Business of Vintage Podcast

Let Your Freak Flag Fly: Porter Vintage

Katie Porter, founder of Porter Vintage, joins the podcast to share how she built one of San Francisco's most beloved vintage businesses by trusting her instincts, embracing community, and never waiting for the "perfect" moment to start.
What began as a driveway pop-up outside Katie's apartment has grown into a thriving vintage brand with a permanent weekly presence in the Mission, a shop inside 710 Collective on Haight Street, a dedicated showroom and event space, and regular vintage shows in New York City. Over the past decade, Katie has built Porter Vintage one opportunity at a time, proving that meaningful businesses are often created by simply showing up consistently.
In this episode, Katie reflects on the moment she nearly walked away from vintage, the power of listening to your intuition, and letting your freak flag fly. She shares practical lessons on hiring a team, managing multiple selling locations, creating systems that support growth, and building authentic community around your business.
Katie Porter (@portervintage)
Founder of Porter Vintage 
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

Street Style to Search Engines: Gem App with Liisa Jokinen

Liisa Jokinen, co-founder of Gem, joins the podcast to share her journey from pioneering street style photography in the early 2000s to building one of the most influential technology platforms in the vintage and secondhand fashion space.
Long before Instagram existed, Liisa was documenting personal style on the streets of Helsinki and New York, capturing the creativity, individuality, and stories behind what people wear. Those experiences eventually led her to co-found Gem, a search engine that helps shoppers discover vintage and secondhand pieces across marketplaces and independent stores all in one place.
In this episode, Liisa shares the story behind building Gem with her husband, what she's learned from six years of growing a fashion tech company, and why she believes the future of fashion is rooted in resale. She also offers practical advice for vintage sellers on improving discoverability, writing stronger listings, creating memorable brands, sourcing inventory strategically, and standing out in an increasingly competitive market.
 
Liisa Jokinen (@liisajokinen)
Co-Founder of Gem (@gem.app)
Use Gem: https://gem.app/
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

Reclaiming Space: A Day in June

Lindsay Brown, founder of A Day in June and newly opened sister store St. Taylor Studio, joins the podcast to share the real story behind building a vintage business from the ground up. What started with coffee shifts, warehouse spaces, weekend markets, and years of bootstrapping eventually became two beloved community-centered concept stores in Baltimore.In this episode, Lindsay opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship: surviving a painful business partnership fallout, building a business without investors or loans, learning to trust her instincts, and why vulnerability on social media unexpectedly transformed her connection with customers. She also shares the inspiration behind creating spaces rooted in joy, intention, and human connection — and why she believes vintage stores are really in the business of people.This conversation is an honest look at the emotional side of entrepreneurship, reclaiming your story, and what it truly takes to build a meaningful business in the vintage world.
 
Lindsay Brown (@adayinjunevintage) 
Founder of A Day In June and St. Taylor Studio 
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

Are you ready for Vintage Store Day?

Vintage Store Day is one month away: May 16th, 2026. The new retail holiday is in it's 2nd year, and it celebrates how small vintage businesses are so often pillars of their communities. It also has the potential to be your best day of sales yet - if you know how to build up the buzz for it. 
 
The team behind Vintage Store Day (Kyla Embrey & Sarah Azzouzi of Lost Girls Vintage, Emma Louis of Rare Form Chicago, Emily Stochl of Pre-Loved, and me - Sloane Middleton Mann of Business of Vintage) are here to help. We've organized an educational webinar that will equip sellers with the tools to pitch themselves for press & create social media buzz. Don't miss the Vintage Visibility Webinar on April 22nd: https://itsvintagestoreday.com/pages/vintage-visibility-webinar
 
Guests: Kyla Embrey, Sarah Azzouzi, Emma LewisCo-Founders of Vintage Store Day, IG @vintage_store_day
  Emily Stochl (@emilymstochl)Resale Journalist & Host of the Pre-Loved Podcast
Hosted by:Sloane Middleton MannFounder of Business of Vintage
Learn more: businessofvintage.com
About Business of Vintage Podcast:
Every vintage item has a story, and every vintage shop does too. Celebrate the past, while thriving today, on the Business of Vintage Podcast. Hosted by Sloane Middleton Mann, founder of Business of Vintage: the world’s only marketing agency built specifically for vintage shops.

Don’t Be Afraid of Technology: Charis Marquez

What if the biggest opportunity for vintage sellers isn’t sourcing better inventory, but understanding technology better? In this episode, I’m joined by Charis Marquez, a retail and resale leader with 20+ years of experience shaping some of the biggest names in fashion. She’s led Global Fashion at eBay, scaled Levi’s and Dockers’ e-commerce businesses, and now advises brands at the intersection of technology, resale, and storytelling via her new consultancy, Seen + Known.Small vintage sellers can learn so much from big retail. Charis and I discuss how vintage sellers don't need to compete with major brands, but should position themselves in a way those brands can’t replicate. From why “you can’t be for everyone” to how clean data and strong listings can directly impact your sales, this episode breaks down the real strategies that separate growing shops from stagnant ones.If you’ve ever felt behind on technology, unsure how to stand out, or worried about big brands entering the vintage space… this episode will completely shift your perspective.
 
