Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gabrielle Rotinsulu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gabrielle, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success is an interesting conversation because it looks different to everyone. It feels like society measures success
by numbers and hours: the more money you have and the more hours you work, the more likely you are to be textbook “successful”. Having a small business and having a career that is not as conventional has taught me to measure success differently. I began focusing on curating vintage full time just over a year ago, and it was not easy at first. In fact, I didn’t feel “successful” in it until just 2 months ago, when I had my best sales month yet. Looking back, this has taught me that success can be measured in moments that required persistence. This past year I found out my husband and I would be moving to a new state, and I decided that I would try my best to make sure my business could survive this move. I brought my curation of vintage clothing with me across states & put it inside of a new store within a couple of days of moving. I didn’t know the outcome of this new situation, but I knew that success wouldn’t be possible without first taking a leap of faith. Turns out this change was the best thing yet to happen for my business, and I am so grateful that the risk that I took lead to success. I think being successful isn’t always about the outcome, but about the courage it takes to try something new even though failure is possible. It’s being persistent to keep your dream alive, and believing that good things come to those who work hard and take those risks.

Gabrielle, 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?

When the COVID pandemic started in 2020, I decided to start an instagram page in hopes of cleaning out my closet and selling some of my old clothes. I quickly discovered a community of vintage/secondhand curators and resellers, and thought I would give it a try. I decided to name my shop “myfavthriftedfinds”, since that was exactly what I would be selling! I remember when the thrift stores finally opened back up in later 2020, I would shop and curate a collection of secondhand and vintage pieces. I’d list these items on my instagram and was shocked to see not only that I was making sales, but also how much I loved it. While I love all things vintage, I really found that my favorite era was 90s/early 2000s, so I decided to focus my curating on pieces from that era. I remained consistent with posting “drops”, and fell more in love with the process. I was able to send out about 15-20 packages a week of my favorite finds across the country. Looking back, I realize I started at a time when people were almost solely shopping online (due to the pandemic). While I was so grateful for the online community that I was a part of, I was missing out on the customer interaction and in-person shopping experience. As soon as I safely could, I began to participate as a vendor at flea markets in Los Angeles. I realized that selling vintage in real life as opposed to online was a whole new and exciting chapter of my business. I loved seeing customers fall in love with a piece, get to feel it and try it on, and see their eyes light up with excitement telling me how they’d plan to style it.

After a couple of years of doing flea markets, I was able to find a permanent home for my vintage pieces in 2 different collective spaces in Southern California. This was a huge step for my small business, and I was able to transition to doing it full time. I was able to do this for a year before finding out that my husband and I would be moving to Denver, Colorado. I quickly started to search for a new home for my finds, and came across Garage Sale Vintage – a collective of amazing vintage with a bar! I was fortunate enough to join the space 4 months ago, and I have already seen growth in my business. I am so happy to be part of such an amazing space.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started my business in 2020 during a time when most people were spending a lot of time online. This made it easier to grow my online audience, which was critical for my business during the pandemic. I discovered that the more consistently I posted drops, the more I was able to develop repeat customers and supporters. Even at times when I didn’t feel like my drops were as strong or maybe as big as others I had done in the past, I prioritized consistency during those early days. I truly believe this allowed me to grow and maintain sales. While I don’t sell as much online anymore, as I have transitioned to in person sales, I attribute most of my growth to the online community that I had in the early days of the business. I would advise anyone starting out to find their niche and be as consistent as possible when it comes to social media. It will take time and patience to gain those loyal repeat customers and supporters, but it is so worth it!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I used to believe that if I sold a wide range of vintage, that I would have something for everyone. However, I quickly learned that my sales were better when my curation was more niche. To be specific, I discovered that my favorite era of clothing to curate is 90’s/early 2000’s fashion. When I started to focus solely on pieces from this era, I felt that it not only made my brand stand out more but it also helped with attracting a specific audience. It can help my customers know what to expect when shopping my inventory.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfavthriftedfinds