Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl

Today we're chatting with Bella Long, the vintage seller behind Valentine Vintage, who is also a fashion historian and archivist in the making, finishing her final year of grad school at NYU, where she's earning master's degrees in costume studies and library and information science.
Bella grew up in Southern California, where she fell in love with old movies and the glamorous costumes in them. She started working at her local buy-sell-trade store when she was just 17, and started selling vintage in college, after learning the ropes interning for Sarah at Cameo Appearance Vintage. After college, Bella went full time with Valentine right as the vintage market really started to boom in Chicago.
Along the way, she took a job in Columbia College Chicago's fashion study collection, which introduced her to the world of historical dress and archives, and that's what led her to go back to school to turn her love of fashion research into a career. She's now interning in museum and library collections, including an oral history project on postal workers' uniforms with the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum.
We get into it all on today's episode: what a day in an archive actually looks like, and what makes a piece belong in a museum collection versus a vintage rack. Plus, what skills transfer from selling vintage to archival work, and what you have to unlearn (resisting the desire to try things on!). And of course, we hear about the vintage pieces she'll never part with, and all the best holy grail finds she's ever had as a seller and collector. Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[03:34] Bella grew up drawing clothes and falling in love with old movie costumes
[07:58] She got her first job at the buy-sell-trade shop at 17, and learned how trends drive buying
[14:34] Starting to sell vintage in 2018 and interning with Sarah of Cameo Appearance Vintage
[17:37] The Chicago vintage boom, and going full time with Valentine
[21:09] How Valentine evolved, and how fashion history knowledge changed what she buys
[28:26] Burning out after 34 markets in one year, and the decision to go to grad school
[31:39] What a day in an archive actually looks like
[38:59] What skills transfer from selling vintage to archives
[42:38] What makes a piece belong in a collection vs. on a vintage rack
[54:31] How museums acquire pieces, and why donations matter
[56:49] The pieces she'll never part with and holy grail finds
EPISODE MENTIONS: 
Valentine Vintage
Cameo Appearance Vintage
Columbia College Chicago Fashion Study Collection 
Dr. Lauren Downing Peters 
Smithsonian's National Postal Museum 
Cora Violet Walters 
Suburbia Circus 

LET'S CONNECT: 
📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
🐦Threads: @emilymstochl
🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 
🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod 
 
SPECIAL THANKS: 
A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!
Patty Weber
Kathy Brand
Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
Lydia Welp
Michael A.
Megan Morris
Jennifer
Alana Rivero
Jerrica Yasumura
Amanda Hale

Today we're chatting with Beau of Reject Archive, a vintage dealer who runs the shop with his fiancé Adam, with a vintage collection that ranges from antique pieces through Y2K, but with a heavy focus on the 1920s through the 1940s, especially the 30s – their favorite!
Beau has been designing clothes since he was a kid. He grew up in Oklahoma where he learned to thrift and sew from his mom, and later studied fashion design in Chicago, where he started making club looks out of vintage finds, including pieces that ended up on Drag Race. When the pandemic sent him back home to Oklahoma, he and Adam started collecting vintage with no clear plan – just a love for it! – and then in 2022 they launched Reject Archive.
Beau and Adam both put themselves through sewing school so they could care for each found piece themselves, and Beau has even learned lace appliqué using true-to-era lace. Their goal is to bring to life these rare, romantic pieces, restored to good condition, so that can live in a wardrobe for years to come, and so they hunt for high-end materials, natural fibers, and handmade craftsmanship.
We're getting into it all on today's episode: the Brimfield circuit, which they hit hard, hopping between Sturbridge, Dealers Choice, and Hertans while camping out of their Airstream. Also, their journey going live on Whatnot, including doing a show live from the fields of Brim! 
Plus, the realities of sourcing and pricing as vintage gets harder to find and more expensive, and the stories behind their most special finds. Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[02:53] Beau's childhood love of drawing and designing
[04:49] Learning to thrift from his mom 
[09:32] Studying fashion design in Chicago
[12:18] The pandemic sends Beau back to Oklahoma, and he and Adam start collecting vintage
[17:05] How a trip to St. Louis led to them taking the leap to move to New York
[23:44] Developing their specialties, and the dealers who inspired them
[30:25] Attending sewing school, restoring fragile antique pieces, and learning techniques like lace appliqué
[33:48] Why 1920s-40s pieces are so desirable, and the realities of rising prices and scarcity
[37:10] The Brimfield circuit
[41:23] Why they started live selling, dollar starts, and the Whatnot community
[54:15] Stories behind their most special finds. 
EPISODE MENTIONS: 
Reject Archive
@rejectglamour
Reject Archive on Whatnot
Brimfield Antique Flea Market 
Retro 101 / Cherry Bomb Vintage 
Bad Granny's
Eveliina Vintage
Saint Paloma Vintage
Ornate Vintage
Lucent Vintage
Ludlow Shop
LET'S CONNECT: 
📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
🐦Threads: @emilymstochl
🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 
🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod 
SPECIAL THANKS: 
A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!
Patty Weber
Kathy Brand
Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
Lydia Welp
Michael A.
Megan Morris
Jennifer
Alana Rivero
Jerrica Yasumura
Amanda Hale

