As many of you know, my husband & I recently moved to a small town in NC. We’ve been a part of the community for almost 10 years through our ballroom dance studio & event venue, Grace Ballroom, but we finally became part of the residential community, too. Angier can seem like a small, quiet little town, sometimes, but we do have a few hidden gems such as this amazing little vintage thrift shop I found in the downtown area: Dawn’s Vintage Thrift & Consignment.
The owner, Dawn, grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, and you might ask how someone from all the way out there ended up in little old Angier, NC, but just like each of the unique & creative pieces in her store, she’s got long stories of her journeys & who knows where her adventure will lead her next.
Dawn, the owner, didn’t start out in the thrift business. She took a major leap in her path to being a small-business owner when she transitioned working from American Airlines to get into the storage auction business. She & her husband had a silver & gold store &
began adding unique pieces they found from the storage auctions. Their original shop was in Apex & then moved to Fuquay-Varina (for those not around these here parts, that’s pronounced “few quay va reen uh”…not “fooqway”…bless’em). Their shop grew & changed & she developed a following as a “thrifter.” As their original store hit some hardships, they didn’t let that stop them. She continued her work selling excess items from the storage auctions out of their home & her loyal customers loved her so much they eventually found her & continued buying from her. Her husband, Jeff, played a big role in continuing to inspire, encourage, & motivate her not to give up on her passion. They eventually established roots in Angier & opened a small shop in the downtown district, & let me tell you, it’s not your average thrift store. She sells vintage & antique alongside modern household items. She always looks for a variety because, as she says, “that’s what continues to bring customers back.” And I for one LOVE the creativity she displays with different items set together. It always inspires new uses for old things to spruce up your home- like an antique metal milk crate once “Protected by the Pinkertons”- and I’m all about it!
She said the vintage aspect of her shop was inspired by her friend & in-shop vendor, Jenny Trey Parton, owner of “Junk in the Trunk” where she turns “vintage items into new pieces filled with life & inspiration.” I swear, if I had a million dollars I would probably be in danger of spending a lot of it in their store.
Overall, she’s learned a lot through the years by asking questions & not keeping to herself…probably an important lesson we can all learn & practice more. She said she seeks out the help of others with more knowledge in the areas she wants to grow because she finds it educational & fun. She likes to ask about the background of the pieces she finds- where they come from- because while some might see it as a piece of junk, she has the eye to look for the journey behind it & all the creative potential it holds. She said that one of the best parts of her job is seeing the excitement in her customers’ faces when they find the perfect, unique piece they’ve been looking for to add that special touch to their own homes.
While she’s had a long journey filled will adventures & different jobs, she always finds her way back to the roots & creativity of vintage thrifting. She loves Angier & the people she’s met here. I can imagine a little laugh as she said she’s racked up quite a few funny stories over the years, but in her words, “that’s for another time,” one can only imagine I guess. Her dreams don’t stop here, though. In the future, she sees herself with another store, one thriving & growing even more than her current store already is. She gives a lot of the credit to her husband as her inspiration & rock. “What woman can say their husband has put their name up in lights?” Sounds like a pretty good guy, to me, especially when he constantly reminds her that she has “nothing but air & opportunity”…
And I don’t know about you, but I might steal that saying for myself.
Make sure to visit her shop in downtown Angier, like & follow her shop on Facebook where you can tune in, weekly, to see her new antique & vintage picks new to the shop…go get lost in all the glory that is Dawn’s Vintage Thrift & Consignment. I know I do.
Be blessed, friends!