Secondhand is second nature
Brigid Milway has always been interested in antiques.
The Dartmouth woman loved shopping and sees vintage shopping as a “whole other world.”
Six years ago, she turned her hobby into an online store, What, These Old Things? She also sells her items out of the ReFound Shop and Dilly Dally café.
“When people say, ‘what do you sell?’ it’s hard to explain because I have such an eclectic taste,” she says. “Anything that speaks to me. I don’t really put myself in too small of a box.”
She tries to avoid thrift shopping locally. Instead, she drives around to acquire items from as far away as Montreal, Massachusetts and California. She also has customers who sell some items to her.
A VINTAGE COMMUNITY
Last year, Milway teamed up with Melanie Huntley, owner of Lady Luck Vintage, to create the Curio Collective – an “only vintage” show.
They had four shows in 2019.
“It really pulled the local vintage community together,” says Milway
“We’re all so different.” What makes What, These Old Things? unique is her own sense of style and taste. She tries to have something for everyone.
Milway says she tries to paint a picture of how an item can be used in the home and give the best service she can.
“I’ve become friends with a lot of my buyers,” she says.
WHAT’S HOT
While Milway tries to avoid following trends in her store, she says the “hot trend” for 2020 is maximalism.
“It’s really all about mixing metals and mixing your periods. Having Victorian with Maude, and retro and antique together,” she says. “It works really well for the vintage community.”
She wants people to consider buying second hand, especially locally.
TOP TIP
Milway’s biggest tip for people looking to get into vintage collecting and selling? Never drive past a yard sale and always walk into a thrift shop.
“Always be on the hunt,” she says.