We recently connected with Casey Steel and have shared our conversation below.

Casey , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

When I first had the idea of a thrift shop and vintage resale I looked straight into the online market and industry. I found apps such as Depop, Grailed, and Whatnot. With an online platform such as anyone that I mentioned it takes true dedication and time to be able to put all of your inventory into each one of those. I spent hours taking pictures, ironing, and editing photos just to post on each of these online platforms. Month after month I found myself hitting my goals but I needed to take my thrift to another level and expand. I decided to go on Instagram and become a vendor with Montrose Market, a vintage resale market located in Houston, TX. It took weeks to prepare, from buying racks and hangers to tagging over 500 items of clothing. I had to consider marketing and branding to ensure that people took my brand with them. I created a series of stamps and stickers that came free with every purchased and as well created a $5 bag and $10 rack so that I can appeal to and please every audience. as soon as I finished my market I made almost triple in one day than in one month. I had to quickly find a reseller and wholesaler to be able to keep up with what was leaving the shop. Scaling up has ultimately put 9th Of KC Thrift on the map. My brand has certainly made a huge contribution and mark in the thrift and vintage industry in Texas.

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

It’s time to give you guys a nice little intersection about me! My name is Casey Steel, Founder, and CEO of 9th Of KC LLC. I am a Junior at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas majoring in Special Education K-12. 9th Of KC thrift was birthed out of my college dorm room in 2020. There we started with at least 75 items and an online store on Depop and grailed selling vintage and thrift clothing. After nearly one and a half years of an online store, we transitioned in the middle of a pandemic to a live vintage market in the Houston area weekly. Week after week we would sell out requiring to level and scale up in inventory and marketing. One thing that I can say a lot of people think about my brand is the cohesiveness and logo. I thought long and hard about how I wanted my brand to be presented and what I wanted them to remember most. With my logo and brand, I can sell and be innovative as well as stay true to my brand identity and mission to ensure that I’m always making an impact and giving back to my community which is truly the most important.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am currently a college student and the pandemic has truly had an impact on the pace of my education. During the pandemic, I had to abruptly move and relocate back home. When I moved back home I had too quickly just to the new normal. I found my peace of mind during the pandemic by going to local small thrift shops and taking long drives in my car and that’s how my thrift began. I soon developed my Instagram page and online platforms and the rest is history. The pandemic has affected everyone near and far we can all look back and see the vivid highs and lows.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my brand and social media following is my first formulation of a brand identity. Having fonts and colors that are cohesive and flow is a crucial part of branding and appearance. Using apps such as Canva and other Asare is also a great platform to create content that differs from other businesses on social media as well. I would also say having stickers and stamps that people can take with them that are appealing and fun also helps with marketing in an ordinary tangible way. I will continue to stay true to my brand identity and mission to ensure that we are following the foundations and principles of 9th Of KC Thrift

Contact Info:

• Website: www.depop.com/9thofkcthrift
• Instagram: @9thofkcthrift
• Twitter: @9thofkcthrift

Image Credits
Photographs taken and licensed under 9THOFKC LLC.