Etsy Business Profile: Beep3

Today we'll be chatting with Annie from Beep3 about the thrill of the vintage hunt!

My name is Annie Boyer, and I love finding old, dusty, rusty, things and giving them new life and another chance to become something a new person can love!

A little about me: I grew up in 40 acres of woods on a gravel road in southern Indiana about 3 miles from the one stop light town where my mother and brother still live. I might not have appreciated the finer qualities of small town country life at the time but I find I miss its simplicity and quiet beauty the older I get. And speaking of that, I turned the big half century mark last month. My family now consists of my husband Paul, who goes by Sweetie around here, and our two dogs, Bobo and Etta. They are the 3 in the Beep – Bobo, Etta and Paul. Beap wasn’t available so I went with Beep and added the cars to my logo since I live in downtown Indianapolis – sometimes surrounded I feel with traffic!

My downtown life isn’t that bad though – we live in a house that according to the historical society was built in 1862 by a blacksmith who worked along the old railroad line that used to run through this area but is now gone. It was about a 4 year project to restore it because it had been neglected for such a long time but we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Lots of work but we did it! Paul is a union stagehand in the entertainment industry so many of the big venues he works in are very close by. We are truly in the heart of the city.

Vintage Reploge Land and Sea globe - Vintage Industrial rubber stamp - Antique brass car horn 

Etsy is now my full time job and I couldn’t be happier to finally have the opportunity to control my own destiny! I worked as a public school teacher and librarian for 20 years and it just became sooo frustrating for me. So one day I pulled a Merle Haggard – “I think I’ll walk off my steady job today...” It was scary but exhilarating at the same time and I am now so glad that I had the courage to just do it and not let my worries stop me from taking that leap of faith! I didn’t even know about Etsy at the time – I discovered it about 2 months later and thought “maybe this is what I have been praying for”.

I’ve always been surrounded by vintage and antiques. My parents were going to auctions and flea markets when I was a kid and my dad was always bringing things home and stashing salvaged items in barns. My mom has always loved furniture and has a very good eye for arrangement so I guess I get that from her. My dad was also really interested in folk arts, like caning chairs, making brooms, crockery, and was a great carpenter so I was always around people doing that kind of thing.

Antique tobacco tin - Vintage fire blanket wall box - Aluminum beer can collection

I have developed a liking for industrial pieces and it seems like there is so much of that around here! But sadly most of it will end up in the scrap yard as it is sold in lots at the auctions a lot of times. I try to get things that aren’t too big and heavy to ship and like to upcycle any upholstered items with leather. The Amish neighbors of my Mom had a leathershop for many years – making saddles mostly – and now Susan Petershiem works on little projects that I bring down to her. It’s fun to change old things up and gives me a chance to get back home more often. I also love to do a little research on things I find – that’s the librarian in me! I love to find out about the companies and history of the people that created the things I find.

Upcyled Steelcase chair - Upcycled Cosco folding chairs - Upcycled vanity bench

I don’t really collect any special items – but my most favorite vintage thing I have so far is our 1966 Frolic camper. We found it a few years ago and love to head off with the dogs for respites from the city. My little profile icon is actually the Little Camper at the end of wooded road – hard to see but it’s there!