The LOVED Letter: How I Started

Hi LOVED Club,

I didn’t set out to build a business selling vintage luxury bags. I started as a young mom who loved to thrift.

I loved finding something wonderful that someone else had passed over. I could see its potential, even when it was tucked between things most people wouldn’t look at twice. Around that time, I began following people in the U.S. who were selling thrifted clothes on Poshmark. I was hooked. When Poshmark launched in Canada, I opened an account and started listing my finds.

Soon, people began asking me to sell their clothes and shoes for them. That’s how I got into consignment. The online community I found through selling eventually introduced me to bags, and everything changed.

A whole new world to learn

Here’s the part that might surprise you: I was never really into luxury bags before that. I didn’t know the styles, the shapes, or the names. It was a huge learning curve.

But then I would hold a bag that was 10, 20, sometimes 40 years old and wonder about the person who had carried it. Where had they taken it? Why had they chosen that particular bag? How had it made its way to me?

Louis Vuitton was love at first sight. It was instantly recognizable, which made it a natural place for me to begin learning. But vintage LV gave me so much more to explore. The different patterns and shapes drew me in. I wanted to know why a style had its name and how it had changed over time. Each bag gave me another question to research.

I also had to learn to look more carefully. Sometimes a bag arrived and its condition wasn’t what I thought it would be. I missed things I know to check now. Those mistakes were frustrating, especially when I had spent money I needed to earn back. A few of those bags eventually became upcycled pieces, but that’s a story for another letter.

Building something of my own

Before I became a mom, I worked in business travel at the corporate office behind Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. It sounds glamorous, but I didn’t enjoy it. I did learn how to work with all kinds of people and find my way in the corporate world. I spent a short time in event management, which taught me even more about people. Through it all, I knew I wanted to work for myself someday.

When I had my kids, I was determined to find a way to work and be home with them. That meant I couldn’t treat selling bags as something I did only when I felt like it. I had to work out how many bags I needed to sell to pay the bills and how much I could put back into the business. I researched wholesalers in Japan, learned from the bags I got wrong, and kept going.

What I tell anyone who wants to start

Start with consignment if you can. It gives you a way to learn without buying all your inventory upfront. Tell people what you’re doing. Be clear about your terms. Learn to describe condition honestly and take good care of the trust someone places in you.

Be a sponge. Follow sellers whose work you respect. Watch how they photograph their pieces, describe condition, and answer questions. Learn about authentication and pricing. Ask questions, and do your own research before you list something for sale.

There are many ways to sell, from Instagram and Facebook to live selling platforms. Find an approach that suits you and the people you want to reach.

And if you want your work to pay you like a business, treat it like one. Know your costs. Know what you need to earn. Make room to reinvest.

You also have to let people see you. I know how uncomfortable that can feel. But people can sense when you truly care about what you’re selling. In a world where so much content can be made in seconds, your curiosity, your voice, and your willingness to show up as yourself matter.

I started with thrifted clothes, and I had no idea they would lead me here. If this is something that interests you, start. You can learn as you go. You don’t have to wait for perfect timing or a perfect version of yourself. I’m glad I didn’t.

Thank you for reading the first LOVED Letter. I’m excited to share more of the stories behind this business with you, including what happened to those bags I got wrong.