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

Janelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In 2020, I moved into my first 1 bedroom apartment. I had never had the freedom, or money frankly, to decorate a space that was truly all my own. This also happened to be my first apartment in New York after moving from San Francisco. I moved into a pre-war building, and while the unit was refinished nicely, the landlord had no intention of helping me track down a floor plan. So, naturally, in a fit of productivity, I built my own floor plan in a slide deck after measuring the apartment. That deck eventually manifested into a full blown presentation on how I planned to decorate my 500 sq ft apartment. I was so proud of the effort I’d put into it that I wondered how I could profit off of small space interior decorating as a side hustle. I asked a few friends who I knew were moving to the city if I could test this idea on their apartments, providing my services for free as a pilot for a full blown business.

I partnered with a talented friend of mine in San Francisco to build the company and launch. The launch itself felt so meaningful because at the time, my main income came from working for a company that I felt really hindered my creative spirit. So in many ways, this new business was a form of self expression I wasn’t allowed in my day to day work. Eventually, I left that role, and it became apparent that interior decorating was far too time intensive for the payout, given we were so new to the industry, and mostly specializing in smaller spaces rented by 20-something year olds. In deciding to sunset the company, I still craved belonging in the interior space. The friend of mine who co-founded our now folded company had also luckily introduced me to the world of vintage furniture, and I was hooked.

I was drawn to the quality and inventive designs of these historical pieces as well as the stories behind some of the designers themselves. The originality that vintage furniture and home decor brought to the spaces they occupied, in my opinion, far exceeded any of the interior trends I saw popularized and quickly turned over. I also felt better about my own consumerism, leaning on thrifting, Facebook Marketplace, and my favorite vintage resellers for interior finds versus brands that I knew didn’t make furniture meant to last more than a couple of years.

I knew this was my next avenue–becoming a vintage reseller–and began to follow any brand I could find that resembled the type of company I was hoping to build. I took note of which were successful and which qualities of their strategy, business plan or brand I admired. I found that my favorite brands were actually based in Australia. Mostly, I noticed a surplus of vintage resellers within New York City, but few with a strong brand story. There was no overarching narrative being told about the brand’s mission, founders, or audience. So, I took that as a starting point to differentiate myself. I sought out to build a brand modeled after my favorite fashion retailers, with quality products but also a palpable tone that people would want to buy into, including recognizable imagery. I wanted to draw in the type of New York City woman who loves to thrift and values creating a space for herself versus following trends.

From there, the idea of the Archival Muse was born: a woman who embodies vintage. She thrifts, meshes modern with vintage, and fills her home with eclectic items that speak to her. She doesn’t follow the status quo or trends; she has her own style that is an extension of her personality and is evident in the way she designs her home. She is sexy, effortlessly confident, flirtatious, and comfortable being alone. This was the imagery I intended to create, and the message I wanted to convey. I wanted the brand to feel aspirational, inspiring others to want to be this type of woman, while remaining attainable in price and the way we communicated with our audience.

I started working on the concept in August by getting back to my original method of brainstorming from when I decorated my first NYC apartment: I built a deck with all of my ideas. It was essentially one lengthy Pinterest board pared down to the best and brightest concepts. I sourced my first collection by scouring thrift stores, thrift markets, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay and auction sites. I kept every last item in the spare room of the new apartment I shared with my boyfriend, and I bought a cheap seamless and lights on Amazon. I asked two friends to model with the first collection and represent the “Archival Muse,” photographing the entire campaign myself. A lot of the work was done by figuring things out as I went, like building a user friendly website, forming a LLC, building a social calendar, and planning a pop-up. I worked for at least four hours every day after my full time job and all weekend to execute in time for a September launch, a meaningless date I had set for myself that nonetheless drove me to work harder.

The official launch was anti-climatic at best but left me proud in building something that felt like truly my own, and I had a firm belief (and still do) that it could become life changing for me. While I think ideation to launch is important to a founder’s story, I think what can be arguably more revolutionary are the lessons you learn after launch. After sitting with Archival Muse for some bit, playing UX designer, social media manger, photographer, and more, I’ve slowly begun to remold the company into it’s truest self. The concepts on which it was founded and who it was founded for are beginning to unfold. The Archival Muse is slowly being reborn, and I couldn’t be more excited to share what’s to come with our tiny but mighty community this year.

Janelle, 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?

Archival Muse was founded on the principle that everyone should be in their timeless era. We are a home & furniture brand that forgoes trends for vintage, artist-made, and in-house designed goods. Our seasonal collections make sustainable decorating beautiful and simple by bringing you curated finds under one roof. All our items are ethically sourced and shipped with 100% sustainable materials. We celebrate not only ethically designed furniture but the people who love incorporating it into their home. They are our archival muses.

