Let's Get Personal

Hello all! I'd just like to thank all of our followers and shoppers for the support over our first year. July has been our best month ever and we really appreciate all the love. 

I'd like to share a little "behind the scenes" type thing with you. Some of the questions and comments I get on Etsy make me realize that some people may not know how much work actually goes into running a shop like this (especially single handedly). Just because we sell vintage and used clothing doesn't mean we just found a $2 tee shirt at a thrift store, and then threw it up on Etsy for 40 bucks. It's actually the opposite of that!

I've been getting several requests for discounts, or the prices to be lowered, and I've been accommodating to those who have asked, but at the same time, there are those who seem to be very demanding and not understanding of why the prices are the way that they are (and believe me, if you compare us to many other vintage retailers, we are on the low end!) I saw on Wildfox's blog a while ago, she did a whole breakdown of what goes into the making of Wildfox apparel and did a step by step guide to show everyone exactly why the costs may seem high. And it really put everything in perspective. I'd like to do somewhat of the same thing here. 

First off, as much as I'd like to have Some Velvet as my sole job, I actually have a full time 9-5 job Monday through Friday that I've been at for the past 5 years, and run a style blog (Being Perfect is Hard) that I update several times a day. So pretty much all of my "free" time is put into Some Velvet.  Luckily, selling and styling vintage clothing is something I love to do so it often doesn't feel like work to me.

Here's a little break down of how Some Velvet runs...

1. Since I don't own my own car, every time I go in search of new inventory, I must rent a car. Luckily we're based in Philadelphia where we have a car-share program that lets you rent by the hour. Although this is convenient, it is pricey and can set me back about $30-$40 for just a few hours of time.
2.  I usually go on my treasure hunts on Friday mornings. I go into work early, then leave with the rental car for a few hours, and hurry back to work for the rest of the day.
3. My weekend is usually when I have the time to sort through all my finds. Each item that is going to be listed must be checked throroughly for flaws, all measurements must be taken, and a detailed description must be written. 
4. I have a few different models who look good in pretty much anything you put them in, but I still have to think and plan who's going to look better in what. I style and accessorize all the oufits myself, and also take all the photos.
5. I then crop and edit every photo, and upload them all to Etsy. 
6. Next I start uploading images to Chictopia, my blog, this blog, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to promote our products.
7.  After that, there's a lot of question answering and email responding that goes along with having an Etsy shop.
8.  As orders come in, I package them all with colorful tissue paper and our business cards and flyers. 
9. I've also recently started doing the Some Velvet Originals which are vintage pieces that I alter through hand sewing and hand dying. I usually have a new piece about once a week that I put up

Sooo all in all, the costs that go into running this shop include: rental car, paying the models, packing supplies, the cost of clothes themselves, promotional supplies, taking hours off of work to be able to do all of this, Etsy and Paypal fees, organizing lookbook shoots which include hiring models, photographer and paying all the expenses,etc. The hours that I put into the shop per week are probably about 10-15. 

I hope this info gives everyone a better understanding of what we do, and can help anyone who may want to open their own online shop. It's fun, rewarding, and lots of work.

Be on the lookout for our next giveaway coming sometime in August.

We'll also be shooting new Fall lookbooks soon, and starting to roll out our Fall vintage collection. Seriously, can't wait for Fall!

xoxox Jacci