Collie locals Joleen Brown and Storm Todhunter have turned their love of all things vintage and retro into a business concept which now sees them ship between 120-200 packages worldwide each month.
The pair own and operate Retro Respection, an online store selling retro and vintage goods which is run from Ms Todhunter’s Collie home.
The friendship began when Ms Brown bought a teapot off Ms Todhunter three years ago, and subsequently they would both visit and ended up fighting over the same items at markets, they decided to join forces, and so Retro Respection was born in 2012.
The pair began selling goods they has found at markets, garage sales and online through EBay, and have recently launched their own website in order to reach a wider and audience.
The love of all things vintage runs deep for both women, having had family connections with various vintage items over the years that have been passed down through generations.
“I have a family background of vintage collecting, and after my mother passed away I delved in to the fifties era and found a style I really loved,” Ms Brown said.
“We have a grandfather clock that has been in the family since 1830 and I sparked an interest from my grandfather’s stories and a love of ‘pretty things,’” said Ms Todhunter.
Searching for new items to add to the online store is at times a full time job in itself, with both women in constant search of the next garage sale, markets, or deceased estates.
“We can’t drive past a garage sale, sometimes we travel around the region looking for sales.”
“We source our items from just about everywhere, online, overseas, garage sales, deceased estates, or collectors who are looking at downsizing their collections,” Ms Todhunter said.
“You see some things that are getting thrown out and you feel obliged to ‘rescue’ them and respect the item.”
“Family trips are sometimes planned around hunting for new goods,” Ms Brown said.
Although it has not always been smooth sailing for the business women, like starting any business they have had to learn many lessons along the way.
“We were quite naïve when we first started, the whole process has been a massive learning curve.”
“We originally had to work out a way for our husbands to humour us with our collections so we got in to selling, but it’s often hard to part with some items.”
“This way we are able to get items, use them, and pass them on to others to appreciate,” Ms Brown said.
The women have also started a blog on their website which discusses the history behind various vintage items, and is gaining a large following of vintage and retro lovers world-wide.
“It’s amazing what you find out when you delve in to the history of an item.”
“We love the satisfaction of knowing that the item going to a home where it is wanted and appreciated, and I am a firm believer of people using their collections,” Ms Brown said.
Part of the reason that the pair say they started the business was the flexibility with hours and the ability to work from home worked in well with their family lives.
“It’s not always easy to find jobs in a small town, so this way we have the flexibility of working from home when we have the kids,” Ms Todhunter said.
“Even though we are quite isolated in Collie, selling online gives us the opportunity to reach a wide audience from all over the world; surprisingly we have been selling a large quantity of a certain type of teapot to customers in Korea,” Ms Brown said.
The pair is encouraging locals to dig out any goods they may have stashed away in their house that they may think are worth something, or even if they wish to know a bit more about the history of a certain item to get in touch.
“If it is old and interesting we will have a look at it, often people will have things in their house that they don’t know are worth something.”
“I would encourage people in Collie who may have a stash of vintage goods to get in touch, what might be rubbish to some is of great interest to others,” Ms Todhunter said.
You can find out more by visiting retrorespection.com.au
