We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Kuhar-Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beth, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

In my lifetime, I have had many, many other jobs with a lot of different bosses. Some bosses were great, and some were pretty horrible! It wasn’t until I was forced to quit my day job in 2021 that I realized that I honestly couldn’t work for anyone else. I needed to be my own boss, and launch my business full time. In the past two years, I have had a lot of ups and downs with trying to figure out the best way to grow and run my business, but I honestly have never been happier. I get to control my schedule, I work mostly from home, I get to be with my dogs and husband who also works from home. I get to move at my own pace, too. In moments where things get tough and I get really frustrated, my brain floats to giving up and going to get a job somewhere else, I try to remind myself of all the things I am grateful for and the things I get to do that a lot of people don’t have the choice to do: take a day off when I want to, run to the grocery store on my own time, go on adventures to go buy stock, meet lovely people in the vintage community, hold a garment with over 100 year old history…I am so blessed. At the end of the day, I just know that I was born to do this.

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.

My whole life I have loved old things and dressing up. There are pictures of me in the early 1980’s when I was a little kid wearing Christmas garland as a boa and a sheer curtain fashioned as a dress, me posing wearing a big, floppy hat with my mom’s big sunglasses and my bathing suit with patent leather Mary Janes…I was in love with fashion and history from as early as could remember. Fast forward to Jr. High where I discovered a cedar chest full of my parents clothes from high school and just after they were married. They were from the 1960’s and 1970’s, and this discovery I think was a pivotal moment in time that helped shape who I was to become. In this chest were mohair sweaters, dagger collar novelty print shirts, polyester cardigans, denim bell bottom leisure suits. And, I was in love! You see, we didn’t have a lot of money growing up, and therefore, I didn’t have a lot of clothes. So I decided to take these things and pad my current wardrobe at the time with my cool new discoveries. Bell bottoms with a polka dot turtleneck from Hills department store? Wear a mohair sweater with corduroy pleated trousers from Maurice’s?? You bet I did! It is a miracle that I didn’t get bullied. Instead, I got compliments. In the years since, I feel that I have always expressed my individuality through clothes. Mixing vintage or thrifted clothing is definitely a signature look. Fast forward to 2015, when One Sweet Thread was born. I started my business due to wanting to follow my passion of fashion and history, and really be my own boss. There is just something about being able to save a garment that has a history, that was previously loved, has a story, and give it new life, a new story, and a renewed chance to be loved…it just gives me goosebumps. That is one of the main reasons why I started my business. The other reasons are that wearing vintage is an ethical choice. There’s way too much clothing going to landfills, fast fashion in a nutshell is not the way to go, there’s enough clothing with better quality already made in the world.
What I am most proud of is the personal service I provide for clients. You purchase something from my boutique, you get service from myself beginning to end. I answer questions, I am able to provide personal shopping, I wrap your order up like a special present and ship it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2019, I suddenly and unexpectedly went through a divorce. My whole world and everything in it was turned upside down. I had to move out of my home of nine years, and at 43, move into my parents house and start over again. At the time, I had to leave my business and get another job with a more stable income and insurance. I sold off everything: inventory, equipment, mannequins, everything. Also at the time, I had thought I wasn’t going back to my business. But it was always in the back of my mind. When something is a part of you, or when you know what you were put on this earth to do, it is a part of you, just like your eyes or your hair. It’s a part of your identity. So as painful as those couple of years of rebuilding my life were, they served to help me re-learn exactly who I was and who I was meant to be. I dutifully worked my medical assistant job, but I was never fulfilled. I often butted heads with some of my co-workers and even my bosses. Then one day for reasons not worth mentioning, I was forced to quit. That was also a huge gift. I realized then that I would only ever work for myself, and I rebooted One Sweet Thread.
I had thought that after stepping away for over two years that my brand would be long forgotten, but that wasn’t the case. People in the community welcomed me back, and were so excited to see that I was back, I was so surprised and happy to hear all of the positive messages form so many people in the vintage fashion community. These people are my people, and I am so grateful to have such a great sense of belonging.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In selling vintage clothes, reputation IS EVERYTHING. The vintage fashion community is small, and it literally could take one bad sale to the right person (perhaps an influencer, or a well known buyer in the community) and your reputation is damaged. Small businesses build a lot of their reputation on word of mouth, every transaction with every customer and potential customer needs to count. So of course you want to deliver excellent customer service, stock a variety of great products, have consistency, act with integrity and honesty, and timely delivery are just a few things to help build a good reputation. I really strive to do all these things, especially giving my customers great service from start to finish!! Of course without them, there wouldn’t be a One Sweet Thread!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onesweetthread.shop
• Instagram: @onesweetthread
• Facebook: @onesweetthread
• Linkedin: Beth Kuhar-Miller
• Other: TikTok: @onesweetthread

Image Credits
Image credits: Beth Kuhar-Miller