We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenni Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jenni, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When I started working in the vintage industry I quickly realized the only way to get ahead was to establish a secure supply chain. In Greater Vancouver we have several warehouses that sort used clothing for export, and vintage shops compete for limited spots to pick clothing at these locations. So for my latest venture, The Only, I partnered with my favourite warehouse and exporter, Odyssey International. We opened our first brick and mortar in February of 2022 on Commercial Drive and are working on our second spot, a 4000 square foot space on Davie Street, opening late this year. Working in partnership with an exporter means that we have a near unlimited supply of vintage clothing, and we can offer our customers the best selection at the lowest prices. Our stock sells through quickly and our shop always feels fresh. I hate it when people are too precious with their vintage items. My philosophy is to sell and move on!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve worked in and around the vintage industry for over 20 years. I started in the basement of True Value Vintage on Robson Street, deconstructing vintage sweatshirts into puff sleeve cropped blazers, and appliquéing vintage leather onto deadstock tank tops in the shape of penises and booze bottles (lol cringe). This was rework 1.0, circa 2001. That rework vintage line changed many times and became something bigger, which eventually took me to NYC to design Zachary’s Smile, a line of mostly new pieces that incorporated vintage fabrics and items in the designs. We still happily worked out of the basement of a vintage shop. After ZS fizzled out in 2010, I came back to my home in Vancouver and partnered with a non-profit in the DTES to create a vintage charity shop, Community Thrift & Vintage. We hired women in the neighbourhood that were in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, and donated all of our profits back to charities. In 2020, after a decade in the DTES I needed a change of pace and decided to start a new shop, The Only. I partnered with Odyssey International, a used clothing exporter so that there could be no limit to our growth, and we’d never have to compete with other shops for the best vintage. My business partner is the money-man-long-term-plan guy and I get to do the things I love, like keeping our aesthetic on point, making sure the shops look beautiful and are filled with covetable items, and ensuring our staff are happy and productive in their jobs.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner through picking at his warehouse in Vancouver for my first vintage venture, Community Thrift & Vintage. He suggested early on that we should open our own store together but I was hesitant. I knew that picking a business partner is akin to picking a life partner. You better be damn sure you can work it out before you sign those corporate documents. We worked together on a contractual basis for a few years, where I ran a wholesale division out of his warehouse. After that trial run I came to realize the potential in our future. We’re different in pretty much every way imaginable but I think that’s what gives our partnership its strength. We have different focuses and skill sets, so dividing the work is never an issue. He challenges me to be strong and I challenge him to be empathetic. I think picking someone you don’t have a ton in common with can be an advantage. You don’t need two creatives, but you do need one good money manager.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“Don’t hire friends” I have almost always had success hiring friends! You just need to be very clear about your roles and your boundaries. And in that way, hiring friends has probably taught me to be a better friend and a more open and honest communicator.
I’ve had way more success in hiring friends than hiring folks from craigslist. Some people present very well in interviews and then turn into Godzilla once they’re in the door. Friends can’t pull that shit! “Don’t hire friends” should be “Hire the right friends”.

Contact Info:

• Website: theonlyvintage.com
• Instagram: @the.only.vintage.shop @the.only.on.davie