GIVING UP THE GRIND: THRIFTERS GO FOR RV LIFE
West Palm couple disconnects from 9-to-5 cubicle life by reselling cool clothes online.
There’s a young couple in West Palm Beach fighting against the 24/7 connectivity that is their lives. They don’t want to be victims of it, and who can blame them? It’s exhausting. Being connected all day, every day is a drag.
Christina and Paul Burgoon, the traveling thrifters and owners of Something Good Boutique, are breaking free from the 9-to-5 workday, one mile and one piece of clothing at a time. Their online resale boutique in West Palm Beach opened in 2016, and for the couple, the small-business venture means sending fewer texts and taking more trips. It also means more focus on the old and less on the new.
By picking through thrift shops across the country, the Burgoons upcycle and resell what they find, hoping to reduce their textile waste and ours.
“Brands used to produce for four seasons, now there are 52 seasons. Every week there’s a new line coming out. That’s so much clothing and so much waste. It’s not just that these brands are lowquality, but they’re pumping [the clothes] out so fast,” said Christina Burgoon.
One scroll through the boutique’s Instagram account — @ something good boutique—and you see their mission and their vibe. The couple takes the tediousness out of thrift-shopping, giving the eco-conscious fashionista a curated shopping experience. (You can also order through their Poshmark site: poshmark.com/ closet/somethingx good)
“I have such a passion for vintage clothes because those clothes were built to withstand the test of time. And I know that that piece of clothing has a story, and I don’t want that story to end at a landfill,” Christina noted.
Christina Burgoon, 28, made the first step in February by quitting her full-time job and dedicating her time to building the boutique’s brand.
Meanwhile, her husband, Paul, 30, keeps the dream alive and the family of four fed with his full-time engineering gig in Vero Beach. The Burgoons married in 2016 and have two rescued dogs.
Last fall, after emptying their savings, they purchased a 1987 Toyota Sunraider. And they put that baby to work. From exploring the open road to storing vintage merch, their Sunraider is life, and the Burgoons, like their generational peers, are supporting brighter ideas of this “entitled” group.
Millennials are more than the selfie generation. They’re hustlers. They don’t just dream — they live. Big — or small — depending on your perspective.
So when it comes to their smartphones, they’re not completely disconnected. They can’t be. These hustlers have to get the word out. And unlike days of old, they can own the commercial space with their exact target audience for little financial investment.
There’s no such thing as being “anti-internet,” not with a business just beginning to bloom. Something Good Boutique banks almost 90 percent of its sales from website purchases. And people find its website through the boutique’s social media.
“We were looking for an outlet to travel and to do what we like to do, and that’s repurpose [clothing],” said Paul. “The internet
allows us to have an income on the road, and the RV gives us storage for the clothes.”
Because they carry their finds in their vintage ride, they can ship them from anywhere as soon as someone makes an online order. Talk about near-instant gratification. This flexibility means they can keep moving and avoid paying rent for a physical store.
The RV is basically the fifth member of their family, which is why it’s affectionately been named “Marty.” And Marty’s loaded: queensize bed, full bathroom, living room, water tank, kitchen and plenty of storage.
The Burgoons have traveled to several states on the East Coast, and the Midwest is their next target. The couple says that every location keeps things exciting, and not just because of the natural beauty and state parks.
“Every single state that you go to has a different niche. In Daytona Beach, we’ve found a lot of vintage Harley-Davidson and NASCAR. Here in Palm Beach County, we’ve found a lot of retro Chanel items,” said Christina. “Just one state up, in Georgia, the fashion is much different. You’ll get a more hip-hop vibe in Atlanta, vintage snapback hats, etc.”
The Burgoons want to continue traveling and hopefully join pop-up markets where they can share their findings. In West Palm, you can catch them at Elizabeth Station (if they’re in town.)
The couple also says that traveling allows them to visit family and friends who live in other states. Though living on wheels is a dream for many, it isn’t an easy reality. The Burgoons say shopping can get very expensive and tiring. They can spend anywhere from one to five hours in a single store and may visit five to six stores in a day. Then there’s the hours spent driving across state lines, the money spent on travel expenses and the time lost on stops to walk the dogs or restock the kitchen.
“It’s not an easy life, by any means. It’s a lot of work. Road trips can be exhausting,” said Paul Burgoon. “If you go somewhere for like less than two days, it’s not even worth it.”
Something Good Boutique, at this moment, is still a seed in need of water, but the Burgoons aren’t shying away from the challenge. In small steps, they’re living the life they love, and they couldn’t be happier.
Every mile they travel and every store they visit is more fulfilling than any second could they spend sitting at a desk for someone else’s company.
“That’s the whole point … to be able to figure out a way to work and also stay on the road,” said Paul Burgoon. “We want to be outdoors more, no cube-life.”