We were lucky to catch up with Shelby Bagwell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shelby, appreciate you joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
Growing up with a single parent mom since I was 3. She definitely took on booth roles and is the biggest impact of my life. I would have to say that she did everything right and I’m honestly not just saying that just to say it either or that I know she will be reading this. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for her. I could and truthfully one day just might write a book on her. From growing up she taught me to be who I truly am. She let wear whatever it was that I wanted to wear, look however I wanted to, and be who I wanted to be. She always accepted me for who I was and always there to listen to me. Another big part in growing up she instilled the importance of spending time with your grandparents and many of my best memories come from that. Along with her they were the ones that also got me going to garage/estate sales, thrift stores and antique stores. Which is a major part of my business. Having spent time with them I believe is really why I am so much of an old soul and my business of vintage/antiques it definitely takes one. From going to many different routes in my life, playing college softball, sorority, becoming a Gemologist, and wanting to start my own business she has always been the one to encourage me, allow me, and help me follow my dreams (even those crazy ones that didn’t last very long) She still always there to root me on and show up even when many others didn’t believe in it or couldn’t even understand it. From day one with starting Whataboho she was right there with me. It really wouldn’t be Whataboho without her. I like to call her the Momager!! She is also the strongest and most independent women that I will ever know. She has shown me that anything a man can do a woman can do just the same. Along with that true independence you don’t need to have somebody, you can be able to handle things on your own. From learning handling things on my own it has definitely helped with me running a business on my own. She has shown me that there’s nothing wrong with dancing to the beat of your own drum and in running a business it is your drum. She really is everything to me.
Shelby, 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?
Hi yall I am the owner of Whataboho Whataboho is a vintage/antique store that sells all things vintage. Starting this year in January, I guess you could say we’re kinda the new kids on the block. We travel to vendor shows all across Texas. From Round Top, Junk Hippy, Flea Style, Big Top and anywhere we can get ourselves into. Along with hopefully one day even outside the state lines. We’re a vintage umbrella that covers clothing, décor, furniture, home goods, art, photos, mcm, wicker variety, textiles, boho style, and records. The sizes of all range from big to small. All of which have been loved before by someone else, sometimes over loved to point where it needs a little fixing up which is what we do as well. A goal of ours is for it to be found and loved again. We’re a Wabi Sabi type, personally naming the style of the boho in whata as a Yin & Yang Boho. Yin (The Boho) & Yang (Variety), making and creating a flow between boho and variety. We are wild, we are free, we change, we never color in between the lines, we are Ever Forward. Never set in a style, never set in a time. Boho is known as being an unconventional and carefree in style. Which is what our foundation is. We don’t want to set ourselves in one way of style. We strive to have an open style of boho and to be connected in carrying variety. Our goal is for customers to be able to walk away with something. Regardless of certain style and taste. We ultimately want for there to be something for everyone. We love to find new things not just for our business, but even with customers that are specifically looking for that certain piece.
The bread and butter behind the business is a one woman show alongside a ’68 Airstream Safari. However the bread bruised (Airstream) and needs work before hitting the road. Having the ultimate plan of becoming mobile retail. So for now it’s just the butter, me!
I got into this long before I even got myself into it! This is something that has always been apart of me. Growing up with my Mom along with the Grandparents. I went to garage/estate sales, thrift stores, and picking up things on the side of the road(Grandma taught me that one). As an old soul at 26 it is truly something that was in my roots that had bloomed into a passion. With that being said, I guess you could say I naturally ended up working at an Antique store back in my hometown which I am forever grateful for. ( big shoutout to Jeanne Terrill at Junque Resucers for giving me the opportunity) from part-time my last semester graduating college full time. I really wasn’t sure what was next for me after college. With being able to have the opportunity to see the opportunity in it all. I knew that this was real passion for me and something I wanted to do. It started with the name Whataboho (fellow Texans might catch the drift) and then came the rest. My approach was starting out with vendor shows, not only was I going to be going to shows, but I wanted to “roll” up into shows making my business a real vintage mobile retail. Of course, making the mobile entirely authentic to my business with a Vintage Airstream. It was certainly not an overnight business it was a plan I had living in my head rent free for about 3 years until it actually became reality. During that time with the name, got the online website going, and I had gotten the Airstream. Boy did I not know what I was getting myself into with him. It was love at first sight with the Airstream. Well and sometimes love is blind and I was blind to the many problems that naturally come with a vintage camper. Thinking my heart could not go on without it at my first show. I realized I had to, and it was a dive it headfirst. I got to the finishing steps of a TM with my online site and that’s what gave me the launch I really needed to get the show on the road without it. I applied at one show, got a no. But it didn’t stop me, Then came Junk Hippy, a show as a shopper I knew that one day I wanted to be a seller. It was a huge goal and dream of mine to one day be