Today we’d like to introduce you to Stolen Goods.
Stolen Goods, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We started Stolen Goods in 2020, maybe like 2 weeks before all of the mandated shutdowns took place. We’re a young 1st gen Mexican couple who went to the same high school but never actually met until a year after we graduated and bonded over our love for expression through clothes. We curate a variety of 70s true vintage, 90s & 2000s street style, skater style, and girly feminine vintage cuts and style.
We both loved collecting vintage from a young age. I (Leslie) started thrifting back in 2015 mostly because mass-produced clothing felt low quality, gave me body dysmorphia and I could never find anything that fit my style. Mall jeans always gave me camel toes due to their cheap fabrics, and I was NOT for it.
Julian and I dressed differently than most of the kids that went to our high school. The Cypress area was still very conservative and heavily believed in traditional roles which then translated into fashion and what was acceptable for women/men to wear. I used to get made fun of by other girls for wearing “man” pants, which would now be considered baggy, wide-leg denim carpenter pants. I remember there was only a handful of girls at school who had a skater-like style. I consider myself to be gender non-conforming and at that time it was very taboo to even express yourself through clothing in that way.
Julian also started in 2015. He was a young troubled high school dropout who walked an hour to Goodwill every day to find items to resell. His style was inspired by A$AP Rocky and the whole SWAG movement. While other troubled teens turned to selling paraphernalia, he dedicated himself to sell used clothing. At first, it was a way to make him feel better. Like retail therapy. But now, his main goal is to share that feeling with other like-minded creative individuals. A feeling of calmness and acceptance to who you are and what your true style is.
Once COVID started, it became critical for us to generate enough money to provide for ourselves, so we began to communicate with other local thrifters, trying to better understand the field. From there we figured out how you could maintain a sustainable business and how much understanding your own personal style mattered in all of it.
Since the mandate was lifted, we began to hit the bins every day to find new items to flip at local markets. After we began to vend at the Guad Market in Austin, we finally found the subculture we’ve wanted to curate for. We felt that the people of Austin appreciated dressing in the clothes we curated and really respected the hustle. Austin gave us the confidence to go full-time; it gave us the confidence to try to bring some of that energy to Houston. We’ve been vending at markets every weekend that we can there ever since. We love to see returning customers and to be able to build friendships through the alternative fashion subculture. It feels healing to us to see the younger generation get excited about finding our shop for the first time and to be able to shop their style without breaking their bank.
We pop up in Houston at least once a month at the Fruits Night Market hosted by Bounce Back. Or at DIY show’s hosted by our friends. We love collaborating with other Houston vendors and artists whenever we can. There’s room for everyone to keep growing their businesses regardless of the competition; we all have distinct styles. What matters is the overall impact we have as a whole. We are the culture; we keep it alive.
Although it is difficult at times to separate our work life from our love life, we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Our main goal has always been to build a healthy, solid foundation for our future and for what’s to come.
Our end goal is to someday open up shop in the area we grew up in for the ones who have limited creative outlets to sustainable fashion.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I guess higher taxes, inflation, and the rise of shipping prices. After legislation passed that changed the minimum threshold to be considered a small business from $20,000 to $600, we saw a change in other vendors’ consistency and not being able to keep up with it for more than a year. It really stunted the small local businesses that were just starting to build themselves up. Not to mention Goodwill raising their prices and starting their “boutique” section, big brands like Levi’s starting to resell vintage themselves, giving them the ability to sell items for sky-high prices. It became impossible to go to Goodwill racks, so we turned to the bins instead. But even then, the bins used to be $1.29/lb, and now it’s $2.79/lb. In other cities, people are paying up to $3.99/lb at the bins. Not to mention it’s a highly competitive and slightly dangerous place to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize in vintage curation. From clothing to cameras to cute little knick-knacks. We’re proud to carry a large variety of styles for low, affordable prices. We just wanna spread the swag with others.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Like all of it. It’s not a traditional life path. Especially being first generation Mexican American. We’re betting on ourselves and basically gambling the product that we sell. Never really knowing if it’ll resonate with others or not.
Pricing:
- $15 and under rack is always restocked
- $15 fill-a-bag sales
- $1 sales
- Bundle and save 10%!
- We also carry higher valued items $20-$300
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stolengoodstx/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@stolengoodstx?si=0W0SXc_DeUJv7GM1
Image Credits
Leslie Hernandez
