to bring our take on curated vintage clothing to our customers at an affordable price. Nothing makes us happier than selling our customers that piece of clothing they can call their favorite. With the fast fashion industry creating so much waste, it has never been more important to revisit vintage clothing and try to repurpose items from our past.

Our merchandise is composed of a thoughtfully curated, affordable *select stock*, yet many people ask what “SLCT” (pronounced “SELECT”) stands for.

S Sustainability

L Lifestyle

C Culture

T Treasures

We aim to set ourselves apart by offering a unique shopping experience where visiting the store is like visiting a good friend. Being able to see and feel the clothing you purchase is very satisfying, and our stores are relatively small because we favor quality over quantity. Our main goal and mission is to help you locate your favorite pieces of clothing; those items in your wardrobe that you can’t wait to wear, and that all of your friends will covet. We also strive to find and curate those extra rare treasures that we can offer at an affordable price. While there are many vintage clothing stores that sell only $100+ items, SLCT Stock believes that vintage clothing loses its appeal when it is no longer accessible. Our goal is to bring our taste on vintage clothing at a price that everyone can afford.

Nicholas, 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?

Founded in 2017, SLCT Stock is a curated vintage clothing store with three brick and mortar locations. The first one opened in Bloomington, IN in 2018, the second in Boulder, CO in 2019, and the third location in New York City’s East Village in 2021. We specialize in the buying, selling, and trading of vintage t-shirts, hats, crewnecks, and other garments.

As a 90’s kid, I have always been obsessed with fashion and it was sometimes hard finding outlets for this growing up in Indiana. I attended Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and a year and a half after graduating in 2016 and working in corporate America, I opened/founded SLCT Stock. I wanted to bring my passion for fashion and vintage clothing to Indiana, I opened my first store on the campus of Indiana University, and I wanted to bring my passion for vintage clothing/fashion to my peers at Indiana. The Boulder, CO store was opened in 2018, and the NYC store in 2021. I hope to continue to expand to even more locations, all while keeping vintage clothing accessible to everyone. With his fast expansion, Nick has brought on a great team that shares his passion:

Leading the Indiana Crew and Chief Curator/Principal Shareholder: Brian Sullivan

Running the Boulder, Colorado location: Clayton Van Ornum.

One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that I have a storefront in my college town of Bloomington, Indiana. I take great pride in being from Indiana and graduating from Indiana University. I hope I have added something to the college experience in Bloomington, and I can inspire future students of IU to explore and pursue their passions. I had the honor of speaking to students at the Kelley School of Business last year, and I would love to make this a reoccurring event.

How did you build your audience on social media?

One of the biggest forms of marketing for us has always been social media. Currently, our main social accounts on instagram have a collective 30K or so followers. We have always tried to be active on instagram and I think our audience has grown by us engaging with our followers. We post new arrivals and recaps to our feed and our stores have daily story sales that link to our website. This allows our customers to see the newest product we put on the floor and have the first shot at purchasing it. We have always wanted to be transparent through our socials and allow our followers to know exactly what is in-store for them if they choose to visit us.

My biggest piece of advice for people trying to build their social media presence is just be consistent. Keep posting and try to post things that you are genuinely passionate about. The rest will follow.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

My business and first store was all self-funded. I graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2016 with a Supply Chain degree. I interned at Toyota in college and was hired full-time in Purchasing following my graduation. I used this first job to help self-fund my first business. I was in Project Management in Purchasing at Toyota and I helped on the Truck team. I worked 50-60 hour weeks and was able to get a lot of overtime pay to help save as much money as possible. I owe everything to that first job and my opportunity at Toyota.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.slctstock.com
• Instagram: @slctstocknyc

Image Credits
Cayla Spatz Treysaun McGeachy JT Anderson