Meet Nicole Kuehl & Billy Dinkins of Envy Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Kuehl & Billy Dinkins.

Hi Nicole & Billy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story
Envy Vintage was born out of our love for unique vintage pieces! Our business started out of our home – I would purchase a piece or two and bring them back to life (with a little elbow grease), then resell them. Billy was initially frustrated with my projects as they began to takeover the garage gym, but over time, he started helping source the pieces – thus Envy Vintage was born! We are two sides of the same coin: sourcing/acquisitions and photos/marketing/sales.

There’s something to be said about the phrase “they don’t build them like they used to,” especially with vintage furniture, and I think that resonates with people. We believe the fact that they’re still in such great condition after 50+ years is a testament to the quality.

We quickly realized the importance of creating a space for our audience, so our followers would have “first-dibs” on our latest finds. We created social media pages and the furniture began to sell almost as quickly as we could list it.

What began as a side-hustle quickly grew to a full-time job for both of us. Although I’m still “at home” with the kids, I work on listing, cleaning pieces, or corresponding with clients in a full-time capacity. Billy is a Fire Captain with a local town in the Raleigh area, and on his days off he works incredibly hard bringing the pieces home. He often drives to our dealers in Pennsylvania and Ohio multiple times a month!

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?
Learning when to scale-up was one of our biggest challenges. At one point, our garage, dining room, and living room were all full of furniture. It was stressful! We were hauling in our little Toyota Tacoma and tying down with twine. Now, we have a 3300 sqft warehouse space, a diesel work truck for towing, and two trailers (one for pickups and one for deliveries) with specialized E-track systems to secure furniture pieces as safely as possible while maximizing space.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Envy Vintage?
My maiden name initials are NV (Envy), which is where we got our name: Envy Vintage. We specialize in authentic, vintage Mid-Century furniture. We truly appreciate the design aesthetic of the era and strive to keep pieces in original condition… we never paint them, but we will collaborate with local artists in the area if a client has something specific in mind!

Most furniture made in the 50s and 60s was made within 100 miles of North Carolina, so Billy feels like he’s bringing them home. We love to see sets to stay together and go to homes where they’re appreciated for the quality and design! Why buy West Elm when you can have the real thing for a fraction of the price?

As a brand, we are incredibly proud of our business. We are small and family-owned, so you’ll either be dealing with me or Billy. We also strive to get pieces at all different price points, so Vintage design is accessible for everyone!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
We love the diversity of Raleigh…and there’s so much to do! Parks, festivals, museums. And being 2 hours from the beach and 3 hours from the Smoky Mountains is amazing.

Buttttt, as with any growing city, the traffic can be an obstacle. Not fun to be stuck in 5 o’clock traffic on delivery day!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @envy.vintage
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/EnvyVintageFurnishings
• Other: https://g.page/EnvyVintage?share

Image Credits
Shelby Kiger Johnson, Megan Boysen, Jenny McClamroch