Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Mayhew.
Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always loved thrifting, flipping furniture and clothes. In March 2020 I was doing hair (also a lifelong love of mine). COVID hit and we were forced to close. What was supposed to be a couple of weeks turned into months of uncertainty. During that period I had lots of time on my hands. I began buying lots of furniture to flip. I was selling on Facebook Marketplace to make some money until we got back to doing hair. I also got into campers, vintage pop-ups. I started flipping those too. It was actually a really fun creative time. I started to wonder if could I make a living doing this full time?
In September 2020 I decided to find a space where I would be able to work on furniture, stage it and sell it. I found a cute little space in Monterey on Del Monte where I could even do hair. I put a single salon chair and shampoo bowl in the back and rearranged the front with cute secondhand home decor. The vibe was Mid Century with a boho flare.
Over the next 5 years Trappings kept evolving. I started doing markets and I even opened a second location for a year in Marina where I just sold Home & Clothing. I knew that if I wanted to really see where Trappings the retail shop could go I needed to find a better location. Somewhere with more foot traffic and better visibility.
In May 2025 I relocated the shop to its current location at 114 Webster street in Monterey. It’s a cute little light filled space with 3 rooms. In the back of my mind, this transition would be the first step in slowly phasing out of offering hair services. One of the rooms was a dedicated salon space where I offered dry haircuts only. By December 2025 I announced that I would no longer be offering hair services. I closed for a couple weeks to do some remodeling and reopened January 2026 as a secondhand boutique only. I could not be having more fun!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
During the beginning of this journey there was so much uncertainty. Would we ever get to do hair again? Will people buy my stuff? Although I had managed several types of businesses in the past, I had never owned a business. I didn’t really know what I was doing. There were several periods of COVID shutdowns. Lots of people began thrifting/flipping so finding pieces I loved got more challenging. Prices also started going up as the demand for thrifted items got higher. How was I going to afford this? What did this even look like financially? There were so many unknowns, but I just knew I had to try.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I learned throughout this whole process is that the best thing I can do is to offer items that I truly love. Trappings is an extension of me. The shop is a carefully curated secondhand boutique where you can find clothing, footwear, accessories, furniture and home decor. The vibe is still very much eclectic, a little vintage, a little modern, lots of color and texture. Unique and a little imperfect.
I choose every piece with intention. I would wear or use every item brought in. I also offer some new items including cards, candles, fragrance and socks, all from likeminded companies that put quality and integrity first. There are so many items in this world. We all know that there is a growing concern as we continue to over consume. My goal is to offer quality gently used items. To show people that to update your home or your wardrobe or even to give someone a gift, there are some amazing secondhand options out there, hoping to both support our planet and our wallets.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite apps are Pinterest and Instagram. As someone who grew up in the beginnings of the Internet, I have a love hate relationship with it. It is so amazing to connect with people from all over, but I really try to stick to things/people that inspire me and spark creativity. I have met some amazing people, and have gone on some amazing adventures because of Instagram. What I do love about both of those apps is seeing other people’s creativity and finding ways to incorporate that excitement into my own life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trappingsmonterey.com
- Instagram: @trappings_monterey
- Facebook: @trappings_monterey