Chariz Marquez (@seenandknown.io) 
Founder of Seen + Known / former VP Fashion at eBay 
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

How to Make $1M Selling Vintage: Nik Pollina

What makes a customer choose your shop over The RealReal? Nik Pollina, who recently shared on social media that her vintage designer handbag brand reached $1M in 2025, is the perfect person to ask. In this episode of the Business of Vintage Podcast, host Sloane Middleton Mann sits down with Nik Pollina, founder of Seven Moods, to talk about how she grew an online following of over 300k, leveraged her online community to host lucrative brand-owned pop-up events, and scaled her revenue to seven figures. 
 
Nik Pollina (@nikpollina_) 
Founder of Seven Moods 
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

How Stylists Shop Vintage: JBL Styles

Personal stylists and vintage sellers have so much in common, and so much to gain by partnering with one another. In this episode of the Business of Vintage Podcast, host Sloane Middleton Mann chats with Jamie Lewis, personal stylist & founder of JBL Styles, about how vintage sellers should approach working with personal stylists and interior designers (AKA dream clients!) Jamie shares how opening up about her life on Instagram allowed her to expand her business, how her shoppers are thinking about vintage purchases, and how vintage sellers can style themselves as a way to market their business. 
 
Guest:
Jamie Lewis (@jbl.styles) 
Founder of JBL Styles
 
Hosted by:
Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage)
Founder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:
businessofvintage.com

If You Can’t Dance: Kiko’s Kloset

"If you can't dance in it, why wear it?" This is the mantra that built Kiko's Kloset into the beloved brand it is today. In this episode of the Business of Vintage Podcast, host Sloane Middleton Mann sits down with Kayla Dickie, the creative force behind the brand bringing dance-worthy vintage to the spotlight: Kiko’s Kloset. Kayla talks about how a core belief and a background in art direction helped her build a cult-favorite vintage brand on social media.
Kayla opens up about her biggest challenge as a business owner to date: maintaining momentum after virality. Plus, they chat about Kayla’s philosophy of getting dressed for joy, why a hybrid in-person model allows her to grow, and how her art direction background shaped an unmistakable aesthetic. 
Guest: Kayla DickieOwner of Kiko's Kloset
Hosted by:Sloane Middleton MannFounder of Business of Vintage
Learn more:businessofvintage.com

Secondhand Growing Pains: Emily Stochl

Headlines read that resale is booming. Meanwhile, many vintage sellers are reporting record lows. In this episode of the Business of Vintage Podcast, Sloane Middleton Mann sits down with resale journalist and Pre-Loved Podcast host Emily Stochl to unpack the biggest contradictions shaping the secondhand industry today.Emily Stochl is known for digesting world news through the lens of the resale economy in her podcast, social media pages, and Substack newsletter, Pre-Loved. Emily shares insights from her reporting on vintage seller income, explains why industry growth isn’t trickling down to small businesses, and reflects on how the resale landscape has changed more in the last five years than ever before. Thoughtful, honest, and grounded in real data, this episode is a must-listen for vintage sellers navigating a rapidly evolving resale economy. Plus, we reflect on 2025 business trends and what we can expect from consumers and sellers alike in 2026.
 
Guest: Emily Stochl (@emilymstochl) 
Resale Journalist & Host of the Pre-Loved Podcast
Hosted by:Sloane Middleton MannFounder of Business of Vintage (@business.of.vintage)
Learn more:businessofvintage.com

Tell Yourself "Yes, And": Dethrose Vintage

She's your favorite vintage dealer's favorite vintage dealer for a reason. In this episode of Business of Vintage Podcast, Sloane Middleton Mann sits down with Karyn Dethrow of Dethrose Vintage, a Chicago-based shop known for its timeless aesthetic and commitment to preserving vintage fashion through meticulous care.
From sourcing a grandmother’s entire 1930s–40s wardrobe by chance, to selling pieces that now appear in major film and TV productions, Karyn shares the journey of discovering her niche, building her brand’s unmistakable style, and the reality of what it’s like to run a vintage business in today’s market. We also chat about her experience at the inaugural Pickwick Vintage Show in Chicago, the emotional connection behind mending every piece by hand, and how alignment in your business can be a true turning point. For the vintage shoppers listening, Karyn's advice on how to gift vintage items and make sure they fit every time is pure gold.
Guest:✨ Karyn DethrowFounder of Dethrose Vintage
Hosted by:🌟 Sloane Middleton MannFounder of Business of Vintage
Learn more: businessofvintage.com