Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharana Horton.
Sharana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Catch Our Thrift started from me being a broke college student who loved vintage fashion. While in my senior year at Savannah State University in 2014 (majoring in mass communications and journalism), my professor, Sandra Earley gave us a project to start our own blogs. The blog could be about any topic. I couldn’t decide on my topic because I was so interested in writing about so many things. I was an amazing writer, so I wanted my blog to be dope! I went to her office one afternoon to get some guidance. Professor Earley said “I know you love thrifting. You’re always talking about it and you look so good in the vintage outfits you put together. Why don’t you blog about that?” She was right. I loved to thrift and I loved finding authentic vintage pieces to incorporate with my modern-day wardrobe. I named my blog “Catch My Thrift” (playing on the saying ‘Catch my drift’) and it was on! I would thrift all of these vintage clothes, I would style my looks and my friends would take pictures of my outfits. It became more than an assignment for a class. It was a hobby. It became a passion.
Blogging lit a fire in me and I thought, “I could make some money from doing this”. So, I started an Etsy store and put my most exclusive vintage pieces on the site for sale. I had vintage Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Calvin Klein, Levis, retro sweatshirts and jackets and vintage dresses. At first, the site barely got any traffic, but I didn’t let that discourage me. I created an Instagram and Facebook page for Catch My Thrift to promote. I knew it would take time to get popping. So I continued to thrift, upload pieces and be patient. After a few months, I begin getting sales. Not just one or two sales. I would get at least a sale a day. The money started to come in and I thought “Maybe this thrifting thing could work”. Other people noticed the attention Catch My Thrift was getting and I started to get calls to style photo shoots, indie movies, and participate in local fashion shows. I was lit!
A lot has occurred over the last five years since Catch My Thrift began. I got married and had three children. Catch My Thrift has changed to Catch OUR Thrift because my husband is now my business partner and he’s in charge of our mens’ vintage collection. Working with a spouse has its challenges, but we keep each other motivated. We both have a love for 80s and 90s fashion, so I couldn’t have picked a better person to partner with. We took a break from the shop for about two years because life happened. NOW, we have re-branded and we are better than ever. We just did a huge fashion show in Waycross, GA and we’re planning on doing our own fashion show and pop up shop this summer.
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?
When people hear ‘thrift’, they think dirty, used clothes. Having a business called Catch Our Thrift was risky, due to the negative connotations associated with thrifting. In the beginning, it was hard to get customers. We barely made any sales and traffic was very slow. We made a decision to change how people see thrifted clothes. We decided to show people how dope vintage clothes can be. We’re always wearing Catch Our Thrift, so we would just take pictures of how good we looked in our thrifted outfits and posted them to social media. The people started to catch on and we began to see our business do numbers.
Catch Our Thrift Vintage Clothing and Recycled Apparel – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Catch Our Thrift Vintage is a clothing line that gives you the most unique, exclusive, and authentic vintage pieces. Catch Our Thrift is more than a brand; it’s a lifestyle. We recycle fads and recreate fashion. My husband and I are both 90s babies, so we really love fashion, music, and culture from the 90s. We live, eat, and breathe all things retro. 80s and 90s fashion is making a comeback. You see people wearing the bright colored patterns, the platform, and chunky heel shoes, high waist jeans and shorts. We have it all and more. Our prices are affordable and our clothes are one of a kind. You don’t have to worry about anybody else wearing your outfit because our clothes are exclusive. If you’re a lover of vintage fashion, you’ll love Catch Our Thrift!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We were featured designers in a fashion show. The audience and models loved our clothes so much they bought our clothes right off the runway after the show. Some models bought their entire outfit we styled them in. We sold out all of our clothes that one night. We were so happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catchourthrift.com
- Phone: 7704683714
- Email: catchmythrift00@gmail.com
- Instagram: @CatchOurThrift
- Facebook: Catch Our Thrift Vintage
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/shopcatchourthrift
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