thrifting
Get to Know Me
I’m Maria to most and Mimi to my most favorite. Just like the pieces I find in the wild, I have a story, many actually, so let’s peel back the layers together.
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Ask anyone that knows me well to list three things that stand out and they will anonymously say the following:
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I LOVE my grandbabies with every part of my being, to eternity and beyond (more on them later)
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​I’m good with money, able to make something fabulous with little to nothing, from a meal to a room design, to a beautifully styled outfit, I can do it, and will do it on the cheap.
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​​I have a knack for sourcing, scouring, digging, rummaging and whatever other adjectives you can think of to hunt for found objects or things myself or others want or need. Whether that be dumpster diving to random found objects on trash day, I’ve done it all!
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Starting with #1, and one of the reasons why I got into reselling in the first place. From my days as a single mother in the 90’s I started selling items, thru yard sales, ads in the newspaper, and consignment shops. But those were MY things, not things I purchased for the intention of resale.
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During the time of the pandemic things changed for everyone, futures and finances were uncertain, relationships were stressed and depression set in. Complicated family dynamics and dysfunction changed my familial core and without choice my grandchildren suddenly were no longer a part of my life. They were my everything and when that shift occured I had lots of time on my hands to get stuck inside my own head. I was rapidly losing myself and the only way I knew to get out of that funk was to do things I enjoyed.
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Thrifting had been a big part of my life, and something I enjoyed. But I had everything I needed, and no family to buy for. My house was overflowing with treasures I had yet to decorate around, yet I still had an urge to go, to hunt, to buy, and to save beautiful items from ending up in a landfill. So, I started buying to resell, while spontaneously listing my own stored treasures. It was a lot of work but necessary for my soul to heal and cope with the enormous loss. From there Chola Vintage was born. Chola as in gangster. I was a gangster, a master, of finding vintage items new wonderful homes.​​
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I was about 5 months into my resale business when my father got sick and ultimately passed. It was the darkest time of my life, especially without family. However, I had his house to clean out and pressed on, now not only selling my unwanted items and items for resale, but the contents of his estate.
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Dad and I on my 40th birthday in 2011​
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​​I was overwhelmed but encouraged to continue what I started for my own mental health and because it needed done. While a very emotional and stressful task the thought of HIS drapes hanging proudly in someone’s home made me feel like he also was living on. Items from his estate traveled to many states and it felt like a little piece of dad was everywhere, like a warm hug. My family core briefly reconnected after the death of my father, and my grandchildren even lived with me for a short period of time, until early 2024. When they left the heartache started all over again, and I mourn the loss to this day.
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​​​​​​​​​​​One of the most important lessons I learned from my parents, especially my dad, was to save for a rainy day. It wasn’t about how much you had it was what you did with it. Take care of the items you have so they can continue to serve you, don’t be wasteful with time, food, or money. Humble beginnings and hard work went back generations in my family and was instilled in me. To this day I live below my means, and am mindful of what I purchase new, and repurpose, reuse, and re-invent whenever possible. All it takes is a little creative thinking and conscious actions and you can live a very good life for less.
Which brings me to number three. Over the years I have thrifted items I never thought possible to source second hand. My son’s karate outfit? Came from a consignment shop, as did my daughter’s tap shoes. When I was in search of a trifold mirror for an old dresser, I was offered an antique vanity on Freecycle. When I became a “Mimi” I even found a brand-new onesie at a yard sale with lipstick kisses all over it saying “Mimi was here”. It IS possible, and everything your heart desires is out there, it just takes patience and persistence to find it. After all the hunt is a much part of the experience as getting it on the cheap.
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Most importantly, I’m tattered, like some of the items I find and love but not broken.
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