We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristina McCollum a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

As a child, I was an avid reader; I recall my dad saying once on a family vacation that he wasn’t sure I was actually reading the pages of my books because I was turning them so quickly, soaking up one chapter after another. Like a well-worn and dog-eared book, pages folded perhaps to save words that meant something dear to the previous owner, antiques and collectibles carry the sense that each piece comes with a story, items marked for memory. And, my own dogs, Bob and Bleu, are very animated and inspiring characters in a long line of fantastic canine companions in my family; there’s no house like a house run by dogs (even a business).

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.

Dog-Eared House is the go-to spot for curated antiques and collectibles, currently selling items on Etsy. Locally, we coordinate and stage events. As we have the passion and patience for finding antique and vintage decor to make a space unique to its owner, we also offer “commissioned hunts” where we do the estate and garage sale digging on our client’s behalf.

I grew up in the remarkable era of my grandparents circling newspaper garage sale ads to map out the best Saturday morning route, convention center trade shows, and the advent of Ebay. As a kid, I watched my extended family do so much more than participate in hunting and selling–they created connection with people, constantly folding and weaving in and out of the lives of perfect strangers. It made the world seem huge, and warm, and filled with people I could know.
Curating antiques and collectibles has also become, in this way, a family business. With deep appreciation for the generations that went before us and all they had to offer, and a commitment to stewarding and teaching the generations ahead, Dog-Eared House is an extension of my grandparents, parents, siblings, children, aunts, uncles, and cousins and the many incredible projects they head.

Dog-Eared House makes an annual trip to one of the world’s largest flea markets in the infamous Round Top, TX stretch of vendors. Over 2,500 antique dealers from all over the world bring their best, and each year we take note of what miles of tents are selling in order to bring the best to Dog-Eared.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Over 15 years ago, Sharon Struve and I met teaching preschool together, and I’m certain that there’s never been a more fun or creative classroom. We were fast friends, and since then we’ve had the rich privilege of raising our families together. On our most recent trip to treasure hunt in Round Top, three of our daughters joined us and it was truly a mother/daughter Dog-Eared trip to remember! Sharon and I both have a heart for teen moms, and survivors of sexual violence; we’ve each spent time devoting our lives to serving these communities of women, personally and professionally. Even still through Dog-Eared House, our big picture vision includes ways to support women and families, and many of our conversations end up with dreams of loving these groups well. It’s one of my favorite things about treasure hunting with Sharon, there’s a beautiful combination of laughter and purpose.

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

Especially in the resell arena where the content possibilities are endless, it can be easy to be distracted by the pretty baubles that are someone else’s taste. For awhile, I found myself buying/hunting with specific people in mind (i.e. “So and so would love this…”); this tactic works great when I’m buying gifts, but not as much when I’m buying to sell and there’s no guarantee on the return investment! Once I returned to the rhythm of buying what I like, I rediscovered the joy in researching an item’s history and imagining the story behind its previous owner. There’s quite a lot of tedious work in measuring, weighing, shipping, etc. (it’s not all glam and glitz in the antique biz), and I needed to blow the dust off the fun stuff.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dog.eared.lawrenceks
• Other: https://dogearedhouse.etsy.com