How Clothing Swaps Change Lives: Sam Lopez on The Houston Clothing Swap

How Clothing Swaps Change Lives: Sam Lopez on The Houston Clothing Swap

Sam Lopez, founder of @samspantsandplants and co-founder of the Houston Clothing Swap and Conscious Consumer Collective, joins the podcast to share how a passion for vintage fashion, thrifting, and conscious consumerism grew into one of Houston's largest community-driven sustainability movements. What began as a small clothing swap under a 10x10 tent has evolved into a nonprofit organization hosting large-scale clothing swap events that have welcomed thousands of attendees, diverted thousands of pounds of clothing from landfills, and made secondhand fashion more accessible to the Houston community. Alongside co-founders Raquel Sondate and Diana Swick, Sam is redefining what clothing swaps can look like—and proving that community is one of the most powerful tools for building a circular fashion economy. In this episode, Sam shares how she scaled the Houston Clothing Swap from a grassroots idea into a thriving nonprofit, why listening to your community is essential when building something new, and how clothing swaps can empower vintage sellers, resellers, and everyday consumers alike. She also opens up about the deeply personal journey that inspired her colorful style, her work in sustainability, and why fashion can be a powerful source of healing, creativity, and connection. Today's Guest: Sam Lopez (@samspantsandplants) Co-Founder of Houston Clothing Swap & Conscious Consumer Collective Hosted by: Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage) Founder of Business of Vintage Learn more: businessofvintage.com [http://businessofvintage.com/]

Let Your Freak Flag Fly: Porter Vintage

Katie Porter, founder of Porter Vintage, joins the podcast to share how she built one of San Francisco's most beloved vintage businesses by trusting her instincts, embracing community, and never waiting for the "perfect" moment to start. What began as a driveway pop-up outside Katie's apartment has grown into a thriving vintage brand with a permanent weekly presence in the Mission, a shop inside 710 Collective on Haight Street, a dedicated showroom and event space, and regular vintage shows in New York City. Over the past decade, Katie has built Porter Vintage one opportunity at a time, proving that meaningful businesses are often created by simply showing up consistently. In this episode, Katie reflects on the moment she nearly walked away from vintage, the power of listening to your intuition, and letting your freak flag fly. She shares practical lessons on hiring a team, managing multiple selling locations, creating systems that support growth, and building authentic community around your business. Katie Porter (@portervintage [https://www.instagram.com/portervintage/]) Founder of Porter Vintage  Hosted by: Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage [https://www.instagram.com/business.of.vintage/]) Founder of Business of Vintage Learn more: businessofvintage.com [http://businessofvintage.com/]

Street Style to Search Engines: Gem App with Liisa Jokinen

Liisa Jokinen, co-founder of Gem, joins the podcast to share her journey from pioneering street style photography in the early 2000s to building one of the most influential technology platforms in the vintage and secondhand fashion space. Long before Instagram existed, Liisa was documenting personal style on the streets of Helsinki and New York, capturing the creativity, individuality, and stories behind what people wear. Those experiences eventually led her to co-found Gem, a search engine that helps shoppers discover vintage and secondhand pieces across marketplaces and independent stores all in one place. In this episode, Liisa shares the story behind building Gem with her husband, what she's learned from six years of growing a fashion tech company, and why she believes the future of fashion is rooted in resale. She also offers practical advice for vintage sellers on improving discoverability, writing stronger listings, creating memorable brands, sourcing inventory strategically, and standing out in an increasingly competitive market.   Liisa Jokinen (@liisajokinen) Co-Founder of Gem (@gem.app [http://gem.app/]) Use Gem: https://gem.app/ [https://gem.app/] Hosted by: Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage) Founder of Business of Vintage Learn more: businessofvintage.com [http://businessofvintage.com/]

Reclaiming Space: A Day in June

Lindsay Brown, founder of A Day in June and newly opened sister store St. Taylor Studio, joins the podcast to share the real story behind building a vintage business from the ground up. What started with coffee shifts, warehouse spaces, weekend markets, and years of bootstrapping eventually became two beloved community-centered concept stores in Baltimore. In this episode, Lindsay opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship: surviving a painful business partnership fallout, building a business without investors or loans, learning to trust her instincts, and why vulnerability on social media unexpectedly transformed her connection with customers. She also shares the inspiration behind creating spaces rooted in joy, intention, and human connection — and why she believes vintage stores are really in the business of people. This conversation is an honest look at the emotional side of entrepreneurship, reclaiming your story, and what it truly takes to build a meaningful business in the vintage world.   Lindsay Brown (@adayinjunevintage)  Founder of A Day In June and St. Taylor Studio  Hosted by: Sloane Middleton Mann (@business.of.vintage) Founder of Business of Vintage Learn more: businessofvintage.com

Are you ready for Vintage Store Day?

Vintage Store Day is one month away: May 16th, 2026. The new retail holiday is in it's 2nd year, and it celebrates how small vintage businesses are so often pillars of their communities. It also has the potential to be your best day of sales yet - if you know how to build up the buzz for it.    The team behind Vintage Store Day (Kyla Embrey & Sarah Azzouzi of Lost Girls Vintage, Emma Louis of Rare Form Chicago, Emily Stochl of Pre-Loved, and me - Sloane Middleton Mann of Business of Vintage) are here to help. We've organized an educational webinar that will equip sellers with the tools to pitch themselves for press & create social media buzz. Don't miss the Vintage Visibility Webinar [https://itsvintagestoreday.com/pages/vintage-visibility-webinar] on April 22nd: https://itsvintagestoreday.com/pages/vintage-visibility-webinar [https://itsvintagestoreday.com/pages/vintage-visibility-webinar]   Guests:  Kyla Embrey, Sarah Azzouzi, Emma Lewis Co-Founders of Vintage Store Day [https://itsvintagestoreday.com/pages/vintage-visibility-webinar], IG @vintage_store_day [https://www.instagram.com/vintage_store_day/]   Emily Stochl (@emilymstochl) Resale Journalist & Host of the Pre-Loved Podcast Hosted by: Sloane Middleton Mann Founder of Business of Vintage [https://www.instagram.com/business.of.vintage/] Learn more: businessofvintage.com [https://businessofvintage.com/] About Business of Vintage Podcast: Every vintage item has a story, and every vintage shop does too. Celebrate the past, while thriving today, on the Business of Vintage Podcast. Hosted by Sloane Middleton Mann, founder of Business of Vintage: the world’s only marketing agency built specifically for vintage shops.