We recently connected with Audrey Panson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Audrey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
We had a very unconventional start to our small business. During the pandemic we bought and lived full time in a fully converted 40ft school bus, traveling up and down the coast of Northern California. We eventually moved back towards a more conventional living situation and out of the bus. Instead of selling the bus, which we almost did, I had an idea to make it a clothing shop on wheels and that is just what we did. We filled every corner of the bus with vintage clothing and ephemera and thus, The Bus Stop Vintage was born.
Audrey , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Audrey and my partner, Alika, and I began this venture three years ago as a mobile concept, rolling up to farmers markets in our converted vintage school bus.We sell vintage men, women, children and baby clothing, accessories, textiles, glassware, and home goods. We place high value upon sustainability and the quality that the pieces we curate possess. We give second life to beautifully made, unique vintage clothing with emphasis on honoring the history and stories that come with them. Not only are these clothes made much better and with more natural fiber than their newer counterparts, but also, buying secondhand is much more eco friendly. Our passion for our business spurs from these values we hold dear. About a year ago we expanded into a brick and mortar space in midtown Sacramento and truly enjoy the work we do and the people we meet.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
We are very proud to say we are fully self funded! We started the business with a vehicle we already had in our possession, thus, making the overhead nearly nothing. We built out our clothing shop inside of the bus and sourced much of the clothing but also took donations. These were the initial costs to begin which were slim. My partner and I have always been very diligent with finances and saving and we both contributed a bit from our savings funds to get the venture going but without the fees of a lease/traditional rent etc. we kept startup costs low and were able to break even and begin to make profit very quickly. From that profit we eventually sprung for a storefront all the while staying in a profit margin.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Firstly, exposure. Without the exposure our mobile boutique got from the thousands of people seeing us every weekend at the farmers market we would not have been able to have the recognition to successfully move into a store front and retain consistent customers and that recognition. Additionally, the curation and quality of the pieces we hand picked to join our collection made us successful. Lastly, the affordability and accessibility of our pricing I believe has impacted our success especially in this economy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebusstopvintage.com
- Instagram: @_thebusstop_
