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

Jodi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I feel it makes sense to give the full explanation of my journey from the beginning so forgive me for the lengthly answer. From 2006 to 2012, I founded a multi-service wedding business doing wedding planning and coordination, DJ services, and wedding invitations/designs. In 2012, I decided to focus on being a mom to my then 3 year old. Little did I know that the wedding industry wasn’t done with me.

I went to Facebook to look for a local wedding resale group to get rid of my wedding items and inventory from my business and my own wedding. I was shocked to find that there wasn’t one. It was then that I created a group called Pittsburgh Wedding Flea Market – a place to buy and sell wedding decor from other couples. The group rapidly grew and became the place for wedding resale. We were one of the early pioneers of this particular group type.

The Facebook group is now called Pittsburgh Wedding Community and has over 32,000 members. It has since transitioned into the leading social media wedding community in the tri-state area. The members consist of engaged, newlyweds, and wedding vendors. It is the local hub for all-things-wedding, vendor recommendations, and more. Ironically, we had to recreate the wedding resale group so that it separated wedding support from the wedding resale. In just 5 years the “new” resale group has grown to 19,000 members.

However, I saw the inconveniences of local meet-ups for buying and selling wedding items. In the group, I observed complaints people voiced about people not showing up or backing out. Plus, the time and effort to meet at multiple places at different times for various items were hard for busy couples. In 2014, I began organizing an in-person event where engaged and newlyweds could buy and sell directly to each other under one roof. In January 2015, the first Wedding Flea Market took place with fifty sellers and over four hundred shoppers! Each event became bigger than the last and quickly outgrew each venue. The events boast on average between 75 – 175 newlywed sellers and between 500 – 1,000 shoppers.

In September 2019, I opened Station House 7, to attempt to create a store version of the Wedding Flea Market. It is beautiful, historic building that boasts beautiful, large windows. When the pandemic hit, I closed it — or rather I pivoted — Station House 7 as an event venue and I have not looked back! Our venue is available for small showers, weddings, elopements, parties, photoshoots, and more. Additionally, DIY classes and other community events are offered.

We also provide decor in their rental. Aside from the beautiful building, this is a huge draw to customers. It was a no-brainer with my resale background and further creates sustainability and things out of the landfill.

I am deeply passionate and truly love our local wedding community and continue to create solutions to better serve them.

Jodi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I touched on a lot of this in my previous answer, but happy to elaborate.

I fell in love with the industry when planning my own wedding. I incorporated my planning experience as a bride into what I am today. I am part creative, part advocate, part psychologist (I have a bachelor’s in Psychology), and a big empath. My life and work experiences have made me a very sensitive entrepreneur – sometimes to my own detriment.

I am proud to be a pioneer and strive to be unique in my businesses. My mantra is that I am not trying to rule the world, I am just trying to create solutions. I am not trying to take over the industries – I want to make them better.

I am always working on more ideas based on observations, as well as trends in the industry. I always have many irons in the fire, including being a wife and a mom to now three kids!

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

The resale events are 1-2 times per year and I rent a convention center-type space. Other than that, there is little overhead during the off-season. So I took a huge risk in trying a store version of Wedding Flea Market. I was told by mentors that it was too risky. It was not easy and had to learn brand new skills. Retail, consignment, inventory, and retail marketing just to name a few.

If the pandemic had not happened and I would have tried my hand at it a little longer, would it have succeeded? I don’t know. But having it housed in a gorgeous, historic building made it an easy pivot into a venue. I could have just folded when the pandemic hit, but I know events and having a venue and creating events is my wheelhouse!

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

Without a doubt, my social media presence. I truly believe that my success comes from it. I created a go-to influential wedding planning community-oriented resource where there wasn’t one. I also feel that I am very strong in concept creation and a much-improved executor of them! .

Contact Info:

• Website: weddingfleamarkets.com | stationhouse7.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingfleamarket | https://www.instagram.com/stationhouse7 | https://www.instagram.com/pittsburghweddingcommunity
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stationhouseseven | https://www.facebook.com/WeddingFleaMarket | https://www.facebook.com/pghwedcommunity | https://www.facebook.com/groups/pittsburghweddingcommunity | https://www.facebook.com/groups/pittsburghweddingfleamarket
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodicolella
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNPJ75qWh-ZUVEykq84c_JA
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stationhouseseven https://www.tiktok.com/@weddingfleamarket https://www.tiktok.com/@pittsburghwedding

Image Credits
My photo: Solasta Photography 5 – Carly Rose Photography (couple kissing in front of building) 6 – Solasta Photography – ceremony 7 – Liz Palmer Photo – space