We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Treva Slater. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Treva below.
Treva, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
The idea for my business happen in a very natural unsuspecting way. It revealed itself slowly, through instinct, curiosity, and a love for the undiscovered gem. It was really a way to find things to decorate my house without spending a lot of money. I’ve had an ability to shop at a yard sale, auction, thrift store, or flea market and pick out the pieces that where undervalued, quality and if it had a unique character to enhance my decor. This just played into the face that I love interior design and was good at it, I was also ahead of the trends and never wanted those cookie cutter type decor pieces. I became obsessed with finding all these cool deals but quickly realized I couldn’t keep everything so I wanted to that person who would find someone else who loved the items as much as I did and make a profit while doing so. I started out having yard sales and then reselling and then turning my front porch into a permanent little flea market and eventually renting a booth in a flea market.
I was loving that I could do what I love and support my yard sale habit. However, I am not the only one, this is how most people become vintage sellers. I believe what set me apart is that I have a deep desire to be the best at whatever I do. I seek out what the top 1% of people who are successful would do. I researched, I would go to the library and check out antique books, I mean stacks at a time. I would determine what lamps, vases, bookends etc… to look for that was the high and which sold at the low end. The internet was new but not a lot of information could be found. I would buy every decorator magazine I could find and studied, the styles, upcoming trends so I can look for things that would fit in. The turning point came one day in an antique shop. I wandered into the back area, where the less-desirable items were piled. Hanging from a hook was a slip-shade Art Deco chandelier—the exact piece I had studied just days before. My heart actually sped up. I knew what it was, I knew what it was worth, and I knew that no one else in that room recognized it. I bought it for $100. It later sold for $900. That moment wasn’t about the profit—it was about clarity. I realized I had a trained eye for a niche that many sellers didn’t understand.
The logic behind turning this into a business was simple:
I could identify value long before it was trendy, and few people were specializing in vintage lighting with real knowledge behind it. As society moved toward mass-produced décor, I noticed people wanted character, craftsmanship, and unique one of a kind pieces. But they didn’t know where to find it. I also saw that most sellers were generalists. My husband taught me how to wire lights and taught myself how to refurbish without affecting the value. I taught myself how to package and ship large chandeliers, and other breakable items that most are fearful in shipping. I learned the hard way and had to refund too many times because I didn’t pack correctly. My shipping rate is 99.9% to 100% now. Very few sellers take the time to research or teach themself what is necessary to get to their full potential.
Once I realized that my instinct wasn’t just luck—that it was a skill others relied on, I knew this business was worth building. And I was excited, found something I could do at home while raising my family, making extra money and enjoy the process.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Treva, and I’m the founder of ModRetroLiving “Vintage Lighting and Home Decor” online shop. A curated brand focused on bringing craftsmanship and history into modern homes. My path into this industry came through years of learning, experimenting, and trusting my eye. I’ve always been drawn to design, but lighting became my specialty because it is functional art. It changes the atmosphere of a room, tells a story, and carries a level of craftsmanship that is nearly impossible to reproduce today.
What I offer today is intentionally curated: chandeliers, lamps, sconces, brass decor, mirrors, and sculptural statement pieces. Every item is researched, vetted, styled, photographed, and prepared with care. My customers rely on me to do the work they can’t, identifying authenticity, understanding value, and sourcing pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful.
What sets me apart is my years of experience, being a forward thinker, opened minded and always studying and researching. I research every maker and era before listing. And I combine old-fashioned customer service with cutting-edge tools so each piece gets the visibility and storytelling it deserves.
What I’m most proud of is that this business was built slowly and intentionally, no shortcuts, no investors, no overnight success. I built it while working a 30-year career in the medical field, raising a family, and constantly learning. Today my shop ranks in the top 6% of Etsy sellers, and I’ve grown into a multi-platform brand selling over $100,000 annually.
Have you ever had to pivot?
