JEFFERSON — Refinding Vintage Market is celebrating its 6th anniversary with a holiday open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Market is an antique store located at 39 South Chestnut St.
Tina Fuller opened the store, then called Farmhouse Vintage, in October 2018 after purchasing it from the previous owner.
Fuller said she always dreamed of owning her own business.
“I didn’t know it would turn out like this,” she said. “I was nervous, but it felt like my unspoken prayers had been answered.”
Fuller said the products on the market come from 25 different vendors.
“They each rent space in their stores,” she said. “They go out looking for antique, vintage (or) rustic items, bring them into the store, and we sell them.”
Fuller said she loves the people she meets through the business.
“It’s like a walk down memory lane,” she said. “They can’t wait to see something, it brings back memories, and they can tell us about it.”
Fuller said he has had so many memorable experiences with the business.
“(A) gentleman came up to me and told me how he had been General MacArthur’s driver during the war,” he said. “He never told that story to anyone else, but somehow he felt comfortable telling it to us.”
Fuller runs the business with her daughter Emily.
Emily Fuller said she handles much of the behind-the-scenes work.
“I enjoy decorating and staging the store, but my mom is the face of the store,” she said.
Fuller said she likes meeting with customers.
“I love meeting new people and finding out where they’re from and why they decided to stop in little old Jefferson,” she said.
Fuller said she had many memorable experiences at the market.
“The tornado siren was going off and the customers were coming,” she said. “My mother pushed us all into a creepy basement just in case.”
Tina Fuller said the biggest challenge for her business has been closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We quickly pivoted and started live streaming,” she said. “We used Facebook as a platform to sell live from the store.”
Fuller said she wants to stay connected to her customers.
“We sell antiques, but we also provide an experience for our customers,” she said. “When COVID-19 hit, one of the things we both really missed was interacting with our customers.”
Fuller said the store has not only recovered from the pandemic, but has grown to the point where it has a waiting list of vendors.
“We have new customers every day. They come from everywhere,” she said. “We have a customer from Pittsburgh. (October 20th) I was in the store and there was a customer from Australia.”
Fuller’s advice to women considering starting a business is to “just try it.”
“The glass ceiling is moving further and further away from us,” she said. “When I talk to a lot of small businesses, my understanding is that more and more businesses are being run by women.”
Emily Fuller said she encourages women to enter the business.
“I think it’s worth the risk,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to take that risk. I know I struggle with that myself, but I’m glad I took this risk.”
