I am privileged enough during all of this to have stable employment and income during the pandemic. And with my work announcing we will be home till September this year at least, this is my new normal. So, while being at home, I have tried to shop with purpose. I tried to shop online and still focus on supporting local and small businesses and to shop sustainably which is a priority for me. I also have focused on supporting women run businesses and fellow creatives with my purchases.
Not everything I purchased fell into these categories but I want to share with you my favorite purchases and maybe inspire you to rethink the possibilities of online shopping. When you shop online it doesn’t all have to be from big box stores. Online you can still shop small, shop local, and shop with intention to use your money to support your priorities.
Poshmark, ThreadUP, Ebay, and Etsy
My favorite purchases during this time has been vintage and resale clothing and accessories. I tried to focus on resale from small businesses. I did shopping on Poshmark, Threadup, Ebay, and Etsy. I did most of my purchases on Poshmark and a benefit of this platform is an ability to combine shipping and bundle items for a discount with individual sellers. Not everything I purchased was a slam dunk. Knowing my measurements was extremely helpful but didn’t ensure that items would for sure fit of course. I did manage to get some very cute items though and if you want to give Poshmark a try use my invite code KATYOUNGCREATE when you sign up and get $10 off your first purchase.
The other platforms ThreadUP, Ebay, and Etsy had more drawbacks to them. Not only does shopping online have shipping costs that in person shopping doesn’t but there were other challenges. I found Etsy to have significantly higher prices for items I wanted. Ebay had way more to sift through to find things and the descriptions of the items were often pretty useless. ThreadUp was probably the worst. The measurements weren’t great on items and there was never any description on whether material was stretchy or the item’s style. So unless you went shopping specifically by brand name, color, or just by the article of clothing you couldn’t find anything specific. For example you can’t search: “70’s boho dress” but you can search “red Prada dress” which I just don’t find helpful. I could care less about brand names, I am looking for specific styles/eras of items.
I got all these adorable items on Poshmark!
Redbird Vintage Box
I also got vintage clothing and accessories from Redbird Vintage Box. I stalked their social posts and binge watch all the unboxing videos before I subscribed and I am so happy I made the leap! I am not a traditional ‘subscription box person’ and have never been satisfied with any I have previously gotten. I always feel like they pack them with overstock, samples, and stuff I don’t want… in hopes I will start buying from the brands in the box. They always felt like a waste of money. But not this box! I have been so impressed with everything in these boxes. I truly feel I am getting way more than my money’s worth with these boxes, and the ladies who run the business do an amazing job curating it to your personal tastes. I highly recommend checking out Redbird Vintage Box, you can even do a one-time box if you are unsure about subscribing. Be sure to use my code KATYOUNGCREATE10 to get 10% off your first order!
I filmed a few unboxings to show you what it is like to get one of these boxes. I really enjoy watching these unboxing type videos so I wanted to add to the fun! These curated vintage boxes are a small business run by two sisters Karen and Sarah and they do an amazing job curating the box to your taste based on your preferences you give them when you sign up/order.
Cake Plus-Size Resale
I love this store and owner Cat Polivoda’s curation of stylish plus-size clothing has truly allowed me to have a wardrobe I love that is almost all resale items. I have always wanted to have a wardrobe that wasn’t full of fast fashion and Cake has allowed me to accomplish this. Being plus-size, finding cute resale items can be a real challenge. But turning away from participating in fast fashion is really important to me and having this business in the Twin Cities has allowed me to finally do this without feeling I am missing out on the cute trends and styles I want. I would say less than 10% of my current wardrobe is fashion fashion and it is all because of this store. I always know I can find cute staples and things I will love at Cake.
Cake Plus-Size Resale continued selling these cute clothes online. They used their website and instagram to keep providing clothing for the plus-size community. When it was safe they offered curb-side pick-up which was a bonus so I didn’t have to pay for shipping on the items.
They also did some very impressive and innovative changes with their business so you could still support them during the closure. They began offering online style sessions and so much more. I took advantage of their lot sale. This was so much fun! You ordered a lot from their Instagram stories. All you knew about the lot was the general style and a brief description of the items including their original resale price. I got lot Lot 6 for $40 and was so excited to see what was inside!
