Meet Jennifer Ruiz of Wishful Amy in Chandler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Ruiz.

Jennifer, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I got into fashion reselling because of my love for vintage clothing. When I was a teenager I would shop at vintage clothing stores, and I would ask the owners how they found inventory and how they got started with their businesses. Eventually, I got it in my mind that I wanted to own my own vintage clothing store. In my mid-twenties, I discovered Etsy and realized it was the perfect way to break into vintage resale. I listed a couple of items on the site and they sold, so I became addicted to the process of finding things at thrift stores and estate sales to flip for a profit.

After Etsy, I started exploring additional markets including renting a space at a local antique mall and trying other online marketplaces such as eBay and Poshmark. I also started selling trendy contemporary clothing in addition to vintage clothing. This opened up a whole new demographic of customers. I started to realize that this whole reselling thing could eventually become a full-time job, not just a hobby. I strategized about how I could leave my full-time job in the internet marketing field and transition to becoming a full-time bonafide fashion reseller.

It took several years to make the transition. I saved up the equivalent of one year salary. I also found a small business mentor through the organization SCORE. This mentor helped me make my business official legally by advising me on setting up an LLC, getting the proper licensing, and opening a merchant account.

After I laid the groundwork, I was finally ready to take the leap and quit my job. Since then, I have been working everyday on growing my business and giving it 100% of my effort and passion!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting a business is never a smooth road in my opinion. You are always going to encounter struggles along the way. I think one of the biggest struggles for me when getting started was having patience. When you become passionate about a side business, you can’t wait to quit your job and put your all into it. I really had to be patient though, and wait until the time was right financially and my business was stable enough to support me. Now my biggest struggle is learning to turn my inventory as quickly as possible by picking better and better items. The faster I can turn my items the quicker I can continue to grow my business. As I have become more experienced, I think I have learned a lot about what does and does not sell.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Wishful Amy sells preloved fashionable clothing to woman across the US via online marketplaces such as eBay, Poshmark and Etsy. I sell vintage clothing, but I also sell contemporary fashion from in demand and well-known retailers like Lululemon, Torrid, Revolve, Ann Taylor, Nordstrom, and countless others. I think the demand for secondhand fashion is really exploding with the rise of marketplaces like Thred Up, eBay, and Poshmark. With concerns for the environment growing more and more pressing, consumers are starting to turn away from fast fashion and are looking for more sustainable ways to grow their wardrobes. Buying secondhand is a great way to enjoy all the brands and trends people love without a negative impact on the environment. I’m really proud to be part of that movement. In addition, I’m helping woman look great on a budget!

What were you like growing up?
One thing is for sure, I have always loved clothing. I used to have sketch pads and colored pencils with me all the time, and I could be found drawing sketches of clothing designs. Everybody knew I was obsessed with fashion and wanted to become a designer or own my own clothing store. I went to ASU and studied marketing with the hope in mind that one day I would become a fashion entrepreneur. Once I discovered fashion reselling, I knew I had found my path to making that dream a reality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/wishfulamy
• Email: wishfulamyvintage@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wishfulamy_vintage/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wishfulamy/
• Other: http://www.wishfulamy.com/

Image Credit:
Tiffiny Lindsay, Richard Ruiz

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