A decade is both a blink and a lifetime. What began as a quest to fulfill a personal need to find the perfect vintage rug, has unfolded into ten years of sourcing, designing and sharing pieces that find their way into the rhythm of daily life of our customers. To mark the occasion, we sat down with our founder Brittany to reflect on the beginnings, turning points and new perspectives that can come only with time and experience.
10 YEARS: A Q+A with Our Founder
1. What was the moment when you knew this path of opening your own business was the right one for you?
I felt a calling to be a small business owner from a very young age. Growing up in a small town and carefully observing my grandfather operate his small chain of gourmet grocery stores, he gave so much to the local community it inspired me to wish the same for myself some day. I didn’t know exactly what my future would look like being a young teen—maybe a hair salon? A clothing store? But I knew building a business of my own creation was the journey I was destined to take.
2. What values or inspirations have guided your vision over the last decade?
Quality over everything, sustainable interiors through an unwavering love of vintage, supporting local & American artisans wherever possible, expressing kindness and gratitude every day, and staying true to the vision. Sometimes that means putting blinders on and avoiding the noise to stay focused and avoid comparison & distraction.
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3. Looking back, what do you see as some of the most defining milestones?
In the early days of building my business selling vintage rugs using instagram as the main source of organic marketing, the space got crowded—quickly. I remember lying in bed at night and making the distinctive choice to completely pivot away from selling small sized rugs to selling only large area rugs. This was a defining moment that not only differentiated my business but grew the top line much quicker. I was no longer playing a low cost, high volume game—I was appealing to a higher budget buyer, and my time sourcing per piece was better spent. This decision allowed me to focus more on growing the brand.
Another defining moment was taking the leap to open a brick-and-mortar. Running a retail store is its own beast and definitely not for the faint of heart, but creating a well designed destination to experience the world of The Vintage Rug Shop—opening the storefront gave the brand tangible value to our customers.
4. What have you learned about yourself as a founder?
I am hyper aware of my weaknesses, when hiring I make sure to surround myself with folks who can do certain things much better than I can—it’s the key to our successes and being able to do so much with a small team. I have also learned how resilient I am and how strength as a leader is a must. The world of retail will make you the toughest person. Also, my non-negotiable is making sure I devote a chunk of time each week to work ON the business (rather than IN the business).
5. Are there any challenges that felt insurmountable at the time, but ultimately shaped the business in a meaningful way?
The riskiest and most important decision I made was relocating our storefront and overcoming the feeling of starting over. If we didn’t do it we risked shutting down the retail store completely, as the neighborhood of our old location had not recovered from the pandemic. It was a huge risk to take, but a necessary one for the growth of our business.
6. What does reaching 10 Years mean to you personally?
I ask myself, what have I specifically done for 10 years straight? I feel like I am still just getting started, and have the same burning passion as I did when I started the business. Feeling this way 10 years in proves to me I’m doing what I love to do, and there’s so much more to come.
7. Which parts of this work feel the most rewarding to you, even ten years later?
Knowing the products we source, design, and create make their way into someone’s actual space of living is a special feeling I always want to have. Our small team touches the product every step of the way, and once it’s off to a new home we feel an invisible string connection for life!
8. If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
It all sounds cliche but Just do it! Trust your gut, don’t wait. Traditional career paths aren’t for everyone so don’t feel guilty for being unconventional.
9. What is the scrappiest thing you did to get the shop off the ground?
In the earliest days of the business, I was the single person doing everything, from marketing to customer service to fulfillment. Every startup business owner has to wear many hats, but it was a scrappy yet strategic choice to present the company as if the business was playing in big leagues. I created different email addresses for each “department” of the business so the customer would get the sense the shop was bigger than it was. An email from our “customer service team” came from me. A shipping notification from our “fulfillment team” also came from me. I could build immediate trust with customers if the business was presented as established. Then, once the business grew I could hire for those individual roles and the processes didn’t change. I knew it worked when customers would utter our company name in the same conversation as similar businesses with 100+ employees.
10. What dream projects or ideas are still on the future horizon for the next ten years?
If you could take a peek at my dream board, you’d see samples of the many stages of production of our own products we are working on, the sketched outline of a giant coffee table book (or two), expansion of retail stores into my favorite cities, collaborations, and more. If you put it into the universe it’s bound to materialize some day!
Ten years later and the heart of our shop remains unchanged: to offer beauty that is lasting and a sense of home that feels personal and well-collected. This milestone is a moment of both gratitude for what’s already come to be, along with momentum toward projects still ahead and pieces not yet discovered.
