Meet Cory Martinez of Luxie Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cory Martinez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Cory. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been obsessed with vintage clothing since I was 12. Throughout my teenage years, I would flip clothing on eBay here and there to make some weekend money. I started selling clothing more seriously in 2006 while in college at Arizona State University. My shop was called Meat Market Vintage. I was operating everything–photo shoots/shipping/repairs/storage– out of a bedroom in my apartment, but my online store kept growing and growing.

Eventually, I rented out a Tempe warehouse space to expand my inventory volume. The warehouse space also grew into a nighttime music venue, where I managed a ton of underground punk/goth/garage shows from 2011-2014. It was super fun but was also a little challenging to mix collectible clothing and rowdy live music all under one roof. In 2012 I opened up a physical brick & mortar vintage boutique in Tempe, AZ. The chaos of the brick and mortar, the online store operation and the music venue waned on me.

I was only in my mid-20’s and had so much on my plate that I started to lose inspiration. In 2013, I decided to leave that business operation behind and launch a more focused vintage shop, Luxie Vintage. Luxie is where I have grown into my own, it was the first time I saw my business really sustain itself financially.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was definitely not a smooth road. Owning a business on your own is just hard in general. Who do you bounce ideas off of? How do you know that you’re making the right decisions? When I decided to branch off, rebrand and change my store name to Luxie Vintage, I was incredibly doubtful that I’d be able to do it all over again from scratch. It’s a risky move as a business owner.

All of the success I had been experiencing for so many years suddenly came crashing down and I found myself near penniless during Luxie’s upstart. I begrudgingly got a part-time bartending job for a couple of years until I could get back on my feet. The part-time gig constantly pulled me away from building my new shop, but I kept putting all of my tip money into my business and finally got to a point where I could return to selling vintage full time again.

The ever-changing vintage market is also quite a challenge. Vintage clothing is such a learning process. Trends come and go, while other garments seem to always be coveted. There are so many niche markets, it’s impossible to know it all. More than once, I’ve made the mistake of selling something extremely valuable for close to nothing, only to realize later that the item was super rare. That always stings a bit! I learn something new about vintage clothing every single day, just by constantly sorting through thousands of vintage garments.

Please tell us about Luxie Vintage.
I sell vintage apparel through Etsy, Instagram, eBay and local pop-ups. I also welcome private shopping appointments at my Scottsdale studio. I do the photography, customer correspondence, marketing, shipping, sourcing, listing, etc., with occasional helping hands.

I specialize in women’s clothing from the early 1900s through the late 1990s. My shop is known for its colorful items, busy prints, bold accents, kitschy stuff. My eye tends to draw towards pieces that are loud. I’m not a huge designer enthusiast, so most of my items are relatively affordable and are unique pieces all on their own.

It sounds corny, but I’m most proud of the resourceful connections I have made through selling vintage. I have such a strong community of fellow business owners and creatives. I love to collaborate with them whenever I can, whether it be an editorial photo shoot, a community pop up event, mentoring an intern, moonlighting, you name it.

I think being able to evolve as a business is what has set me apart. Styles change, selling platforms change, buyer’s needs change, employees change, everything is constantly changing. I don’t always love the changes at first, but you have to find a way to adapt to things if you want to survive.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Oh geez. If I could do it all over again, I probably would’ve pursued my master’s degree and gotten a job in the science field. Hah!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://luxievintage.com
• Phone: 602-647-1399
• Email: luxievintage@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxievintage/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luxievintage/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LuxieVintage

Image Credit:
Natasha Wilson, Joseph Maddon

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