Today we're chatting with Jackie of Jackie Rabbits, a true-vintage dealer whose path to reselling started early. Jackie was frequently thrifting with her mom as a kid, customizing denim and street wear as a teenager, and staging elaborate backyard photo shoots that stretched her creative muscles. 
She started reselling at sixteen years old, and landed an antique mall booth soon after. Six years ago she took the leap into full-time reselling – ego death and all! – and these days she has a packed weekly calendar of live shows on Whatnot. 
As she's built her vintage business, she's built a distinct point of view around handmade, richly detailed vintage while also becoming one of the earliest true-vintage sellers on Whatnot, pushing through stage fright to sell live nearly every week.
We're getting into it all — her dumpster diving stories, honest advice on pricing and pacing, and pushing through the nerves of going live, plus all the other practical wisdom she's picked up along the way. 
Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
Jackie Rabbits
Jackie's Whatnot shows
[02:48] Jackie's early love of fashion included streetwear, customizing denim, and staging elaborate backyard photo shoots
[04:11] Dropping out of high school, getting her GED, and how it shaped her path 
[06:22] Thrifting with her mom growing up, and how it became their bonding ritual 
[08:45] Landing her first antique mall booth as a teenager 
[11:07] The hustle to go full-time in vintage, selling on eBay and Depop during the early Y2K resale boom 
[13:42] Developing her true-vintage point of view 
[17:52] How the vintage scene and competition have changed since she started 
[19:16] Why she started livestreaming on Whatnot, and sees herself as a "fast flipper" in the vintage ecosystem 
[30:10] Keeping up with weekly sourcing demand
[40:25] Her advice for anyone nervous to go live 
[45:04] Long-held pieces she'll never sell and best-ever finds
LET'S CONNECT: 
📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
🐦Threads: @emilymstochl
🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 
🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod 
SPECIAL THANKS: 
A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!
Patty Weber
Kathy Brand
Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
Lydia Welp
Michael A.
Megan Morris
Jennifer
Alana Rivero
Jerrica Yasumura
Amanda Hale

This week on Pre-Loved, we're launching something new: the The Debrief, a special podcast segment where we "debrief" what's happening in vintage — like when you're sitting down with your friends after a market to talk through everything you saw, bought, found and noticed.
For our first Debrief, there was only one place to start: Brimfield Antique Market, the oldest and largest outdoor antique market in the country, held across six days, three times a year, in Brimfield, Massachusetts.
Joining me is my longtime vintage market buddy Emily McKay, formerly the owner of Most Wanted Luxury Resale and most recently the processing and curation manager at Housing Works. This was Emily's first full trip to Brimfield proper, after tagging along for the pre-shows the year before — so we're covering what it's actually like to experience Brimfield for the first time, from the 4:30am field openings to what to pack, what to wear, and what we each came home with.
We also chat about Emily's research from her master's at Parsons, focused on consumer behavior toward distressed secondhand clothing — and how that research shaped what she was hunting for on this trip to Brimfield.
Whether you're dreaming about your first Brimfield or you just want in on show-and-tell, this one's for you! Let's Debrief!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[02:42] What Brimfield Antique Market is, and how to navigate it

