Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Stelly.
Jasmine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was in the sixth grade in my hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana when I developed a love for vintage t-shirts. They were all I ever wanted to wear. I was drawn to the feeling of a well-worn shirt, so comfortable and unique, with its own story that nobody else could duplicate. My absolute favorite sleep shirts were always my dad’s old shirts that were so worn in they all had rips in the shoulders.
I still remember visiting my brother in Las Vegas where we went to the first store I had been in that sold eclectic vintage clothing. I bought a paper thin, super soft ringer with a Nevada governor from the ’80s plastered on the front that I still wear today. Every time I would travel, the first thing I wanted to do was shop the local vintage. Growing up in a city where vintage clothing just wasn’t readily available or appreciated, I gave up on my hopes of ever opening a shop in Lafayette.
I had never even imagined living anywhere else until I visited Austin. I immediately felt the difference — I loved meeting new people and coming from a place where everyone knows everyone, my whole world just seemed to open up. Everyone has their own diverse look in Austin which is really inspiring when it comes to fashion. I immediately felt like I was at home when it came to my own personal style and finally felt free to embrace it completely.
I started shopping at all the vintage and thrift stores around town, expanding my vintage collection constantly. As it happens with everyone, my style began to change and evolve leaving me with tons of clothes that just didn’t fit my personality anymore. The only problem was that I just couldn’t get rid of them. Just because they weren’t my style anymore didn’t mean they weren’t still special. I just couldn’t bare to let them go to waste.
That’s when I finally made the decision to start selling vintage. I started with my own personal collection of items and began “rehoming” them. I started an Etsy and named the shop Bleach Black Vintage after my nickname, “Jasmine Bleach,” (due to my historically platinum blonde hair), and my favorite color, black. Unfortunately working my full-time job as a hair stylist just didn’t leave much time for other ventures.
It wasn’t until I met my fiancé, Rachel Stevens, that I really started to focus on my business. She helped to really motivate me into working on the Etsy shop and eventually became something we could do together. We made new contacts and started doing pop-ups around town with East Side Pop Up, which has really become a little community in its own thanks to the owner, Terra Biddelman.
Since then, Bleach Black Vintage has evolved to a more curated look, selling vintage items we can be proud of. Today, with Rachel’s help we are growing more and more every month, and we just launched our own site in addition to our Etsy shop!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Time management has been a struggle from the beginning. I went from working as a commissioned stylist for a salon to renting my own station at a brand-new salon, a huge leap for me. It was terrifying switching career models without entirely knowing what to expect, but everyone at Boho Salon has been truly amazing. I recently celebrated one year with them and I can honestly say it was one of the best (and scariest!) decisions I’ve ever made.
Trying to find time for both businesses (and planning a wedding!) was and still is crazy difficult. I set aside specific times to work on things and having help definitely makes things easier. I still haven’t completely figured out how to structure my time, but I try to just take things as they come and plan for the future a little bit at a time.
Another struggle is trying to find ways to store our inventory. As such a small business we run it out of our house, meaning every closet is filled with vintage clothes. We’re just starting to expand a bit more, which means figuring out new ways to store inventory. Things can get a bit confusing and cluttered, but we’re slowly figuring it out.
Bleach Black Vintage – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Bleach Black Vintage is an online vintage clothing store specializing in hand-picked, unique goods. We are a two-person team – I mostly handle inventory and in-person events, while Rachel handles the online aspect of the business.
We really try to stock our shop with the best everyday vintage apparel we can find with a few gems sprinkled in. I think vintage should be for everyone and we really try to stand by that in our sizing and pricing. We stock items of all sizes and prices. I really love our selection and the research that we put into each item to find its perfect home.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moments are when we get amazing feedback from customers whether it be in person or online. The feeling I get when a customer sends me a photo of themselves wearing one of our pieces is indescribable.
I just love that I can bring new life back to these clothes and match them with people who truly love and appreciate them. It really makes everything worthwhile.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bleachblackvintage.com
- Email: bleachblackvintage@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bleachblackvintage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bleachblackvintage
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/bleachblackvintage
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