I even did a fun little try-on haul video to show you everything included. (Video is still to come so check back!) I loved this idea and it was a great way to support the business by helping them move inventory and give them much needed cash. I also donated a few bags of clothing when I picked up my items. I saw so many others dropping off donations too in that short time I stopped by. It was wonderful seeing the community come together to support this woman run small business that meets the needs of the plus-size community in the Twin Cities.
The Irreverent Bookworm
Right down the block from Cake Plus-size Resale is my favorite indie book store The Irreverent Bookworm! This is again another woman run small business and I miss wondering their store looking at all the quirky labels on their shelves. I purchased three books from them with two being brand new and one being resale. By ordering the Feck Perfuction from them I also got to support James Victore who is an artist and creative mentor I greatly admire.
Hunt & Gather
I have also been doing a bunch of home updates. I have created gallery walls, rearranged artwork and furniture, as well as done major clean outs of closets and done lots of organization. Hunt & Gather is my favorite local antique store where I snagged some treasures for my home. They too started selling online via Instastories and did curb-side pick-up. I scored this amazing mirrored sconce which I turned into a jewelry display along with some other small items. They do an adorable job with their package pick-up using vintage ephemera to make your items a special little package.
Velvet Hangers
By cleaning out my closet during all of this, I did a lot of organizing to take care of the things I love in a more mindful way. So here is my first big box purchase I highly recommend: velvet hangers. I can’t believe I didn’t have them before. They are life changing and clothing doesn’t slide off the hanger. I also followed an online tip to organize my clothing by color instead of by item ( ROYGBIV instead of t-shirts together, long sleeves together, work shirts together, etc…). I am never going back. I remember when I organized my books by color and was amazed by how easy it was to find the book I wanted. The color organization of books was not just visually pleasing, it was functional in a way I hadn’t anticipated. And well here we are… organizing my clothes by color is also great life decision.
Imperfect Food Box
I have been trying to take advantage of take-out to help support local restaurants. But my favorite way to get groceries is really my Imperfect Food box. I get a small box delivered every other week and what I like best about the service is it allows me to order food that would perhaps go to waste because they are off spec in some way. I get the option to customize my box that they fill with suggestions and I find the produce and off spec meats to be a great cost and great quality. Just not as pretty as the stuff you see on the grocery store shelves! CLICK HERE for my referral link and get $10 off your first box. They might not deliver in your area yet (they are slowly expanding service around the country) but if they do I highly recommend giving them a try.
Create Your Own Work Workshop
I also set intention to support other Creatives right now. One woman I find especially inspiring is Allison Maldonado the star, creator, and producer of The Vintage Voyageur. She took her idea and ran with it making her YouTube series into a show you can now watch on Amazon. She does so many things creatively. She sings, dances, performs, paints, and so much more! I am really drawn to her Renaissance soul and thought taking a class from her seemed like a perfect fit for me. She gave me lots to think about and I am so glad I got support such an amazing creative like her while learning from her experience.
This image is property of Allison Maldonado.
Original Artwork by Ramon Maiden
I also decided to invest in a work of original art. I have followed Ramon Maiden for years on Instagram and love his altered images. He was offering some test images where he was practicing new pattern ideas and I snapped this one up! This one is an original 1920 book page and I just love it so much! I find it so inspiring! I haven’t received it yet because mail is taking a long time right now and this work is coming in from Spain. But wow she is just gorgeous!
Ruff Start Rescue and The Cafe Meow
And last but not least, my favorite second hand purrrrr-chase was an adorable little rescue cat! I lost my beloved seven year old tabby named Kitten back in February and my home has just felt empty ever since. So I have been slowly looking for a new rescue kitty to bring home. My requirements were the cat had to be older, small in stature, and not a bully so my cat Little Miss wouldn’t be beat up by a new sibling. This little 9 year old rescue checked all those boxes and I just adore her. The two still don’t really get along all that well but all this time spent at home makes it perfect timing to introduce a new cat.
I hope this post gives you some ideas about way to shop with intention. You can still shop small, local, support businesses and people in your communities, and support creators that you care about. We are all experiencing this pandemic differently and it is important to take care of ourselves and others during all of this. Just as the practical instructions say, “Put on your mask before helping others with theirs.” So be sure to take care of yourself during this time. Take care everyone.