there. I was hoping that my first L would have accepted me so that I could at least have a show under my belt before applying to a show my dreams. I went ahead and did it, not only that but they had two dates you could be able to apply for. So of course, I went for both!!! I wanted to show how much I wanted to be apart of it. I figured with the first show it would likely be booked as well. Then I ended up getting into BOTH. I cried after the email over the excitement of getting accepted. The one I thought was already full was actually going to be the coming weekend, when it was Monday. Hence the major launch, within 4 days I had to get ready for my first ever show. The show was a success and the rest has been history since. I will say that the first show having been such a success had a whole lot to do with Junk Hippy the show itself. The owner of Junk Hippy- Kristen Gill took me under her wing and was the one to take a chance and give me the opportunity and starting out for my first show. I would have to say if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today with the business . Personally, for myself diving headfirst into it and getting myself out there was the best approach in order for me to start the business. With the way it all started it gave me the opportunity to have 0 time to even be able to overthink anything. The only time I had was for me to just actually do it. Part of why it took so long was that I had thought I had to know everything and I felt like I wasn’t prepared enough, but what I had found is that way you begin know and prepare is just by jumping in and doing it.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Starting a business there are so many different discoveries and things that you learn. Aside from the business discoveries you really get the chance learn more about yourself. The business is like a mirror and the reflection of the mirror is the one that’s behind the business. For me I can say it’s not something that I’ve entirely unlearned and it will be something that I will have to continue to work on for awhile. Which is Perfectionism. Not really the kind where everything necessarily has to be perfect. It comes more from within myself. What I like to call “personal perfectionist”. Where whatever it is that I do I want it to be entirely perfect and being my own worst critic on top of that. From set up, displays, packing up items, social media posts, business cards, needless to say etc. etc. basically every fragment of the business. I went in being that way full on. Time for me was ultimately what made me come to the realization of what I was doing. With me being that way(still can) it would take sooooo much time out of everything else. Which it would become a hyper fixation over one part of the business to be perfect. When there’s about 100000 other different things that need attention from parts of the business to even outside of it. From catching myself being down to the final hour of something stressed beyond belief due to spending so much time on “perfect” without even needing to be I have had to learn how to take a step back from things and tell myself it’s fine. The outcome? It usually ends up being totally fine!! Even time management, I like to think that I can knock out so many things at one time or I think I have to do all these certain things done, but that is does not always work out. I’ll get beyond upset and dramatic with myself over it. At one of those times I had that voice come in my head that ended up telling me “one step at a time”. Which I’ve carried that voice onto what I still have to tell myself. They are totally things that I can only hope I will one day unlearn, but may not. I still catch myself slipping back into those. It’s something that I continue to work on and tell myself “It’s fine” and “One step at a time”
Have you ever had to pivot?
It would have to be the Airstream and with the goal of me starting out the business with it, I had spent a long time in the search results of Facebook Marketplace trying to find an Airstream. I wanted one that was vintage not just for the price but for the authenticity of my business being vintage. The time came and there it was the 1968 Airstream Safari 22’ who’s name is Apollo 8. I saw it then as entirely perfect from the year it was made in 68’ which was the era I sell and the size not being too big or small! It was love at first sight from just the ad alone. I was sold on it. I’d say the only smarts I had at that time was that I at least didn’t pay full and sent an offer that they accepted. The Airstream was what I saw as the main identity to my business. It was a pivotal point and I’d still say that it was. However, I had saw myself rocking and rolling and getting the business going as soon as I had bought it and pulled it out of the place, Little did I know what I was actually getting myself into at the time. I figured that it would be a little bit of a fixer upper and there would be some issues with it. I love me some DIYs, but some DIYs were forsure big dooseys that require professionals. You’ll fix one problem to find that there is another, or fixing that one to that ends up creating a whole new problem. Needless to say, Airstreams are Aluminum Uphill Battles. With the Airstream it has taken a whole lot of time and as well as money. With time I saw me starting day one starting my business with the Airstream right beside me it really was the soul of the business; I couldn’t see myself without it. Naturally with starting a business there always is that fear of failure I think with that alone it eventually became more a crutch instead of a reason for me not to start. Then came the pivot of starting the business without the Airstream. When the time came of me actually starting, I did it myself without the Airstream. Looking back now I am so glad that it had turned out that way vs. my main goal. It showed me that I didn’t have to have that part in order for it to be something. It was already something always within myself that I could be able to do for me. I learned that with some things don’t pan out but that doesn’t mean you have to put everything else on hold or give up on that one thing entirely. The Airstream is still something I love and will continue to work on with time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whataboho.com/
- Instagram: Whataboho
- Facebook: Whataboho