We recently connected with Elisabeth Cuttino-vereen and have shared our conversation below.

Elisabeth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

I am in the secondhand clothing market and have been since 2008. I find that Corporate America greenwashes a lot of their products to appeal to my demographic, which can end up influencing potential customers to choose Corporate products that are environmentally unsafe.

I specifically sell vintage clothing, exclusively from the 90s and early 2000s. One of my major corporate competitors that are able to produce at maximum speeds and mimic the vintage I source, would be a number of the well known stores you see at the mall. For me, many of these companies are not producing sustainably and are getting the narrative wrong with humane practices.

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

I believe in ALL things sustainable. I take pride in the fact that everything I source, nationally is handpicked by me from yard sales to thrift outlets. I am a 2 person business that provides hard to find gems for the average person at an affordable price.

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

I found myself overbuying for my local markets and popups I participated in. I’m learning that less is indeed more and that I prefer quality over quantity. With this being practiced, I find that my items are selling more and my breakdown time at markets are less time consuming.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In 2008, I would resale vintage finds at Rag-O-Rama when they first opened in GA, I bought what I liked and what I saw my friends wear. I would tell my brother what my check would be from selling at the resale shop and he told me, I really needed to make this a fulltime gig…so I did! My startup capital was from the money I received, and I’ve never looked back.

Contact Info:

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