We recently connected with Michelle Japp and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Having a mobile business is so much fun! We love that we get to travel from place to place and meet so many amazing people along the way. However, we have encountered many unexpected problems over the past year. The number one issue has been maintenance costs. We bought our first bus in July of 2022 and spent about 5 months renovating it. While leaving our second event (since starting our business), the bus broke down and had to be towed to a mechanic. Luckily, the problems were due to neglect of routine maintenance from the previous owner and were easily fixable. The downside is how expensive it was to fix it! We definitely experienced sticker shock! Fast forward to a year later (Jan. of 2024). We have new tires installed on our bus only to learn that the king pins were worn out and needed to be replaced. This turned out to be a major expense, but one that could not be avoided. Just one week later, as we are driving home from an event, the stop engine light came on and we had it towed once again to the mechanic. While taking the engine apart, they discovered that many parts were no longer working and that the bus was not repairable. We were devastated. So much hard work and money was spent making the bus the best that it could be. To make matters worse, we had a large repair bill to pay for the labor involved in taking the engine apart and putting it back together. We were reeling and had no idea what to do!
The old saying, “we get by with a little help from our friends,” rings true. Over the course of a few weeks, a friend offered to rent us a portion of a piece of business property in Downtown Greensboro! At the same time, one of our mechanics helped us find an affordable replacement bus! Needless to say, our business has taken an enormous hit, but things are looking up for Sustainably Yours! If all goes as planned, we will have a permanent location at 435 Arlington Street in downtown Greensboro opening on May 1, 2024. In the meantime, we have slowly begun to renovate our new bus to be used as our mobile/pop-up location. We hope to have it ready by mid-to late summer. As difficult as this has been, I know in my heart that things happen for a reason and that there are great things ahead.
Michelle , 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 was an elementary school teacher for 30 years, but shopping and home decorating have always been my passions! During COVID, I was shocked to see how much waste was created by prepackaged goods and disposable “everything.” I had always dreamed of either owning a home decor store, or becoming a home stager. Therefore, the idea of a secondhand store was born! The idea of a brick and mortar storefront felt uncertain to me for several reasons…where would I go?, could I afford the rent?, would I want to be open all the time as a newly retired person? At the same time, TikTok was taking off and I began seeing videos of buses being turned into all sorts of cool things. That’s when it clicked! I could turn a bus into a traveling store and make my own hours, plus travel to my customers instead of them coming to me. And, the icing on the cake was that it all tied back to my roots of being a teacher! I retired in July of 2022, bought a bus on Facebook Marketplace the next day, and got to work renovating it. Initially I thought I’d stick to home goods, antiques, etc., but there was so much amazing stuff out there that I decided to carry everything! My motto quickly became, “It doesn’t have to be new to be awesome,” and I prided myself in providing something for everyone. So I got to work collecting anything that I thought was high-quality, sustainable (could withstand the test of time), interesting, unique, fun…all of it! I collected from thrift stores, yard sales, online marketplaces, donations from friends and family, and estate sales. We now carry size-inclusive clothing for women and men {and some children’s}, accessories, shoes, jewelry, home decor, art, books, vintage items, and even some antiques. We’ve been open for a little over a year and have made several changes to the interior of the bus to better accommodate our merchandise and control traffic flow for shoppers. We have a dressing room as well! We travel to festivals, parking lots, markets, breweries, wineries, and city supported functions. We post our pop-up schedule on our Facebook and Instagram pages so that customers know where to find us. We are also happy to announce that due to engine failure, our original bus will become a permanent store front in downtown Greensboro very soon! We are currently working on renovations to our new bus while we operate out of a tent/booth setup.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
While I absolutely love what I do, there have been many challenges along the way! Recently, I learned that our beloved bus (who my husband and I have poured our blood, sweat, and tears…and money, into!) had engine failure that could not be repaired. To say that I was devastated is an understatement. We had come way too far for our journey to be over at the drop of a hat! I quickly began exploring options for towing the bus to a location so that it could become a “brick and mortar.” Thankfully, a dear friend of mine came to our rescue and offered to rent a space to us. Currently, the lot is empty and has no power or water sources. I began by clearing my plan with the city and am currently working with an electrical engineer to get power installed. In the meantime, we are also honoring the markets that we have been accepted to which means that we have to transport goods to the site and set them up under a tent. This is a challenge when you sell “it all!!!” We have had to pick and choose what to bring to each event and it is hard not to get discouraged when our sales take a dip! We have also had the extra expense of buying all the things needed to run a booth. However, the biggest hurdle of all came this week, as my husband suffered a major health crisis. He is now on the mend, but the physical demands of this venture are worrisome! We have been thrown a lot of curve balls this year, but we truly believe in what we are doing, and refuse to give up! Things may be tough, but we are tougher! We are determined to find a way to make it work!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
When sourcing merchandise for the bus boutique, I look for quality first. I also love finding items that are unique and/or interesting. My biggest joy is watching customers find an item that they fall in love with, or fits them “like it was made just for them!” I often hear repeat customers say things like, “I bought a skirt from you and it is my all-time favorite piece of clothing,” or “Best twenty dollars I’ve ever spent!” Many times, they bring their friends with them when they return. The actual bus itself is a huge draw because people are curious. However, once inside, they almost always find something that grabs their attention. Quality, fair pricing, and variety of goods are definitely qualities that have helped build our reputation. And, we have a very cool bus!!!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sustainablyyours336
- Facebook: Facebook.com/sustainablyyours
- Other: We hope to build a website in the near future!
Image Credits
Janet Howard