Meet Shana Arnold of More or Less Vintage in DeKalb County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shana Arnold.

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
Growing up I wanted to become an archaeologist so I’ve always had a love for old things and history in general. I realized I had a love for almost all things vintage when I was a child. I was very attracted to styles (fashion, furniture, and architecture) from the 1920’s – 1960’s. Whenever I would watch films set in that era I would feel extremely attracted to the type of clothing worn by the actors. That’s when I really fell in love with vintage fashion and the era in general. I didn’t actually start my online vintage clothing store (More or Less Vintage) until I saw a video on Instagram by a very successful guy name Chris Gardner. If you’ve ever seen the film or read the book “The Pursuit of Happyness” you probably know exactly who I’m talking about. The book/film is basically about his life. But I follow him on social media so I often look at some of his inspiring videos and post. One day he posted a video basically talking about living out your dreams and creating the kind of life that you really want for yourself. And for some reason the message in his video that day really stood out to me. I really believe it was what I needed to hear at that particular moment, to encourage me to go ahead and do what I had been putting off (More or Less Vintage).

Newly in my 30’s, this was a challenging time for me because I was still in the doubting myself phase. Nowhere near where I wanted to be in life, etc. But somehow through all of that I managed to go ahead and start with what I had and where I was in life. I already owned a few vintage pieces so I started taking from my paycheck every week and collecting pieces to sell. I knew right away that I wanted More or Less Vintage to be authentic. I wanted to only incorporate authentic vintage pieces into More or Less Vintage. Nothing inspired, nothing after the early 90’s, just real vintage clothing and accessories. As I mentioned a little earlier, vintage is generally anything made/worn between the 1920’s – 1960’s. But I decided to add 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s pieces because I also love fashion from those time periods as well. And again, there’s no “set in stone” period for vintage.

Some people consider vintage to be anything from the past, whether yesterday or from two years ago. But as far as authentic vintage, what’s widely accepted is an item being at-least 25 years or older. That’s one of the things that makes it so unique to me, is that it’s history. Most clothing companies from 40 and 70 years ago are no longer in business. So those vintage items can no longer be made. They can be made to look like clothing and accessories from that time period but it wouldn’t be authentic. And there’s nothing wrong with inspired vintage. I’ve seen may beautiful vintage inspired pieces. And that alone lets me know that the era is still appreciated. Vintage can be incorporated now or thirty years from now and still be hot and trendy. It’s just one of those things.

Because I fell in love with vintage so young, I knew I would take part in preserving it one day. Just having a piece of clothing in my closet from 40 or 70 years ago puts a smile on my face. It brings me comfort in way. I can’t really explain it, but it just does. It’s one of those things that just makes you happy. Buying, selling and collecting vintage pieces really makes me happy. When I do this I know that I’m sharing a piece of history with someone. I’m sharing something that I’m passionate about. I know that I’m introducing something to people who may have never even payed attention to the era, or saw it as something valuable (a part of our history).

From starting More or Less Vintage in the Spring of 2018 to now, I can honestly say that I’m very proud of how far I’ve come and the help I’ve gotten along the way. Staying consistent and passionate about what I’m doing has allowed me to make somewhat of a name for More or Less Vintage. It’s not really about numbers for me, it’s about quality and staying true to what More or Less Vintage stands for and the purpose behind starting this business in the first place.

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I started More or Less Vintage it was at a challenging time in my life so it hasn’t really been smooth for me. I was working part-time at a job I didn’t like, and just dealing with so many other trials and tribulations. One of the biggest struggles for me throughout this process besides finances, has been not fully believing in myself. Being afraid that certain people would watch me fail, or worrying about what they would think of my business, was really getting to me my first few months. But thank God for family. Knowing that I was going through a lot emotionally, once I admitted this fear to a few of my family members, in particular, one of my sisters (Crystal), I was met with wisdom, love, and words of encouragement. So that was very helpful for me and allowed me to step out of that circle of fear.

Of course, I still go through struggles but I tend to look at things a lot more positive now. And throwing myself into my passion (More or Less Vintage) has made me happier as a person because I’m doing something I love. I never really feel like I’m working with this. I’m so focused and passionate about what I’m doing to the point where there’s not a lot of time for me to focus on things that just don’t make me better as a person.

Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
More or Less Vintage is an online retail store that generally focuses on authentic vintage clothing and accessories for women. We’ve recently added vintage household goods to the store because the original vision was not to just offer vintage fashion to women, but to everyone. So we will eventually expand to men’s fashion, vintage furniture, etc.

Three of the biggest things I think that sets us apart from others is, authenticity, quality, and great customer service. To me, quality is extremely important and will always come before quantity with More or Less Vintage. I want my customers to really be satisfied and happy with any purchase they make from me. I want them to know that they will never have to worry about receiving damaged items (items with holes, stains, etc.), or something other than what was presented and described.

I literally take my time looking for pieces because I want my customers to have the very best. Authenticity is extremely important also because there are very few vintage clothing stores that offer authentic vintage fashion. Many vintage sellers/stores mix vintage inspired with real vintage. Which is totally fine because again, I’m all for doing what you love. But with More or Less Vintage I really wanted to create a place where true vintage lovers or those looking for specific vintage pieces could come and get authentic vintage. Real items from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, etc. I want my customers to know that we do value their opinion. That’s why we’re always asking if they would like us to implement certain things, offering discounts, etc. Our customers can contact us anytime and know that we will respond within 24 hours to make sure that their questions are answered and that they get what they need.

With More or Less Vintage I think the thing that I’m most proud about is the fact that I even started with this, and also the growth that has been accomplished. Yes, I have a long way to go, but I’m grateful for where the store is now. Less than a year ago this was just another dream and now it’s a real tangible business. I’m doing something that I’m really passionate about and that has opened so many doors for me. So I really love that.

Do you feel like our city is a good place for businesses like yours? If someone was just starting out, would you recommend them starting out here? If not, what can our city do to improve?
Most definitely. Because I’m from Atlanta, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the city grow. And as weird as this may sound, it’s rare to meet a person from Atlanta, in Atlanta, so there’s people here from all walks of life. And because of that, someone’s bound to like vintage (lol). But as I talked about a little bit earlier, vintage has never really been out of style since it hit and it’s generally always mixed with different eras of fashion. So in my opinion, it’s one of those things that will always be seen as trendy. So I definitely feel that Atlanta is the perfect place for More or less Vintage, and I would absolutely recommend someone just starting out, to start here. There’s so many opportunities for new business owners and those looking to start a business in Atlanta. This is a metropolis, and with so much going on and so many successful people being here, I just feel like why not give it a try. Atlanta would be a great start.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moreorlessvintage.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moreorlessvintage/?hl=en

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.