We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Sims. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Kathy, appreciate you joining us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I had a major life changing event that put me on the road selling soups. I was broken, tired, and disheartened as I hit the road but determined to find my way. This was a major change from the corporate world and turns out it was a change I desperately needed. I sold my house, traded in my small SUV for a long bed dually pickup truck with RV and hit the road. Since I had zero experience in pulling an RV, much less going from event to event each week, I have to tell you this journey started with a steep learning curve! What I found was that I was capable of more than I ever dreamed and that the kindness of strangers runs deep in America. In this new life I spent my weekends setting up a booth, cooking soups, serving customers, breaking down my booth, counting inventory, and then moving on to the next event. The setup and teardown was demanding with long hours and hard days. The serving customers part was like a warm hug that fed my soul. It was hard and it was so beautiful and rewarding. On occasion, my mother would join me on this journey and the routine would turn into the adventure of a lifetime! On one of these weekends when we were in Kentucky she fell ill during an event and an ambulance had to be called. As you can imagine my world stopped as I focused on getting her the help she needed. At that moment I was completely focused on her and nothing else mattered. This happened on a Sunday afternoon, the last day of the event which means the day ends with breaking down the booth and inventorying products. I was out of pocket the entire afternoon into early evening and as I watched the ambulance pull away I turned my attention back to my responsibilities, ready to pack it all up so I could head to the hospital. If you have ever been to a weekend shopping event, you will know that there are many vendors, all of whom go through this process week after week. It creates a rag tag sort of gypsy family. You may not know all the people from week to week but there is a comfort in being together. On this particular weekend, during moms medical crisis, this beautiful family stretched their resources and worked my booth. Not only did they work my booth, they broke it down and inventoried my product. All without ever being asked. They just stepped in and took care of things. When I turned my attention back to business, everything was done, and it was done well. Just thinking about the kindness of these beautiful strangers I call family overwhelms my heart with gratitude. This was the most dramatic moment of my year on the road, but it was not the only moment that I found myself lifted up by the grace of God and the kindness of strangers.

Kathy, 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?

After spending a year on the road I purchased a Vintage Market Days franchise in San Antonio and went from being one of many vendors to being responsible for the entire event. What I found was that my natural problem solving skills, along with my creative nature, years of working in corporate America, and my year as a vendor gave me a well rounded skill set to take on this challenge. It was like a 5000 piece puzzle that needed to be solved. It wasn’t easy, and the first year I most certainly did not get all the pieces and parts in perfect placement, but like the saying says “the show must go on”. And that it does. I love the variety in this line of work. Finding the perfect venue is like a treasure hunt. Creating the perfect layout is like mastering a difficult slide puzzle. Curating the perfect vendor list is like designing the perfect tapestry. Finding the customers can bring on the anxiety as I put forth my best effort then hold my breath on opening day, praying that people will come to my party. As I have grown into this role over the years I have found my purpose in serving the vendor community by giving this creative, salt of the earth group of people an opportunity to pursue their dreams and support their families. I have found personal reward as I welcome people at the gate and see the smiles on their faces as they spend their day with us finding treasures and making memories. I have found my happy place.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

My previous professional life was spent in the technology industry, solving complicated business problems with computer technology. In this line of work perfection is important. There is a process, and even though it is creative, it is very black and white. It took many years to let go of these black and white restraints and let my events take on a life of their own. There are too many variables that are out of my control, and the more that I tried to maintain control in all places the more difficult it was to make all the pieces of my puzzle fit. This world that I now work in is more like the ranch I grew up on. Things have to be done, and people are relying on you, but just because something is done one day does not mean it will not undone the day after. The only thing you truly have control over is how you respond to each situation. Follow the process, expect the unexpected, pray for wisdom, and hang onto your patience!

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

At the end of the day all you have is your reputation. My grandfather was a hard working rancher who valued honesty, hard work, and owning up to your mistakes. He is my north star and I try everyday to live up to his expectations. He was a very serious cowboy, so I have added celebrating my success to his philosophy just to lighten up the day and keep things on a positive note. I think he would approve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vintagemarketdays.com/market/greater-san-antonio/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintagemarketdaysofsanantonio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vintagemarketdaysgreatersanantonio