Reclaimed objects and handmade goodies...what a perfect combination! Owners Erica Boehme and Jen Stricker channel their love of vintage into a shop that blends fun, modern designs and good old-fashioned nostalgia. Their signature items are all about state pride, from decorative trinkets to functional home products. Whether you call it "casserole" or "hotdish," The Vintage Studio has something for you!
Who are you and what do you do?
The Vintage Studio is co-owned by two friends (Erica and Jen) that met while working together at their daytime jobs over five years ago. They have been crafty for years and finally developed a company with unique, vintage-inspired products that reminded them of time with their grandmothers and family. Their focus is state-themed gifts and home décor as well as a few fun items that make them smile.
What’s the latest thing you’ve been working on?
We just finished up art design for those that may not resonate with the “Duck Duck Grey Duck” game. Erica grew up in Iowa and still to this day believes it is “Duck Duck Goose” so Jen styled a Grey Duck with a mask and now we can appeal to all people.
Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
We are planning on a several special holiday items – we have 3’ tall wooden count down trees, upcycled green hymnals into trees, and a few special items we are just keeping in our back pocket for closer to the event.
How do you usually prepare for the holiday season?
For us holiday or fourth quarter preparations start in June. We will be working with our glass glitter for weeks to finish up enough MN ornaments to get us through the year. We also start finalizing our new items to start production on those in August. It’s a half-year long affair but it’s a great excuse to listen to holiday music in the summer months.
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What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
We love making products that resonate with our customers. We overhear couples argue if its hotdish or casserole, or people come up and share a memory from their childhood – that’s the best part about this. We want to create items that make people feel happy and maybe even make then smile on a down day.
What do you love most about craft show vending?
The people. We enjoy meeting them, hearing their stories, answering their questions and getting their feedback. Many people are not shy about why they like or dislike a product and we can either help them find a different product to meet their needs or if possible do a custom design for them.
Is this a full-time business for you?
We both work full time at day jobs and then spend a ridiculous amount of time afterwards on the business. It helps that Jen is an experienced designer and Erica manages inventory during the day and they can take that into the business on the evenings and weekends.
What’s your favorite item that you sell?
Jen’s favorite item is her pocket otters. She has loved otters since she was a small girl. A couple of years ago she design our pocket otters – two otters that are about the size of a penny each that you can keep in your pocket or purse and then even give one to a friend. These are one of our most popular Etsy items, even sending them worldwide.
Check out more of Erica and Jen's designs online, and be sure to stop by their booth at the Minneapolis Gift & Art Expo, November 3-5, 2017 at the Minneapolis Convention Center!