To All Of Our VMM Lovelies

Someone believed in me before I even knew what was Vintage Meet Modern.

A necklace, a cookie jar, a coat, and ornament reminded me of that.

VMM is known for its hand-curated collection unique collection of vintage jewelry, but it’s also a lifestyle and a community.

This year was our biggest year yet, it had a lot of ups and down. As an extremely determined and dedicated person, I put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve certain milestones. Sales goals lives we would touch, jewelry we would acquire, all of it. Admittedly, I love to measure and track things so I can monitor personal and professional progress so even though we fell short in areas, it was still pretty amazing to see all of our success, too.

As I worked harder and harder to achieve my goals and vision for VMM, I received some of the same questions over and over again about how I got started with VMM and how I knew so much about vintage jewelry and similar topics.

I had a few standard answers like I grew up around it, I love to read and immerse myself in learning, and of course, I have always credited my supportive family and the first job I really loved as a sales associate at Neiman Marcus in Chicago.

But as I put together calendars, and attended meetings, flew across the country to conferences, collected and sourced new jewelry, chatted with customers and our small but mighty team, there seemed to be a recurring theme.

“Meant to be.”

I have a close friend, my biz bestie, who is also one of my mentors, Natalie Shafer Gingrich.This beautiful soul would challenge me over and over again to tell the stories of how I knew so much without giving one of the answers above. I would always shake my head, and say - weren’t we just in the same conference and lecture? Weren’t we just asked to tell our story in 15 seconds or less? That’s what I did, and my dear friend, Natalie would shake her head and say, “no” that’s not what I meant. And so arm in arm like a couple of gal pals, as we got to know each other better, we would eat out or chat with friends, and I would share an anecdote or explain how we really should study the construction of a garment because you can tell the quality, or you should always tie a scarf around your handbag handle not just for a pop of color but because it will shield your hair in the wind and rain. And she would say -- “That! Tell that story. That’s what people want to know.” I would shake my head again, and say, “well everyone knows that...there is no story or tip to be told that hasn’t already been told,” and so I would return to the world of slinging sparkles and styling clients

While I carried trunks of jewelry across the country, I would frequently get stopped by TSA. “I am a vintage and antique jewelry dealer,” I would explain. While riffling around people would always ask, how did you get into that?

And I would say, well I love jewelry and I have a reciprocal business, I help people with special treasures re-home their collections and I work with extraordinary women from all over the world in search of unique one of kind accessories that always fit, it’s a win-win.

But what became apparent, the more I chatted was it was like someone knew it was my destiny before me. The TSA agent pulls down her collar and shows me a locket she has been wearing since she was a teenager because her grandmother gave it to her. She is beaming with pride and 10 minutes ago she hated the fact that she was stuck swiping every nook and cranny of my carry on. By the time we are done zipping up my suitcase, she is hugging me and following us on social media and telling me we should stay in touch. I am honored and humbled but at some level, I sell myself short as I feel I was just doing my job, the real story is the one of the young woman and how she celebrates her memory of her grandma every day.

This year has not just been a year of goals, it has been a big year of reflection and pivots, too. The more time I spent listening to people’s stories, the more I began to journal about mine and how I got here. What would I do with all of it, besides selling jewelry?

On a dark and stormy night in October, I decided it needed to be about more than the jewelry. It would not be easy and not everyone would understand why the time to talk about Vintage Meet Modern and as community and lifestyle meshed with vintage jewelry.

But a cookie jar, a coat, an ornament, a watch and a necklace all were big signs to me, that together we can do great things. How one thing might touch our lives but actually it touches many and goes beyond the scope of being just a “thing.”

Vintage Meet Modern is more than jewelry, it is a lifestyle. And I want you all to be inspired to live your best and most beautiful life. So from simple style tips and tricks to sparkling jewelry you literally can’t find anywhere else, adventures on how and where to shop, and your stories, too, I’m excited to share with you my expertise as an intentional fashion and lifestyle expert. With over 20 years experience in retail, fashion consulting, interior decorating and design, luxury living on a budget, and of course a passion for fine and faux jewelry and accessories, I look forward to helping you celebrate your inner sparkle so you can let your personal style shine and leave a little sparkle wherever you go.

I hope you will join me on the VMM journey, and I hope you will share yours with me as well.
We have an amazing community in our private facebook group.

I can’t wait to tell you how a cookie jar, a coat, a watch, and an ornament all stared me down and said, now is the time to tell the story of how easy it is be chic, stylish and sustainable.

Cheers to all of you!