We were lucky to catch up with Mercy Call recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mercy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Because what I do is so niche, I don’t have a lot of competition other than a handful of big-name style box services.

I have even tried some of these companies over the years and have always been disappointed when clothing didn’t fit me or simply didn’t match my personal style. I felt like I was being sent whatever inventory happened to be in the warehouse that season. It felt impersonal and inaccurate.
This is something that I wanted to do better!

I created an incredibly thorough 50 question survey that each client fills out, it covers unexpected things like “what are your shopping woes?”, “do you have a long, standard or short torso?”, “what trends are you seeing right now that you dislike?” and other questions that are meant to help not only me but also my client understand what they like to wear and why!
By the end of the questionnaire most of my clients say that they have a better grasp on their Personal Style!
I work with each client individually and never rely on inventory I happen to have on hand.

Sizing accuracy is something else I knew I wanted to provide! I am extremely thorough when it comes to sizes. The average American woman is a size 16/18, but each of us is built and shaped differently, one size 16 body may look completely different than another size 16 body, I never count on standard (s/m/l) sizing when working with a client! I have every client take full body measurements as well as measuring a pair of their favorite pants, this gives me two forms of measurements to work with and I have had overwhelming success sending clients clothing that not only fits their bodies perfectly but also flatters their shape!

So I would say that sizing accuracy and attention to detail is what sets Third Sister Thrift apart from big name styling services.

Mercy, 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?

I am the Creator and owner of Third Sister Thrift, a secondhand personal styling service! I curate collections of clothing for women based on their size, taste, lifestyle, budget and wardrobe needs. Every item I sell is sustainably sourced from local thrift shops, so I can offer clients name brand, high quality items at an affordable price!

I’ve always had a passion for two things: Thrifting and helping women feel beautiful in their clothes!

After sharing some thrift hauls on my personal Instagram in 2020 I started to hear the words “I wish that you could thrift for me!” over and over again, so in March of 2021 I decided to pursue a dream and I launched Third Sister Thrift on Instagram and started taking names for Curated Secondhand Wardrobe Boxes! I thought I would work with a handful of friends and then be done, instead I filled up my 2021 wait list for the year in 3 weeks and haven’t stopped since! As of April 2022, I have shipped just over 200 Wardrobe Boxes around the US.

The best part of this job for me is getting to help women reconnect with themselves and their bodies! I work with clients in all stages of life but I especially love helping women who have recently had babies and feel disconnected or at odds with their postpartum bodies. As a woman who has had children, this is something that is close to my heart and it is a small but important thing that I can do to reconnect women with themselves when just about everything in their lives has changed.

I want each client to feel seen and known when they receive their Wardrobe Box from Third Sister Thrift! Clothes are more than what we cover our bodies with; how we dress is connected to our creativity, our self-expression and our joy, not to mention our productivity and confidence! I want to bring joy to getting dressed!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I think the best way to foster brand loyalty is to have a product or service that people want to return to! Doing my job well will lead to returning clients because people need clothes throughout their lives! When a client receives a Box that makes them feel seen, gives them confidence and fills the holes in their closet, they will most often return for another Wardrobe Box the following season!

I stay pretty active on my instagram, where I started Third Sister and where I initially gained momentum. I create fun and engaging content, answer styling questions every Friday and share videos of real clients’ Wardrobe Boxes throughout the month. I create trust by consistently engaging with my followers and being transparent with them about my journey as a mother and entrepreneur. My followers are my friends, not just my clients, they get the real me online, and they get to see first hand how much I care about what I do and how much of my heart goes into each Wardrobe Box!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

To start Third Sister Thrift I invested about $1,000 initially. Inventory, branding, packaging, shipping and equipment were initial costs that I had to cover. For the first 10 months the business was self-sustaining but not particularly profitable, as I poured every dollar back into the business to set myself up for profit margins in 2022. It was a calculated gamble but it has paid off!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thirdsisterthrift.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thirdsisterthrift
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thirdsisterthrift

Image Credits
Daylillies Photography