Meet Erica Qualy | Vintage Clothing Connoisseur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Qualy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
You are the only person you can rely on at the end of the day. No one else is going to work as hard as YOU for your dreams.

I used to be a House Cleaner, and when Covid first hit in 2020- all of a sudden people were scared to have workers in their house- they didn’t want to get sick and so that stream of income abruptly stopped. I had always been an avid thrifter and had a little booth at a local antique mall- but I didn’t really lean into reselling vintage clothing for a living until everything shut down and it was just me and my collection of vintage clothing sitting at home. I’m so thankful I had a small bit of inventory that I could resell and an online community of customers to help me get by those first few months. I learned that we can’t always rely on our places of work to provide for us. That’s not to say quit your job tomorrow, but you can always start small. Imagine if everyone started learning about that thing they’ve always been curious about. What if we could all do a “job” that we were good at, that we enjoyed, a job that also helped the people in our communities?
I learned that really, your best investment is yourself.
I encourage everyone to look up the Japanese concept of Ikigai and create their own little diagram by filling in the blanks.
Nurture your talents and your skills. Lean into your passions and take note of what brings you joy. Plant that seed today, invest in yourself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love working in the vintage resale business because I love the thrill of the hunt. I also really love that I get to help people find quality, stylish, and fun clothing without contributing to the pollution of the fast fashion industry. I think one thing that sets me apart from other vintage shops is that I am always open to trades. I know what it feels like to want something that is financially out of reach and I always want to work with people. I wish more people were open to trading their goods and services because I feel like that makes a more circular local economy and it grows bonds within our communities.
I think any amount of success I’ve garnered comes from the constant support of my customers and my (probably obsessive) attention to detail and quality. I always try my best to note any flaws on a garment, clean and sanitize them, and place the happiness of my customer above all else.
If you put in the consistent work and time to deliver a quality good or service, you don’t really need advertising or fancy ads- people will gladly talk about your shop and spread the word.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There is so much to do in Memphis! We may not be a New York City but there is something to do every day of the week. For breakfast I’d bring them to Sunrise or Farm & Fig. Depending on if the weather is nice, we could check out the galleries at Crosstown Arts, play putt-putt down on Summer Avenue, walk through the trails at Overton Park or Shelby Forest or go sightseeing downtown by the river. If it’s raining we could check out some museums, go to the discount book store at the central library, or go antiquing.
Depending on what kind of food you’re feeling for lunch and dinner we could go to Las Tortugas, India Palace, Abyssinia, or Queen of Sheba. There’s so much yummy food and amazing culture here!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The vintage community on Instagram is the real star of the show. I have met some of the kindest, sweetest, most generous people through the power of social media. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. I’m grateful every single day for their support, encouragement, and genuine friendships.

Website: https://www.ericaqualy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takostreasures_vintage

Image Credits
Photographs by Erica Qualy Models: Rachel Horton, Louise Page, Valerie Walker, Marisa Knight, Gabrielle Luna, Hannah Nelson