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

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I moved to Reno six years ago with my online vintage shop as my only income. I heard about the antique faires in both Sacramento and Alameda and decided to give them a try. After vending every month at both shows, I started to wonder why Reno didn’t have anything like this. Sure, Reno has a plethora of events for artists, crafters, foodies, automotive lovers, but antiques and vintage only? None. Within the first year of moving I met so many Reno resellers at estate sales and vending out in SF like myself, that I knew there were plenty of vendors to start something here. So I put together a logo and social media page, talked with a few local business owners, and BOOM! I started a tiny flea market!
After only a few events, the show had grown so much that I had a waiting list of vendors wanting to join and venues wanting to host. Unbenounced to me, representatives from the City of Reno attended one of my events and approached me later about scaling the idea.

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.

I guess you could say I was a bit of a “hippie” in my teenage years. I wanted to dress differently than everyone else. I was always digging through my moms old clothes in our basement, hoping to find her purple corduroys from the 70s. She brought me to a thrift store to see if we could find some vintage purple cords- of course we didn’t (you never find what you’re looking for when you want it but you’re guaranteed to find 10 when you don’t). That was my introduction to thrifting and I was hooked.
In college I studied Fine Arts and took an interest in Metalsmithing. After I graduated and a short stint in Germany, I moved to San Diego and worked as an estate jewelry buyer. Staying in the field of buying and selling while also using my major (bonus!)
After only a few years, I moved back to my home state of New Jersey where my mother was losing her battle with her 4th reoccurrence of cancer. After she passed, I was working in a pawn shop, buying and selling precious metals and stones, repairing broken jewelry- unsure about my next direction.
A friend one day asked if I would want to open a boutique with her. (Its funny looking back on this because we truly were just like, “Ok, we can do this, easy peasy.” I though had nothing to lose and blindly jumped right in.
Not even 6 months later, we were approved for a business loan and off to the races. She started a family in the first year of our startup and by the end of year two, it was just me. I slowly began curating the shop to be only vintage and handmade items. By the time I opened the second location in Easton, PA, my brick and mortar was 100% vintage clothing and accessories.
After a decade, I decided to sell my business and move to Las Vegas to do more of another passion of mine, rock climbing. I wanted a 9-5 job. I wanted to climb. Most of all, I wanted health insurance. I thought I was going to leave the world of vintage behind me since it was all that I had done for most of my adult career and was ready to move on. But before long, I was back in the thrift store or racing to the next estate sale at dawn. I’d come home with finds that didn’t fit or I had more lamps than outlets in my home. I knew I couldn’t just keep buying (although we can all agree that it’s the best part) so I decided to get back with my love/hate relationship of selling online.
I happened to be in the right place at the right time because this round- the shop thrived. There I was again, back to buying and selling as my only job (also back to not having health insurance but, c’est la vie).
I began sewing again and hopped on the trend of creating clothing from vintage quilts and blankets- this really skyrocketed my online sales that year. I started doing custom work for clients and alterations from my home, vending at two shows a month in California and maintaining an average on 30 sales a week online.

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

One thing I always emphasize is that I’ve been on the other side. I was a vendor for years and I know how much work it takes to prepare for a show. I’ve been to markets where attendance was low and sales were poor. I would end up losing money after paying a high booth fee and traveling to a market that was targeted for vendor sign-ups rather than attendance.
I want vendors to feel confident saying yes without worrying they’ll take a loss. That’s why my booth fee is just $75. I also get vendors discounted room rates downtown for those looking to stay a night or two. Accessibility matters.
When I first shared this approach with the City of Reno, they asked, “How are you going to make this work?” My answer was simple: because I’ve lived it. I know what vendors go through and I care about their success. That’s the difference. Too many promoters charge a $300 booth fee and have never spent a single day selling at a market. We see this happen often as vendors and we never go back to do those shows again.
When it comes down to it – caring, relating to, and wanting each and every vendor to succeed has been what continues to drive more and more resellers to join.
When they email RAF, they are emailing me. When they arrive at 6:00 a.m, its me who they are seeing. When they call or see a flyer on a storefront, its myself who picks up their call or who posted that flyer. Down to the chalk lines the vendor booths reside within- it’s myself (with a little help from my friends) who makes this happen.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The City of Reno has given me an opportunity I care deeply about. They came to me – just a gal from New Jersey – trusted, supported, guided, and backed me in a concept that they had no clue about (antiques).
I put every dime into advertising — billboards, social media teams, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV spots, commercials, you name it. I put my brand in front of every outlet possible in hopes that in some way, every person HAD to have heard about it or saw it somewhere. I believe many promoters rely heavily on social media for advertising these days. That may be true depending on the nature of their business, but for myself, the age range for those who enjoy or sell antiques and vintage…. is, well… there isn’t one. So I needed to be sure not to leave any demographic out when tackling advertising.
The most effective strategy in growing clientele for me goes back to what I’ve talked about in this interview. It’s caring. Caring about not only what it is you are trying to do, but more importantly caring about who it is that is believing in you to do so. That’s the most powerful growth you’ll ever gain within your business. Because if you care, everyone around you sees it and will care too.
Anyone that knows me has heard me say this as it was what kept me up at night for nine months. At my first event, I never wanted to utter the words, “I should have done this” or “I should have done that.” I wanted to make sure that no matter what that first show brought, I did everything I could have. I didn’t want to let the vendors down or the city that trusted me with the key to it each month.
And you know what? The kick-off show had 11,000 attendees!!!!!
So…. there was a moment at that first event when I took the time to pause and look around and instead of saying “shoulda, coulda, woulda” I actually said, “I’m proud of myself.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.renoantiquefaire.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renoantiquefaire
• Facebook: www,facebook.com/renoantiquefaire

Image Credits

Myself – Laura Jasorka