Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Sarenity.
Hi Stacey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a family of ‘collectors’ on both sides and my parents kept the love of the hunt alive taking us to The Red Barn flea market, Moss Landing antique fair and every vintage store we passed on roadtrips across the country.
I learned what to look for, how to find treasures in other people’s ‘trash’ and understood the value of the past and the importance of keeping items out of landfills for the future.
When my dad passed away in 2016 my mom was ready to clear out space and told my sister and I we were now the proud owners of their vintage toy hoard. I mean collection.
My sister and I agreed that we would prefer the cold hard cash to the cold hard plastic toys and I started selling online.
That snowballed into me tapping into my own business at the time, home organizing and downsizing, and start reselling for clients.
10 years later I opened SALT House Vintage, Pacific Groves only vintage warehouse. 4,000 sq ft of bridal, fur, designer, accessories, art, lighting, and small home goods.
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?
What’s success without struggle?!
In 2015 my ex husband, who had been self medicating with hard drugs for decades, hit his rock bottom and committed a crime that landed him in prison.
I was left as a solo parent navigating the emotional toll his actions took on our family and the financial burden of being the only income for our two children.
Just when I thought I had reached a point where I could breathe again, my dad suddenly passed away.
It’s difficult to ask for help from family when the entire family was crumbling from the loss. Instead, I put my head down and committed to the grind for the next 10 years.
We’ve been impressed with SALT House Vintage , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
SALT House has one of the largest, if not THE largest, collection of wedding dresses on the Monterey Peninsula. In addition to an amazing inventory of bridal gowns from the 50’s through the 90s we have Y2K and many new with tag.
And don’t get me started on the furs! Racks and racks of furs share space with all of the rhinestones and sparkles in what we lovingly call the Dolly Room.
Right now you can shop on our website, www.salthousevintageca.com and in the new year we will be selling on Whatnot.
Slinging vintage will always be my passion but my heart is in hospitality and creating experiences for guests. It’s more important to me that anyone visiting the warehouse walk out with a smile than a bag.
What does success mean to you?
My definition of success has evolved over the years as I have evolved and my relationship with my children has evolved.
There was a moment in time that just getting out of bed and a frozen pizza in the oven to feed the kids felt like winning the lotto.
Today, success looks like my community. The people who believe in me, support me, push me when I stuck, and hold me up when I’m down. This is the most successful chapter of my life so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.salthousevintageca.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salthousevintage?dlrf=dXVvZmdyOTk4N3g1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591723241774&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@salthousevintage?_r=1&_t=ZT-9ApdrxmniMn
