S10 Ep12 BROOKE NAULT: Daisy and Stella Vintage and Twin Cities True Vintage Show – on finding her niche in Victorian and Edwardian through 1930s fashion, and building a destination vintage show.
Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily StochlShow Notes
Today we're chatting with Brooke of Daisy and Stella Vintage — a collector, seller, and curator who has been living and breathing vintage since 1999, and more recently, became the founder of the Twin Cities True Vintage Show. Brooke grew up in Wisconsin, where her mom sold antique dolls, and she spent a lot of time in auction houses and antique malls and the vintage shops on State Street in Madison. By college, she had a name for her future vintage shop picked out — Daisy and Stella, but it would be some time before she dove fully into her lifelong dream. Today, Daisy and Stella is a deeply specialized shop focused on Victorian fashion through the 1930s — the era of leg-of-mutton sleeves, hand-beaded gowns, corset covers, and construction so intricate it would cost thousands to replicate today. Brooke has built a reputation as one of the go-to experts in this niche, sourcing pieces through estate sales, online auctions, and a growing network of collectors and friends who know exactly what she's looking for. In 2023, she took that expertise and turned it into something bigger: the Twin Cities True Vintage Show, a curated, experience-driven vintage event where everything sold on the floor is 50 years old or older, and shoppers dress in vintage – we've covered the incredible street style in Pre-Loved's newsletter this spring! On today's episode, we get into all of it: how she found her niche and why narrowing down was the best thing she ever did for her business, and what it takes to build a vintage show that draws buyers and dealers from the coasts — and internationally — to the Midwest for one-of-a-kind finds. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [4:35] Brooke grew up in Wisconsin, where her mom sold antique dolls, and she spent a lot of time in auction houses, antique malls and vintage shops. [5:23] The vintage landscape of the late 90s and early 2000s [8:58] Starting a vintage shop was a lifelong dream for Brooke – one long in the making. [14:09] Daisy and Stella is a deeply specialized shop focused on Victorian fashion through the 1930s. [17:23] What's most in demand right now from Victorian through 1930s [22:47] Brooke has tried many resale platforms over the years – most recently livestreaming on Whatnot. [25:08] Educating customers about pieces that are extremely old and rare. [28:00] The piece Brooke had in a bin for 10 years before realizing it was a rare, sought-after French label, Boué Soeurs [32:28] Why she started the Twin Cities True Vintage show as a production dedicated to vintage fashion older than 50-years-old. [38:50] The "live mannequin" feature at the Twin Cities True Vintage show [44:00] What draws buyers and dealers from the coasts and internationally to a Midwest show [45:00] The most rare and remarkable pieces on the floor at the April Twin Cities True Vintage Show. [48:49] Brooke's own personal collection and favorite vintage pieces. [56:45] The pieces Brooke has sold that she still thinks about — and her vintage bucket list. EPISODE MENTIONS: Daisy and Stella Vintage @daisyandstellavintage Twin Cities True Vintage Show @twincitiestruevintageshow Pre-Loved's coverage from the Twin Cities True Vintage Show @timelessvixen Timeless Vixen on Pre-Loved Podcast Dressing History video on "survival bias" Candice at Collecting Dust Glamdiggers Vintage Stay Gold Vintage Threadbare Sturbridge Goldstein Museum of Design Cora Violet Walters LET'S CONNECT: 📸Instagram: @emilymstochl 🐦Threads: @emilymstochl 🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl 📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod SPECIAL THANKS: A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible! Patty Weber Kathy Brand Lisa of Queenie & Pearl Lydia Welp Michael A. Megan Morris Jennifer Alana Rivero Jerrica Yasumura Amanda Hale
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Today we're chatting with Bella Long, the vintage seller behind Valentine Vintage, who is also a fashion historian and archivist in the making, finishing her final year of grad school at NYU, where she's earning master's degrees in costume studies and library and information science. Bella grew up in Southern California, where she fell in love with old movies and the glamorous costumes in them. She started working at her local buy-sell-trade store when she was just 17, and started selling vintage in college, after learning the ropes interning for Sarah at Cameo Appearance Vintage. After college, Bella went full time with Valentine right as the vintage market really started to boom in Chicago. Along the way, she took a job in Columbia College Chicago's fashion study collection, which introduced her to the world of historical dress and archives, and that's what led her to go back to school to turn her love of fashion research into a career. She's now interning in museum and library collections, including an oral history project on postal workers' uniforms with the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum. We get into it all on today's episode: what a day in an archive actually looks like, and what makes a piece belong in a museum collection versus a vintage rack. Plus, what skills transfer from selling vintage to archival work, and what you have to unlearn (resisting the desire to try things on!). And of course, we hear about the vintage pieces she'll never part with, and all the best holy grail finds she's ever had as a seller and collector. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [03:34] Bella grew up drawing clothes and falling in love with old movie costumes [07:58] She got her first job at the buy-sell-trade shop at 17, and learned how trends drive buying [14:34] Starting to sell vintage in 2018 and interning with Sarah of Cameo Appearance Vintage [17:37] The Chicago vintage boom, and going full time with Valentine [21:09] How Valentine evolved, and how fashion history knowledge changed what she buys [28:26] Burning out after 34 markets in one year, and the decision to go to grad school [31:39] What a day in an archive actually looks like [38:59] What skills transfer from selling vintage to archives [42:38] What makes a piece belong in a collection vs. on a vintage rack [54:31] How museums acquire pieces, and why donations matter [56:49] The pieces she'll never part with and holy grail finds EPISODE MENTIONS: Valentine Vintage Cameo Appearance Vintage Columbia College Chicago Fashion Study Collection Dr. Lauren Downing Peters Smithsonian's National Postal Museum Cora Violet Walters Suburbia Circus
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