Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Strickland.
Hi Rachel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was working within the local court system when I had my first child. In 2013, I made the decision to leave my position with the court to pursue a career in wedding and event photography. Doing photography allowed me to stumble upon the opportunity to purchase Savannah Vintage & Event Rentals, a small vintage furniture rental business created in 2014 by the sweetest couple here in Savannah!
My husband and I had two daughters at the time we decided to purchase this business in 2018. We loved that it opened the door for us to be able to work together, as a family. My husband and I found each other in high school in 2004 and have been together ever since! We truly believe in love and the blessing of finding your forever friendship with your spouse! We also believe in family and pride ourselves in running this business with marriage and family being our number one priority.
Both of my young daughters have been on the scene with us, helping momma and daddy set up rentals! They love it! Within a year, we expanded our inventory beyond vintage rentals and ventured into more modern and neutral lounge rentals. Within two years we were able to offer and wide selection of event rentals in addition to the most unique selection of lounge furniture in our area! Within that time, we also had our third baby, a son!
I am a mother of 3, woman owned business, and I am completely in awe and grateful for the growth we have been able to achieve since purchasing this company! None of it could be accomplished without an incredible team working by my side, support from such talented and amazing vendors in the industry, and my beautiful family who has been right there with me every step of the way! We are proud to be one of the few companies on the East Coast to offer such a unique selection of rentals to create stunning, trending beauty within the wedding and event industry.
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?
Upon purchasing the business, we struggled with finding an appropriate location to house our rentals. And when we did, finding help to move the rentals to another location was difficult. I, with the help of my husband and daughters, was managing things both in the field and behind the scenes on my own for a little while until we were able to find help! Even now, finding help that will uphold our high standards for excellent customer service and pristine rentals has been very difficult to find. So I am still very hands-on in all sides of the business and we have a fantastic core team who all do an incredible job of upholding our standards! Finding a good workflow and system took a while as well! A lot of trial and error.
In 2020, Covid put a huge halt on our progress and growth. Within a week, we had to reschedule over 40 weddings.
We’ve been impressed with Savannah Vintage & Event Rentals, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the owner of Savannah Vintage & Event Rentals. I am a wife and mother of three children, 2 daughters and a son. I feel incredibly blessed with the fulfillment and connection I have with my family and feel honored to play a small role in the beginnings of this beautiful connection for my wedding clients. I am extremely hands-on in my business to ensure that our clients are receiving the highest level of service and the highest quality rentals. I am also very involved and make it a priority to build relationships with our industry vendors.
We would not be where we are without them! I believe that our high standards for providing the best experience for our clients is what sets us apart from others. I am most proud that we offer such a unique selection of rentals and that there are very few companies like us in this area!
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I am going to change the word “luck” to “blessed”. We feel overwhelmingly blessed with the relationships we have built and the support we have received in this industry. Sure, in order for any business to succeed, it takes a large amount of hard work and knowledge. But without those relationships, and without putting heart into the business, the clients would receive an empty experience.
We are blessed with the opportunity to welcome our clients and fellow vendors into our Savannah Vintage & Event Rentals family! We also feel very fortunate and blessed that we have come back full circle from the Covid 19 Shutdown in 2020. We are just so grateful to be here still serving our clients!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@saveventrentals.com
- Website: https://savvintagerentals.com/
- Instagram: www.instragram.com/saveventrentals
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/savvintagerentals
Image Credits
Izzy + Co Photography
Torianna Brooke Photography
Bronston Photography
Apt. B Photography
