As thrifting has been all the rage for not only sustainability reasons but also the ability to wear one-of-a-kind pieces, I decided to talk to the CEO, founder and President of @tallahassee_vintage on Instagram, Anthony Aguiar. At just 20 years old, Aguiar has amassed over 3,000 followers on Instagram, selling handpicked vintage clothing items, many being unique FSU gear all the way from windbreakers to bucket hats. With in-store appointments and online sales, it’s no surprise about the success of his business.
Her Campus (HC): How did you first come up with the idea?
Anthony Aguiar (AA): I’ve always thrifted and dug for clothes, but I was only looking for clothes for myself. I would frequently leave behind super cool stuff because it wasn’t my size or it wasn’t my team or just wasn’t my style. Then I realized that just because I didn’t want to wear it, doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t, and that’s when I began selling clothes.
HC: Now that you’ve shifted into looking at clothes for others, what is the process of finding clothes? How do you know something will sell? Are you digging through the racks for hours or are you able to pick things up super quick?
AA: My process is going into anywhere I see clothes, whether it be a store, a garbage can, or a dude on the street wearing something cool. I don’t know that everything will sell, but I believe in myself that someone one day will like this item, whether it’s the same day I pick it up or two months later. I wish I could say it was easy but it’s not, I spend countless hours every day, multiple times a day at different locations.
AA: So, a lot of times older people have true vintage stuff that to them is an ordinary article of clothing but to me, it’s much more than that. It’s always super awkward walking up to random people and asking for their stuff but it’s always worth a shot, and of course, these people are getting paid for their items.
HC: Bringing it back to the beginning, did you start on Instagram and grow from there?
AA: I started out on Instagram and that continues to be my main platform. Through the continued support of my customers (I prefer to call them supporters) I’ve been able to continue growing and now I have a website as well as a store where people can come shop around. I grew my business with lots of hard work and dedication, but I would be nowhere without my supporters.
HC: Amazing, so how did you keep up business with COVID?
AA: I came home for “spring break” without my clothes and then FSU told us to stay home and I was stuck in Miami with none of my inventory. This left me with no option but to start from scratch. At first, it was slow but once I began to come upon inventory, that is when my business really took off. I was only doing in-person meetups for transactions, but with COVID, I had to transition to shipping all my items so that was the biggest change and it was for the better because now my brand was not only in Tallahassee but all over the country and I even made a few sales overseas which was a huge accomplishment for me.
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