Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey White.
Hi Audrey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved thrifting my vintage clothing, but in 2021 I was introduced to a new way of thrift shopping, the bins. Basically you go into a big room with huge bins of clothing and other household items being sold by the pound as a last ditch effort before being thrown away for good. I quickly realized I was buying way too much at a time, simply because I was finding so many cool items that definitely weren’t ready to go into the landfill, and a lot that weren’t actually my personal style. Some needed a small amount of mending, some needed stains removed, and others were actually brand new vintage items with the original tags still attached. From there, Audball Finds was born! My first sales event was held at our house for friends and family only, which was a great success. The following year I did roughly 2-3 pop up events per month, as well as moved into a booth at the River Market Antiques store that is open every day. My partner and I welcomed our first child this last April, so we may not be doing as many pop up events this year, but you can shop fresh Audball Finds every day in the River Market! Head up to the third floor and take a left off the stairs, you’ll find my booth on the left hand side, look for the pink and orange checkered end cap!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think like any small business we’ve had struggles. Markets that weren’t financially successful, months that we went negative, bad investment purchases. I think they’re all necessary to help us learn and grow.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Because I’m trying to save vintage clothing from going to the landfill, I often come across items that are damaged or stained. One of my favorite things to do it to upcycle these if I’m unable to mend them. Sometimes that looks like blending multiple shirts into one, Sometimes it’s using vintage fabrics to patch old jeans. Currently I’m experimenting with making baby/ toddler clothes now that we have a little one in our household !
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is when I went to see the Kansas City Ballet perform The Nutcracker when I was in second grade. Watching the dancers move around the stage in their beautiful costumes ultimately led to me spending most of my school age years taking ballet lessons and performing with those same dancers I watched that day.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audballfinds
