A middle-school math teacher, a “treasure- hunter” and a TCU alumna all turned shopping vintage into a full-time business.

The “treasure-hunter”

For owner of Honeysuckle Rose Vintage Tiffany Parish, vintage is in her blood.

Parish’s grandmother used to take her on trips to the antique mall, thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets, sparking her love for all things old at a young age. Not only did Parish’s grandmother start her passion, but she also showed her how vintage shopping was done.

“I’m always on the hunt and not afraid to dig and go to great lengths to find that special vintage item,” Parish said. “I call myself a treasure hunter.”

For Parish, there is no method to finding interesting pieces.

“I tend to buy what I like and what I think others would really enjoy too,” Parish said. “It comes natural.” 

Parish’s hunt for the best vintage finds takes her around the U.S.

“One of my favorite parts is traveling to source vintage. That’s where I really start to grab inspiration and motivation,” Parish said.

“I would love to be surrounded by a town full of people wearing vintage. It really sets you apart from the rest when you wear one-of-a-kind vintage" - Tiffany Parish

Traveling around Texas all year long and out of state at least once a year pays off. Parish scored a pair of custom-made Texas cowgirl boots that were found by her mother in Azle, Texas. The boots were originally made for a rodeo queen named Pepper in the 1960s. Parish's mother purchased the boots from Pepper's son. The story behind these boots is no less intriguing than their late owner. Pepper wore the boots into her later years while wearing her nightgown and watching television every night until the day she passed. 

Another piece in Parish’s collection is a “worn-in-to-perfection” leather fringe jacket that very well could have been worn to Woodstock, according to the son of the original owner.

“So many pieces here at Honeysuckle Rose Vintage tell a story,” Parish said. “Whether you know that story or not, I want you to leave with a piece you cherish and create your own story in it.”

Honeysuckle Rose Vintage started in 2013 as a pop-up shop. Parish would attend local markets like Lola’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Rummage Sale & Arts Goggle. Six years later, the shop grew to become a mini boutique at Lola’s Trailer Park Bar in Fort Worth in 2019. But the one boutique wasn’t enough. Honeysuckle Rose expanded to a second location, a storefront on White Settlement Road in Fort Worth’s River District.

“At both locations you can find clothing and accessories from the 1950s to 1970s with a focus on boho, western and funk,” Parish said.  

The middle school math teacher

For Rafael Huerta, owner of 817 Vintage Hype, he sources and sells 1990s to 2000s pieces. This middle-school math teacher started selling vintage when he bought a $2 t-shirt and sold it for $60 online. He didn’t need to be a mathematician to realize the profits this business could bring. 

“When I saw that the hobby could pay, I kind of ran with it,” Huerta said.

When Huerta first started, he was thrifting everything by himself to resell online. He said once he opened his store, people started to bring him items in hopes of making a trade.

Customers bring in items they have thrifted to trade in for one of Huerta’s pieces.

“They want to sell what they have to get some new, fresh items,” Huerta said.  

Huerta never planned on opening a store. He was a year and a half into reselling vintage clothing online when he was driving down Magnolia Street to go to dinner with his wife. They saw that there was a space for lease on the corner and a week later it was theirs. They transformed the space into a vintage closet filled with all things hype. 

“There is a vintage culture that's growing in Fort Worth,” Huerta said. Most of his customers are between the ages of 18 and 28 looking for something to wear from a decade before their time.

While the vintage style may appeal to a younger crowd, it wouldn’t exist without an older generation willing to give up their old wardrobe.  

The TCU Alumna

For one TCU alumna, selling vintage also came as a surprise.

Lindsey Dixon owns Riff Ram Vintage. She collects vintage TCU gear to sell to fans.

Her business started as a class project when she was in the professional MBA program at the Neeley School of Business.

During her last semester at TCU, her professor challenged the class to start a small, profitable business in 90 days. Dixon chose vintage.

Dixon said she was inspired by her sister who also runs her own vintage business. But Dixon didn’t choose just any vintage clothes to sell; she decided to focus on selling vintage TCU gear. A big TCU fan herself, Dixon had already been collecting these items as a student.

“There's not a lot of places to buy TCU stuff. It all is kind of the same,” Dixon said. “So anytime I was wearing my items, I would always get people saying ‘Oh my gosh, where'd you get that?’ or ‘How did you find that vintage item?’ So that sparked the idea for me with this project.” 

Dixon already had some items, and she knew where to find more.

“That day that we got the assignment, I created the Instagram, I posted some cool vintage crew necks and stuff like that and had sales the first day,” Dixon said.

Dixon had to start sourcing her clothes. And fast.

There are about 15 different stores from which she normally sources. But she primarily gets her gear from alumni.

“Once they hear about me, they'll message me and say, ‘Hey, I have a bunch of stuff that I'm trying to get rid of,’ or ‘We have stuff in the garage, none of it fits us anymore,’ Or ‘My dad went to TCU, we're all Tech fans,’” Dixon said.

Like Huerta, Dixon also has customers who want to trade vintage gear. This is another way Dixon acquires new items.

She said people in the vintage community also reach out to her if they find TCU gear while they are sourcing because they know that she has a better chance of selling a TCU item than they do. Dixon spends 10-12 hours a week searching for clothes to buy and resell.

In her first 90 days, Dixon made $30,000 in revenue. Her class project had launched into a successful business.

While Dixon does not have a physical store, she sells a lot of her items at pop-up events and makes the most revenue selling items off of Instagram. She has reached out to coffee shops around TCU’s campus who also let her come to pop-up events on game days.

When Dixon goes to pop-up events, she fills one car with the clothes and the other with the racks and the equipment to display the items. 

It takes her and her wife about an hour to set everything up before the sale begins. But Dixon said the hard work is worth it.

"It's been a great way to build community, and with that last semester being remote I was feeling really disconnected like most of us were," Dixon said. "Creating this way to share stories and the awesome history of TCU through unique vintage items kept me sane and happy - and the opportunity to meet some really incredible people as a result has been the best part of all."

A bigger impact

These vintage shops are also using their profits to make a difference in the community.

Huerta and his team at 817 Vintage Hype donated over 30 sweatshirts and jackets to an organization during the ice storm in February. Honeysuckle Rose Vintage also works to make a difference in the community.

“We have participated in a benefit called Fort Flannel more than once which is an event at Lola’s helping to raise money for Cook’s Children's Hospital, Presbyterian Night Shelter and to clothe and provide amenities for our Fort Worth homeless community,” Parish said. “We also donate regularly to Center for Transforming Lives who lifts women and children from poverty."

Pop-ups put on by Funky Town Swap have raised money to redo the basketball courts at Trinity Park and for Funky Town Fridge, a community fridge program providing people with food.

Riff Ram Vintage participates in these pop-ups to support a bigger cause.

Buying vintage is also about building community.

“I love to visit other vintage/antique/resale stores in small towns and get to know the people behind the businesses," said Parish. "Those like-minded people make me feel at home and they usually have a great story to tell."

Huerta hosts “Buy-Sell-Trade Night” at his store to give local vintage vendors a chance to network with other vendors and sell to customers.

“Doing this I feel like I am helping the vintage community grow in Fort Worth,” Huerta said.

While vintage vendors can make an impact in the community, wearing vintage can also help positively impact the environment around them.

Proving people with used or vintage clothing to style as they wish and work into modern trends is an "ecologically sound" approach to fashion, Boyd said.

“Buying fast fashion is a big no-no to me. I am in the business of practicing sustainability and helping people to realize that buying vintage is better for our planet and it looks better too,” Parish said.

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