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

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I knew as soon as I created my business that I wanted its name to be not only special to me but also meaningful to those around me. I wanted the name to represent the city where I established my business, which is Milwaukee, WI. Milwaukee has many nicknames, but one of my favorites is Cream City. The reason behind this nickname is the cream-colored clay bricks that many of the buildings in Milwaukee were built from in the 19th century. Then I saw the word “threads,” and it really caught my eye! I wanted to use a word that represents all of the inventory I have, not just clothing! And that is how I came up with Cream City Threads.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello! My name is Anna, and I am a 25-year-old nanny and business owner living in Wisconsin. I grew up with two hardworking parents who owned their businesses, both together and separately. I remember that from an early age, whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew older, I would always say I wanted to own a business. In middle and high school, I was either thrifting, going to rummage sales, or selling clothes I no longer wore on Poshmark, and that is when my passion truly began. I moved to Milwaukee three and a half years ago for a job opportunity as a nanny. In the meantime, I started my business! I mainly focused on finding vintage clothing, whether that was at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, or in my Grandpa’s closet. As I grew my business and gained more knowledge, I added more vintage pieces, such as bags and hats.

Stepping into the vintage clothing world, I realized that many people my age are also entering this business, and competition has increased. I had to figure out a way to stand out. I carefully considered what people wanted and what I have experienced from shopping, and from that, I pursued my vision. I wanted to create a business that offers something for everyone, and I specifically focused on sizing. I offer sizes XXS to 4XL. To me, this is more than just a business; it’s something I am very passionate about. It’s also an opportunity to meet new people and represent my community. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it is very important to me to show our youth that no matter who we are or what we enjoy doing, we will succeed as long as we believe in ourselves and support each other.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

Selling online is a significant part of my business’s income. I mainly sell on Poshmark and Depop, both of which are great sites with a steady amount of traffic. However, with every sale, they take a small percentage. That is why I would love to sell strictly on my website. Currently, I’m working on growing my brand and following to attract enough attention for my website to take off. My favorite way to sell my products is at local markets. Milwaukee and Madison are hotspots for vintage flea markets, makers markets, and farmers markets. I have great success at these events, and my favorite part is meeting my future customers, other vendors, and people who already have established businesses in the area. Since I am handpicking these items, it’s very exciting to see people become so enthusiastic about the items I have found!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a significant part of my business. As soon as I started, I immediately created social media pages. It is a great way to get your name out there and reach people who are doing the same thing as you. For someone who is just starting out, my best advice is to be consistent. I’ve noticed that the more consistent I am with posting, the more attraction I receive on my page. From that, I built my following. Also, every time I sell something, I package it with a business card that has all of my social media on it, which has led to many followers!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.creamcitythreads.com
• Instagram: @creamcitythreads_