A Packed Closet Leads to Secondhand Subscription Boxes

Notes from Chris

Episode 913

Liz Funk spent her college years picking through the tiny vintage shops tucked away in little corners of New York City. She loved combing through the racks in search of hidden treasures. To this day, she lovingly looks back on her major scores, like the time when she found a beautiful black dress in the East Village for just $2 or a pair of Aldo yellow heels for $5.

But Liz lived in a small Brooklyn apartment, and that meant that when it came to her closet space, the struggle was >u>real. One day as she was staring into that closet, she realized that she had a lot of clothes she just didn’t wear anymore (and of course, she wanted to buy more!).

This got her thinking. She knew that she wasn’t the only woman struggling with this problem. There were piles of clothes just laying dormant in closets across the country, and Liz wished that there was a better way to get them from Woman A to Woman B. Although she loved sifting through consignment shops, she knew that a lot of people didn’t.

Plus, so many vintage shops were becoming selective about the clothes they would take. Even GoodWill, a place known for taking just about anything, only sells about 20% of the textiles they receive. The other 80% is sold to recycling companies, which turns the garments into carpet padding or house insulation.

So for a while, Liz shoved her big ideas for secondhand clothing into the back of her closet. But, she still loved shopping until she dropped for vintage clothing, so that’s what she kept doing. Soon, she had a huge inventory full of amazing pieces, even in sizes that didn’t fit! She started giving her treasures away to friends. As Liz says, it became her “odd love language.”

The frequent gifting led her to start working on an online store, where she could upload pictures of the pieces she found … and then sell them for a higher rate than she bought them. She called it And We Evolve.

To her delight, she started making a small amount of money each month from reselling the clothes. But Liz wasn’t ready to hang up her hat—or list it for sale—just yet. She knew she could make it even bigger and better.

Sometimes, side hustles aren’t always about building a business bigger and bigger. In Liz’s case, And We Evolve provided a way to make a little extra money every month from something that she’s passionate about.

Each month she keeps around $500 to use for whatever she wants and reinvests another $400-$1000 back into the business. This extra income provides added support to her day to day life, all while having the added bonus of being something that contributes to a cause that she’s passionate about: reducing the negative effects of textile production.

In the future, Liz hopes to continue ironing out her business so she can provide the most interesting and affordable secondhand fashion business she can … all without running herself ragged.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• And We Evolve: Learn more about this secondhand subscription box service over on Liz's website!

SEE ALSO:

• Police Officer Funnels Frustration Into Six-Figure Hustle: A style-savvy police officer creates a fashionable subscription service serving men and women nationwide
• Dutch Personal Shopping Service for Kids Measures Up: This clothing subscription service delivers a box of children’s clothes to parents in The Netherlands each month. It’s a close-knit competition, but you’re tailored to win!
• Vintage Clothing Shop Sells Retro Jeans for Modern Money: The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants turns a love of shopping into an e-commerce shop selling one-of-a-kind vintage clothing

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,