Etsy Business Profile: Recycle Buy Vintage

Today we're chatting with Recycle Buy Vintage about the philosophy behind their shop.

Tell us a bit about you and your shop.
We are RecycleBuyVintage, the place where you can find unique and familiar vintage items. This shop has been open since 2009, but we've been on Etsy since 2005, working out of Akron, Ohio.

Is there a story behind your shop name?

Our shop name came about when my husband and I were picking. When we were looking at all of the items for sale, and we found something we liked, one of us would say, "recycle" and then the other would chime in with, "buy vintage". It just seemed appropriate when we opened this shop to name it "recycle... buy vintage".

Pottery owls from top to bottom, left to right: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

How did you end up selling vintage? Is it your full time job?

Originally, I had been on Etsy selling handmade items under the shop name "kittyBcreative". I made all kinds of things, but had a hard time getting noticed. It was about then that I meet my husband, who used to sell vintage on E-bay. It was his idea for me to sell some of my vintage treasures on Etsy, which really became a big hit, so we went with it. I had originally started out selling part-time, but soon our vintage sales became a full-time endeavor.

When we were children, both my husband and I's families shopped at yard sales and flea markets. We both grew up knowing vintage as our new stuff. It was a wonderful way to spend the day with our families, and a great way for us to have new stuff. Our families didn't mind buying used, since it was a deal. And we learned to appreciate something used. Who would have ever known that this time would also train our eyes for our future business. It is easy for us to spot what era items came from, since we were living it.

Round vintage Murano paperweight - Teardrop vintage Murano paperweight

Do you have a favorite era?

One thing that I really appreciate about vintage is the quality of the products. My favorite eras are the 50's and 60's, with their classic styles and looks. You can always incorporate something from that era into your modern decor and it will be fabulous. If you notice, you will find that many of today's style trends are based off of the 50's and 60's.

Collection of vintage brushes - Brass figurines - Vintage clothespin

Do you collect anything (vintage or not)?

Along the way, we come across some very gorgeous glass and pottery. Which has become the one thing that we hold onto instead of selling right away. We have quite a huge selection of beautifully colored glass, in all shapes and sizes. My kitchen window is full of glass birds and other animals, that I can't quite part with just yet. And in our bedroom is a shelf as long as the wall stacked full of pottery vases and flower pots in all different shades.

Personal pottery collection

Is there a special story about any of your sales?

Over the years we have had some wonderful people purchase from us, but sometimes there are the ones that you will always remember. We were selling a 1930's royal typewriter, a petite little manual typewriter in it's own little case. The woman that purchased it was buying it as a gift for her 12 year old son who wished to be a writer. It touched my heart deeply that a mother was showing her support for her son's dream in such a warm way. I will always wonder what stories will be written with that little typewriter.