Start A Vintage Housewares Business - Business Ideas

Pat Walls

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Updated: September 15th, 2022

Start A Vintage Housewares Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Starting a vintage housewares business might be the perfect gig if you’re a lover of all things vintage and antique. This type of business is about sourcing, curating, and selling a wide range of retro and vintage home decor items, such as vases, dishes, textiles, and even furniture.

To get started, you’ll need to do a bit of research on what types of vintage housewares are currently in demand. This can include scouring estate sales, thrift stores, and online marketplaces for unique finds or even sourcing items from private collectors or dealers. Once you’ve found some great pieces, it’s all about presenting them in the best light possible. This means taking high-quality photographs, providing detailed descriptions, and perhaps even showcasing the items in a beautifully styled setting.

To make your vintage housewares business successful, here are a few tips:

Be consistent in your branding and styling. People will come to know you for your unique vintage aesthetic, so make sure you stick to it throughout all your marketing and packaging efforts.
Be patient. Finding truly special and one-of-a-kind vintage housewares takes time, so don’t expect to have a complete inventory overnight.
Be knowledgeable. As an expert in your field, you must know the history and value of your selling items. Be prepared to answer questions and provide context for your pieces.
Be engaging. The world of vintage and antique housewares is fascinating, so don’t be afraid to tell the stories behind the pieces you’re selling. This will help build trust and loyalty with your customers.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to operating a thriving and thriving vintage housewares business. Happy hunting!

Starting a vintage housewares business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell vintage housewares, or selling vintage housewares online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size

$800B

starting costs

$13.7K

gross margin

40%

avg product price

$50

time to build

210 days

growth

Organic social media

business model

Subscriptions

time investment

Full time

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Office Space Expenses	$0	$7,000
Inventory Expenses	$350	$14,750
Software Expenses	$150	$2,794
Website Costs	$13	$215
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$0	$2,450
Total Startup Costs	$513	$27,209

See all startup costs ➜

Successful Businesses

Business	URL	Rank
SIGNATURE HARDWARE	signaturehardware.com	45,795
SmartFurniture	smartfurniture.com	70,834
Retro Planet	retroplanet.com	351,348
World Buyers	worldbuyers.com	637,854
Home Union NYC	homeunionnyc.com	819,959
Wild West Vintage Decor	wildwestvintage.com	1,495,652
Westinghouse Homeware	westinghousehomeware.com	1,495,752
Pippin Vintage Jewelry	pippinvintage.com	1,732,653
JACK AND FRIENDS	jackandfriends.com	1,978,005
The Junkmans Daughter	thejunkmansdaughter.com	2,414,296
TAMPAPIX.COM	tampapix.com	2,427,425

See all businesses ➜

Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Flexibility	You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.
Ability to start your business from home	It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!
Little startup costs required	The cost to start a vintage housewares business costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 12 to 27,209.
Rewarding work	Starting a vintage housewares business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.
Scalable	With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.
Traffic to your website	A vintage housewares business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

See all pros ➜

Cons	Description
Crowded Space	Competition is high when it comes to your vintage housewares business, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.
Finding The Right Supplier	Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section.
Security Issues	With any Saas business, data loss and security issues may arise throughout your process of building your product. It's critical that you understand exactly what you're responsible for and how to avoid potential issues down the road.
Lack of benefits	With a vintage housewares business, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.
Isolation	Often times, as a vintage housewares business, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.
Taxes	As a vintage housewares business, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

See all cons ➜

Marketing Ideas

1

Affiliate Program

Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

Learn more about affiliate program ➜
2

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

Learn more about word of mouth ➜
3

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

Learn more about social media advertising ➜

See all marketing ideas ➜

Key Stats

Startup Costs

Successful Businesses

45,795

70,834

351,348

637,854

819,959

1,495,652

1,495,752

1,732,653

1,978,005

2,414,296

2,427,425

Pros & Cons

Marketing Ideas

Affiliate Program

Word of mouth

Social Media Advertising