At the start of 2025, I experienced something I have only seen once in my 30 years of selling: a sudden, steady collapse in visibility and sales. Month after month, everything kept declining—by June, my Etsy views were down over 80%, and sales had dropped nearly 70%. I had more than 1,000 listings on Etsy, hundreds more on eBay and Chairish, and yet it felt like my entire business had vanished overnight.
At first, I blamed the economy. But the numbers kept falling, and it became clear something bigger was happening. I researched everywhere—YouTube, seller forums, groups—but no one had real answers. Then I discovered a seller named Dylan, founder of The Ultimate Etsy Course. Her explanations about Etsy’s changes were the first that actually made sense, so I enrolled. Her course taught me valuable fundamentals, but it was focused more on digital and handmade sellers. So I still had to figure out the specifics on vintage on my own.
Back in January, Etsy started making slow changes and eventually rolled out a new AI-driven algorithm, completely changing how stores were ranked. Overnight, my shop went from appearing at the top of search results to not being found at all. The solution required a dramatic pivot—Dylan recommended delisting anything that wasn’t fully optimized. It was terrifying, but I trusted the process. I went from 1,000+ listings down to around 150, and my eBay inventory dropped to about 50. I was so overwhelm with all my access inventory. I held a private, by-appointment-only yard sale to sell half of my unlisted inventory just so I could regain control.
Emotionally, it felt like years of work had been erased. And to make things harder, my family was going through multiple losses, and I began experiencing memory issues, fatigue, and a sense of burnout that didn’t feel normal. After advocating for myself, I finally saw a neuropsychologist who diagnosed the issue and assured me it was fixable. The combination of personal and professional stress hit all at once, and I had to learn something I never used to allow myself:
to slow down, give myself grace, and rebuild step by step.
But pivoting is part of entrepreneurship. I’ve rebuilt myself before, and I will do it again. I’m already seeing improvement—emotionally, physically, and in my shop’s performance. I’m confident that 2026 will be one of my strongest years yet.
My advice to anyone facing a similar pivot:
learn everything you can about AI. It’s not a trend—it’s the future. Adapting early is the difference between falling behind and leading the way.
And once I fully master this new landscape, I plan to teach others so they don’t have to navigate it alone.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I sell on four platforms; Etsy, eBay, Chairish, and LiveAuctioneers, but each one plays a very different role in my business.
Etsy is my primary home and the platform where I focus most of my energy. It remains the strongest marketplace overall for vintage. With Etsy’s new AI-driven algorithm, having a clear niche has become essential. In the past, you could list a broad mix of items without confusing the system, but now the algorithm rewards tight, consistent categories. Staying focused helps AI understand your shop and match you with the right buyers.
eBay is excellent for lighting, parts, and supplies, but general home décor is saturated with low prices and are slow sells unless the piece is rare or highly sought after. It’s a great platform for buyers searching for something very specific.
Chairish serves a higher-end audience mainly interior designers who value elevated presentation and are willing to invest in premium pieces. This is where my statement lighting, upscale décor, and sculptural items perform extremely well.
LiveAuctioneers is a live-auction format with a short listing window followed by a scheduled closing time. Surprisingly, I do very well there. The audience is a unique mix of designers, collectors, and auction enthusiasts. Mid-century pieces, pottery, and distinctive décor tend to shine on this platform. (Chairish recently partnered with one of their divisions, Jasper52, which has blended the audiences even more.)
As a closing note; When you do well, people notice. I was just going along living my life, consistently posting and giving my customers top quality service and really didn’t think much about anyone paying attention to what I do. Then out of the blue, Chairish contacted me and asked to start selling on their site, a year or so later Live Auctioneer reached out to sell with them. I’ve had Southern Living magazine wanting to feature some of my items, I was like wow, somehow people are watching my shop, seeing my growth, seeing my ratings. This really makes me feel proud, and a good sign that I am being successful at what I do. Even if it was partly self-motivated on their end, it was an honor and a validation that my work was being noticed beyond Etsy and eBay.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modretroliving/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treva.slater
