Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Cass.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My husband, Andrew and I have been dealing with antiques and vintage for about a decade. I have been married to my career military husband for 18 years. I started out thrifting out of necessity to furnish our home on a budget. As time went on, I started to take a large interest in vintage and antique furnishings I would find at thrift stores and yard sales. Items from yesteryear carry a level of quality and longevity we don’t see in many modern-day items.
We eventually collected many pieces over time and realized it may be time to sell some items. Andrew and I started our reselling journey in small booths in various parts of eastern North Carolina and on Etsy. As a stay-at-home mom to a school-age child, selling vintage also brought in extra income. Over the years, I read many books and resources on vintage glass, furnishings, and textiles and started to learn a lot. It has always been a dream to open a little store of my own, but with my husband’s military career it has not been possible. There has always been a possibility that we would have to pick up and move again.
Little did we know, we would stay in North Carolina for almost a decade until he retired. Over those years, we went on picking trips through many states, attended many auctions, and visited countless flea markets. In a moment of spontaneity back in 2019, we decided to attend auctioneering school. Both of us got through school and passed the state board exam and became state-licensed auctioneers. We both became licensed right before the Covid 19 pandemic started. We decided to press ahead with auctioneering once stay-at-home mandates were lifted.
We conducted online-only auctions as the pandemic continued. We enjoyed auctioneering, but I always felt in my heart that owning my own brick-and-mortar shop was truly where my heart has always been. In August 2021, we decided to close our doors to our auction building and flip the place into a store. We could not have done this without a great team of fellow creatives and vintage dealers. We enlisted their help and we banded together to create Lola’s Vintiques.
We have met many wonderful like-minded people over the last several years who love vintage as much as we do. We opened our doors to the public in February 2022. Lola’s Vintiques was named in memory of my husband’s grandmother, Lola Bryson.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, opening the store has been a straightforward road.
However, we decided to press ahead with opening the store during the craziest time of the year which was the holidays. We also decided in the summer of 2021 to sell the home we had lived in for 9 years and buy our new home.
There has been some uneasiness with opening the store due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and increased inflation. However, we remained optimistic and confident in moving ahead with our dream of opening a store.
We’ve been impressed with Lola’s Vintiques LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Lola’s Vintiques LLC is a small eclectic group of vintage dealers and artisans housed under the roof of an early building that is an antique in itself. We carry true antiques, vintage goods ranging from the earlier mid-century era up to the 1980s, vintage advertising, artisan soaps, and handmade goods. Lola’s Vintiques is a retired military family-owned and operated.
Andrew and I specialize in mid-century era glass, particularly vintage Pyrex. We curate our collection on our personal Instagram account which has been digitally featured with a national publication. We both hold active auctioneering licenses with the state of North Carolina and are fully equipped with the knowledge on how to handle estates and personal property.
We are proud to work alongside fellow experienced vintage dealers in our area. We are proud of our group of vendors who work alongside us to provide high-quality items for the store.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
We feel classic timeless pieces will remain just that: Timeless, and only gain value over time.
Andrew and I feel that trends, however, are going to continue to shift into bolder colors and patterns and move slightly away from minimalist trends. We feel antiques and vintage that have been seen as lesser value over the last 20 years will gain a renewed interest.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @lolasvintiquesgoldsboro
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lolas-Vintiques-101944635625100
Image Credits
Stephanie Cass