[10:49] First impressions arriving at 4:30am: the intensity and energy of the earliest shoppers

[12:44] First finds of the trip

[16:23] How to dress for Brimfield, and what to pack

[23:58] Documenting the show and noticing the street style trends

[32:21] Emily's research on consumer behavior toward distressed secondhand clothing

[41:49] Show-and-tell of our finds

[50:14] How pricing works at Brimfield

[58:07] Did it live up to the hype? Final reflections on Brimfield, and advice for first-timers

Thanks for listening to Pre-Loved! You can find me across the internet on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn! 💛 - Emily

Today we're chatting with Jessica Barr, owner of Messy Jessy Vintage, a Brooklyn-based vintage brand specializing in women's wear and bridal, with a showroom she shares with two fellow dealers and a rotating presence at markets and events across New York, including the Manhattan Vintage Show. 
Jessica studied journalism in school, and became fascinated with sustainability and inequality in fashion — studies that eventually led her to a dedicated practice of secondhand shopping and, not long after, selling vintage itself.
Her real education in vintage came post-grad, working for Matt Smith at Newburgh Vintage Emporium, where she sharpened her eye for feminine silhouettes and fell hard for 1970s dresses. From there, her Etsy shop grew from a side hustle into a full-time business, eventually landing her in a Brooklyn showroom. In the last year, vintage bridal has become an unexpected and deeply personal part of her business, drawing in brides for laid-back appointments and building a community she never anticipated.
We're getting into it all — the treasured thrift store finds, the incredible vintage buys from a theater's costume department, road trips across Massachusetts, and the labels and styles she can never resist. All that and more on today's show! 
Let's dive right in!
DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
[02:52] Jessica grew up loving fashion, including Jennifer Aniston street style and Phoebe from Friends, and hunting down pieces from Poshmark in high school 
[04:45] She studied journalism in college with a focus on sustainability and inequality in fashion
[08:25] Reconstructing a shredded 1980s Pink Floyd tee from the thrift store 
[10:21] Working for Matt Smith at Newburgh Vintage Emporium post-graduation 
[13:11] Developing her vintage brand's point of view: 70s dresses, cottagecore, feminine eveningwear 
[14:39] How vintage bridal became part of the business, and selling her first wedding dress 
[17:24] Balancing TikTok trends with personal sourcing vision 
[19:16] Why her bridal content resonates so strongly 
[23:37] Going full-time in vintage when she moved to Brooklyn, and the hustle of NYC's saturated but supportive vintage market 
[27:56] Opening a shared Brooklyn showroom 
[34:01] How her sourcing has shifted toward wholesale as the business has grown 
[41:31] Holy grail finds and go-to labels
[48:22] Favorite pieces from her personal collection, and her current vintage wishlist
EPISODE MENTIONS: 
Messy Jessy Vintage
@messyjessyvintage
Newburgh Vintage Emporium
Matt Smith on Pre-Loved Podcast
The Manhattan Vintage Show
Armoury Shop
Lucky Fool Vintage
Studio Dorothy
Brimfield Antique Flea Market
LET'S CONNECT: 
📸Instagram: @emilymstochl
🐦Threads: @emilymstochl
🎥TikTok: @emilymstochl
📧 Substack: https://prelovedpod.substack.com/ 
🎧Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/prelovedpod 
SPECIAL THANKS: 
A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders – your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!
Patty Weber
Kathy Brand
Lisa of Queenie & Pearl
Lydia Welp
Michael A.
Megan Morris
Jennifer
Alana Rivero
Jerrica Yasumura
Amanda Hale