There are three arms of the business: Archival, Artist, and Original. Archival represents the curated vintage home goods & furniture sourced in-house & by trusted suppliers. We also sell artist-made furniture & home decor, made by talented multidisciplinary artists around the country. This year, we’re excited to announce our first original designs as well, all made of reclaimed materials in partnership with third party craftsmen.

There are so many talented designers and vintage resellers out there. We’re honestly honored to be in the same space, however, we try and differentiate ourselves by blurring the line between a furniture and fashion brand. We try to market to the individual designing their home versus the trends that exist out there, really personifying the look, personality, and behaviors of an “Archival Muse”. The content we create, especially this upcoming year, is very intentional in what our muses wear, how they interact with our products, and the stories we’re trying to tell. We want our audience to see themselves in the “Archival Muse” concept. We hope this brand message coupled with our beautiful pieces will keep our community engaged and craving more. Archival Muse is so much more than me, it’s an embodiment of every woman and person who sees themselves in the brand.

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

The main lesson I have unlearned in building Archival Muse is the idea that the way to get things done right is to do things alone. My best work has come from partnership and brainstorming with others. Mainly, I started speaking with a fellow vintage reseller the first month I launched Archival Muse. Unlike A.Muse, she sells beautiful vintage clothing under the brand Isle of Monday. I originally met Gabriella at the Canal Street Market– a curated market of small business owners in New York City. I absolutely loved her clothes and kept her card magnified to my fridge for many months before I even came up with the idea of Archival Muse. After launching, I reached out to her via Instagram DM to find out if she’d be interested in collaborating on a photoshoot– her clothes and my furniture. I knew her brand fused well with my own and she had a clear company narrative that I had obviously already bought into having kept her card all this time.

Turns out, Gabriella very much embodies the concept of the “Archival Muse.” Her entire home is full of vintage furniture in addition to the clothes she sells. Our collaborative photoshoot turned into a pop-up which manifested into a friendship. We now speak regularly, trading thoughts and ideas on website design, hiring our first interns, marketing strategies, events, and how to properly hang the ever-so-popular Hay rice paper lantern. Before Gabriella, I didn’t have a friend in the vintage space, and I have quickly realized how important it is to have someone that understands and appreciates the community you’re trying to build as well as the industry you’re attempting to break into. At the very least, she’s someone to text on a whim to bounce an idea off of. But in reality, she’s a great friend and support system in building a business and beyond. This relationship has been a true learning experience in hey, it’s ok to let go and let someone else’s opinions in for a moment. While I want so badly to protect the integrity of Archival Muse, in allowing the right people in, it can only grow stronger. The other lesson from this experience– closed mouths don’t get fed. Send that DM. You never know where it will lead you.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth and pop-ups. It’s never been so apparent how much buyers value seeing products in person or the opinions of trusted peers.

My first pop-up, a lovely woman and her mom, visiting from Korea, stopped by. We chatted briefly, she bought a few items for later delivery to her home, and followed us on Instagram. I honestly didn’t think much of the encounter other than I thought they were sweet and was excited about a sale. My second pop-up I held as an ticketed brand experience at my apartment. We redesigned the entire space to look like a chic storefront, although in reality it was on the 6th floor of a West Village walk up. I didn’t check names on the tickets prior to people’s arrivals because we’d released about 300. So it was a total surprise when one of the first people to arrive was this woman and her mother, on the tale end of her mother’s visit. She asked me about almost every item in our shop and left with a set of vintage plates and a gorgeous pulled glass vase. Immediately when arriving home, she shared images on her Instagram story. That meant the world to me that not only did they take time out of her visit to come to my shop again but bought more of our inventory. It felt like an “aha!” moment of ok, people are resonating with the brand.

Our second source is absolutely word of mouth, especially via social media. The rise of influencer marketing is definitely so potent because it works. Outside of organic word of mouth traffic to our Instagram and website, I’ve tried my best to engage with influencers who seem like an “Archival Muse” in their own right. I do my best to curate a outreach list of women with an obvious appreciation for vintage and interiors, whether it’s their niche or not. My hope is that these women actually enjoy the products that we send them and want to share with their audiences as trusted sources.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.archivalmuse.com
• Instagram: @archival.muse
• Facebook: n/a
• Linkedin: n/a
• Twitter: n/a
• Youtube: n/a
• Yelp: n/a
• Other: Tiktok: @Archival.Muse

Image Credits
Amanda Johnson, Photographer