Vintage Seller Spotlight: Sunday Girl Finds

Mariel 11:07 AM Add Comment Edit

Welcome to a new feature here on Dripping Dream Vintage that I am calling Vintage Seller Spotlight. I will be spotlighting fellow vintage sellers as a way to learn more about the vision and creativity that goes into their shops! I am hoping to make this a weekly feature, but unfortunately sometimes pesky things like schoolwork and my other job get in the way of me updating this blog, so we'll see how it goes :-)

Our first Vintage Seller Spotlight is Sonja from the amazing Sunday Girl Finds. Her shop is so lovely and stocked full of vintage dresses, handbags, hats and more from the '50s, '60s, '70s and more! I highly recommend giving it a visit!

Read on to find out more about Sonja's inspiration behind Sunday Girl Finds!

Your name: My name is Sonja Lueschen. I was named after the comic book character Red Sonja from Conan the Barbarian.

Your location: I currently reside in sunny San Diego. I went to college in San Francisco & lived in the city for 5 years. I grew up just north of SD and I moved back after suffering from a broken heart a year and a half ago.

Describe Sunday Girl Finds in a few sentences: Sunday Girl Finds is my baby. It’s a curated online vintage shop that offers hand selected pieces for girls of all shapes & sizes. The goal of SGF is to bring unique vintage pieces to cool chicks around the world.

How long have you been selling vintage? I started selling antiques & vintage on Ebay for other people when I moved back to San Diego. Last Summer I decided to make the switch to Etsy & start picking & selling for myself.

What made you want to start selling vintage? My first real job in High School was working at a local vintage shop. Since then I’ve always been connected with vintage resale in some way or another. When I got a set of wheels last year, I found myself mapping out thrift stores within a 100 mile radius of my apartment. I started to find a lot of amazing pieces, however a majority of them didn’t fit my curvy figure. That’s when I started posting the pieces that didn’t work for me online.

How do you decide what items to sell in your shop/are there specific things you look for when picking out items for your shop? When I’m picking at an Estate Sale or a Thrift store, I treat it like work. I always have a plan, a budget, and a mental list of past mistakes that I try not to repeat. I prepare myself for the hunt by researching current trends on style blogs. If I notice that girls are wearing contemporary pieces that look like they came out of Stevie Nicks closet, I look for the vintage pieces that inspired that look. Eventually you can gauge what trend is going to be big just by noticing the little things.

What decade (or decades) do you find yourself most drawn to? I’m drawn to anything from the 1920 - 1960’s. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of films from the early 1940’s & I’m completely enamored by everything.

-Who is your ultimate vintage icon? There are so many! I find myself constantly falling in love with a new Old Hollywood film star each week. I look to women like Myrna Loy, Greta Garbo & Carole Lombard for their elegance. Jane Birkin, Liz Taylor, & Rita Hayworth for their overall sex appeal. But, if I were to choose one vintage icon, it would be Marilyn Monroe. I know it sounds cliche but I’m just crazy about her. What can I say, I love tragic blondes.

What has been your all-time best vintage find? Hmm. I feel like my answer to this question will change overtime. As of today I think my best vintage find is a 1950‘s mint condition Oleg Cassini evening gown I purchased for only four dollars! It looks like it fell off the wardrobe rack from a Some Like It Hot.

Is there a piece of vintage that you have that you'd never dream of selling? I try not to get too emotional when it comes to vintage pieces. I keep finding so many great things that I tend to cycle my wardrobe. Excluding antique family heirlooms, I feel like I could let go of anything at this point.

Any advice for other vintage sellers/those thinking of starting to sell vintage? The best advice that I can give is this:

1.) NEVER pay too much. Set a strict budget & follow it. If you don’t think that you could reasonably get three times the amount of money online, don’t buy it.

2.) ALWAYS take the time to fully check a garment before buying it. If there are stains or flaws that can’t be easily fixed, leave it. Also, don’t forget about the “smell test”.

3.) Invest in yourself. Buy a decent camera, set up a comfortable workspace & allow yourself the time to work. You need to be an expert in your field, and to do so you need the proper tools.

4.) Take amazing photos. Style each piece & use natural light. Photoshop is a helpful tool, but don’t use it to mislead the buyer.

5.) Keep good records. You will have to pay taxes on the merchandise you sell. Keep all of you receipts from thrift stores, those will be very helpful come April.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from Sonja's shop: