Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Smith, Eleanor Winans and Matt Newberry.
Matt, Eleanor and Matt, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We’re a collective of three vintage clothing sellers who met by chance doing pop-up markets around the city. We quickly realized that all of us had the same mindset about building a community around what we do and we wanted to concentrate on working together rather than seeing each other as competition.
After starting out doing markets once or twice a month, we’ve built into a thriving small business — operating a joint online shop, organizing markets ourselves and trying to promote and help those we’ve met throughout the past year. Because traditional brick and mortar is a lost art in some ways, by doing markets wherever we can we’ve made connections with tons of people that always come out to support what we do. Nothing is better than seeing the consistent excitement on familiar faces.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Overall, we’ve had a killer first year and have experienced a pretty smooth road. A lot of our problems tend to stem from not having enough time to devote to sourcing, listing items online and doing markets most weekends; Matt and Matt do this mostly full time, while Eleanor still has a day job. We also deal with unpredictable weather conditions (most of our markets are outdoors) as well as sometimes having trouble finding inventory that meets our standards.
We all have grand ambitions, but having the patience to know what’s possible and when to take opportunities is a key to our success. Our experience has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re thrilled about our future possibilities. Most of all, we want the chance to give Atlanta something it sorely needs: an incomparable marketplace of unique, sustainable vintage clothing.
No Surrender Vintage Collective – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is a collective of three vintage clothing/wares vendors, each with a different concentration. We all pride ourselves on providing top-notch garments at competitive prices compared to some other markets in the country. We each bring something unique to the table and are constantly trying to better our selections. In our inventory, you may find a rad 90s t-shirt, an amazing 60s sundress or a rare piece of US military gear. While we all have different tastes, they come together to create a shopping experience that truly has something for everyone.
Our motto is “no one wins unless we all win,” and we truly believe that to be true. Over the past year, we’ve forged many strong bonds with the community of independent vintage, handmade, and art vendors throughout Atlanta, and we have all benefited from working together. We strive to continue to foster and maintain an inclusive, creative and thriving scene.
One thing that sets us apart is how we approach selling clothing. Our clients know that our wares won’t break the bank, they don’t help to support the fast-fashion world and are something they won’t see anywhere else. We like that we’re doing something, however small, to keep historic articles of clothing alive so they don’t end up forgotten in a landfill.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Our proudest moment so far has been starting a monthly vintage market at a renowned establishment in our hometown. PopMart at Paris on Ponce, which occurs the third weekend of every month, has been a raving success so far, as we enter into our third month. We’re really pumped on the possibility of this market becoming a premier vintage resource similar to those found in cities like New York, LA and the Bay area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/nosurrendervintage
- Email: nosurrendercollective@gmail.com
- Instagram: NoSurrenderCollective
- Facebook: Facebook.com/NoSurrenderCollective
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.
