Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Davis
Hi Samantha , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If you would have told me five years ago that in 2023 I would move to Baltimore, I probably would have looked at you with quite the perplexed face. That’s because I had been living in New York City since 2008. I was a fierce and loyal New Yorker, committed to the highs and the lows and the sacrifices it took to make it in the Big Apple. I had no idea that I would reconnect with a colleague from my alma mater just a few years later, fall in love with him, and fall in love with the city where he was based — Baltimore! My story begins with setting sights on a journalism career as a magazine fashion editor in New York. I worked tirelessly to gain a position at a prestigious publishing company in Manhattan in 2008. What I didn’t know going into the career was that my creative juices would be quite stifled at a mostly desk job. While working my first role in the publishing world, I discovered the flea markets of New York City. Somehow, at the age of 23 I came up with the idea that I would create a vintage fashion resale brand. I had never sold clothing face-to-face before, but I had always been so passionate about vintage and personal style. During the week I worked in a high-rise building overlooking Central Park, and on the weekends I would sling vintage and secondhand at the markets in Brooklyn. I was absolutely exhausted but invigorated. I learned so much about what it takes to sell it markets and how to help your customers to fall in love with your product and your brand. Unfortunately, selling in New York City was the ultimate of struggles. I eventually opened up a storage unit “showroom” on the Upper East Side to take clients instead of showcasing at the markets. In 2011 after two years of getting my chops in vintage resale, I started working for a vintage boutique. My love of in person selling only accelerated and so did my skill set. But, the vintage world was in a different place than it is today. You still really had to push to sell your product because buying secondhand wasn’t mainstream. Fast-forward to meeting my husband, Ron, choosing to leave New York and move to Baltimore, and having the time the circumstances and the knowledge to restart my in-person resale career. From 2018 to today, I have always maintained an online vintage resale presence. but it wasn’t until moving to Baltimore that I could actually afford a showroom, own a car again, and start to pop up at local markets and build a reputation and a brand. Life has a funny way of bringing us back to our original passions. When I was 23 and trying to make it as a full-time vintage seller, the world and my own self weren’t quite ready. But nearly 15 years later I can honestly say that selling in person at markets is absolutely a way for me to have a full-time business that is self-sufficient and provides me with a paycheck. Not to say it still isn’t very difficult, but not nearly as difficult as it was when I got my start in the Big Apple way back in 2009. I’m honored to have been a witness to the growth of this industry, and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me and others who have remained committed to their own paths in resale. Baltimore has proven to be the perfect breeding ground for incredible resellers who can build a business without the financial constraints of big city living. Additionally, Baltimore does lack the same amount of retail as sister cities, DC or Philadelphia, which is why its pop-up markets truly fill a void that residents need. After living in New York City for 15 years, and now Baltimore for one year plus, I can honestly say that sometimes we have to wait to be in the right place at the right time for our our dreams to truly take fruition. Baltimore has provided me with exactly what I need to make my early 20s’ dreams a late 30s reality.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles that I currently encounter are normal business struggles, such as how to become more efficient with set up and breakdown, how to merchandise my inventory better, how to purchase my inventory faster and how to create a more accurate strategy of what will actually sell for top dollar, amongst other questions all resellers ask themselves in order to improve. I have no doubt that every struggle emerges to help me to grow this business so that in 2025 I can create $10,000 revenue per month which is my goal for next year. Additionally, I would like to have the resale business funds to hire an assistant for particular events so that I can have support with selling and managing my booth. I would also like to apply and be accepted into bigger shows across the northeast, which would give me access to a more upscale clientele and challenge me to find new sources of inventory that are appropriate for those venues. I can honestly say that running a business is nonstop growth. Sometimes the growth does feel like a struggle, but it is always designed to help get us to the next level.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
One could say that all resale is the same or one could say that all resale is different depending on the reseller themselves. I opt to believe in the latter. Every single individual who has built a resale brand chooses to present their inventory in a personally unique way. I may have some of the same stuff as someone else, but the way that I sell, it is different than them, therefore making us completely different brands and entities. My motto has always been to help humans a.k.a. women and men to feel like “babes.” My brand specializes in unique show stop pieces that you can’t just find anywhere. I also source what is trending and in my late 30s keep my ear to the ground by connecting with young trendsetters and influencers to understand how to take styles of the streets and convert them into pieces available for sale in my booth. I also have a special way of understanding someone’s personal style just by looking at them. I gained that skill set from the years of selling in person at markets and by running a vintage store in New York City. I also founded the Ultimate NYC Secondhand Shopping Tour in 2018, which I still own today and run with a team of three. Helping thousands of visitors to New York City secondhand shop taught me exactly how to use my intuition and to read what someone needs and once whenever someone walks into my booth, I apply that intuition and can easily grab items from my racks that I think might suit them and might fit them. I always carry a tape measure, but honestly, I can look at someone and pretty much know their size. That has taken years of experience, however. I believe that it is my one-on-one customer service that helps set me apart from most in-person resellers. I don’t like to sit and watch people shop, I want to be engaging with them in their experience and helping to make them feel special and to truly help them feel that they are getting the best piece for them. I never pressure someone into a sale, but I do love to make bargains and offer deals because I know how important it is for a customer to stretch their dollar. I am most proud of the fact that I am so fulfilled by in person resale. I would sell vintage every day in person if I could. I really believe it is my gift and that by not using it, I stifle a piece of my spirit that was given to me at birth.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Baltimore is such a special place. Baltimore provides everything that you would want with city living, but without the same stresses as other major cities, financial stresses being probably the most prominent of them all. It is still so affordable to live, work rent, build and create here. I love that I can be a piece of the economic contribution. It gives me so much joy to walk into a privately owned business near my home and to purchase their products and know that I am actually supporting a fellow business owner, such as myself. I also love that even when there is traffic, it really doesn’t take much more than 30 minutes to get anywhere in the city. That gives me such incentive to explore new neighborhoods and to get out of my comfort zone. Honestly what I like least is that outsiders have a negative perception of Charm City. The most important thing that we can do is contribute to the city’s makers and business owners. As they grow and create more safe, community driven initiatives in Baltimore, that will inspire all residents to lead happier and safer lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://vintagebossbabes.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintagebossbabes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamsamanthamariedavis
- Other: http://nycthriftingtour.com/
