(Late) Winner.... helloagainvintage

1. Shop name: Hello Again Vintage

2. Owners: Gale Bautista & LadyGrace Cervantes

3. Twitter: www.twitter.com/helloagainvtg

3. Facebook fanpage: www.facebook.com/helloagainvintage

4. Shop site: www.helloagainvintage.com

5. Blog: www.helloagainvintage.blogspot.com

6. Where do you find your BEST vintage items? We go anywhere from searching for very specific vintage items on the internet to taking roadtrips to near or far garage and estate sales. As vintage sellers, we always keep our eyes and ears open, as we never know where we'll score some great finds. The most delightful feeling is finding something at the least expected place and time. For example, our shop was in desperate need of mannequins and on one great random day, a relative called us to let us know of a factory that was closing down and shutting its doors for good at 3pm that day and had more than a dozen vintage mannequins to dispose of. Needless to say, we picked them up ASAP!

7. What do you look for when you are looking for vintage? Just overall unique hard to find items from all eras that are in good condition. We like to have a nice mix at the shop.

8. What is your FAVORITE vintage item that you have found? Our favorite vintage item at the shop right now was not found but given to us by our aunt from her own collection. It is a vintage ceramic owl lamp from the 60's. It currently sits on the window sill of our shop like a mascot and was the first thing we put in there when we opened. It's special and, to us, it looks more eerie than cute. Sorry for everyone that's asked but, he's still "not for sale".

9. What era of vintage inspires your shop the most? From the orange and yellow retro pattern on our shop wall to the funky neon pink and turquoise ruffled party dress displayed at our window, the shop decor is influenced mostly by the colorful eras of the 1960's to 1980's, but we also carry a range of items from different eras.


10. How do you accurately price a vintage item? We price out merchandise based on era, quality, and uniqueness.

11. How did you first become attracted to vintage things? We both grew up in families that were big antique collectors and hobbyists. Since we were little, we've been accustomed to taking weekend roadtrips searching for garage sales with our parents. It didn't take us long to realize that the joy of doing this came from finding a unique object and wanting to know more and more about the history behind it - What year was it from? Who could have owned it? What is that romantic story it belongs to?

13. Is there a message as a seller you are trying to get out there? You don't have to spend alot to look or be fashionable. Also, have fun mixing the fashion of today with those of the past to create something fresh and unique.

15. Do you sell your items only on etsy? We also have a brick and mortar shop in Jersey City Heights, NJ that we opened in May 2008.

16. Do you have any advice for Vintage sellers? Well short and sweet, do your research, know your eras, and trust your "eye"! When shopping around, we often will be drawn to an item and maybe not know exactly what it is or what it's worth (that's where research comes in), but if it popped out to us in one way or another, then we trust that it's got to be something good!

17. Do you ever dream of owning a free standing shop if you do not
already? We've dreamt about owning a shop since we were little girls. One of our lasting memories is of coming home from school and rushing to finish homework so that we could play "store" afterwards. We would price vintage costume jewelry that we bought at a garage sale the weekend before and bag each individually to be put out on the "floor" for sale. At around 8 years old, we even took it as far as setting up our own private store for family and friends in our basement selling vintage and secondhand goods. In 2008, our dream came true and we were able to open up shop right in our neighborhood, called Hello Again Vintage.

18. Do you do other things other than sell vintage? At our shop we sell current trends in fashion that is secondhand but not vintage, mainly things that are funky and catch our eye. We also are both very big on the DIY/indie culture, and feature our own handmade accessories at the shop along with many other local artists and crafters' art for sale.

19. What is your “ Day job”? Gale Bautista: I work at our shop in Jersey City during the day, in my downtime, I handmake jewelry that I sell at the shop and on Etsy (www.wichserstudio.etsy.com), and am always available for hire for freelance work in interior design and drafting on AutoCAD.

LadyGrace Cervantes: When not working behind-the-scenes on our store operations, I'm a buyer for the Jersey City Museum Gift Shop as well as bookkeeper for my family-owned employment agency, Hudson Staffing Solutions.

20. Any good sales coming to your shop soon ( ex BOGO)? We will soon be having a giveaway for Facebook fans only. If you would like to enter, go to our Facebook fanpage to become a fan and stay tuned for instructions on the giveaway!

Anything else you want to add:

We would just like to thank you, Funk(E)y Junk Designs for this wonderful interview on us. We always love and greatly appreciate bloggers showing their support. It helps us grow and motivates us to keep on moving! Thank you, thank you!

---- She says your welcome :D