Blossom Vintage is known for curating feminine and ethereal collections that highlight the beauty and individuality of vintage and antique pieces. In an interview with Display Copy, Jamie Lee walked us through her personal journey as a vintage curator and indulged us in the importance of holding true to one’s own innate creativity. As a mother to two young children, Lee also expands on the ways in which motherhood has granted her new perspectives as a small business owner that provide her with powerful peace-of-mind. 

Display Copy: The name “Blossom Vintage” derived from your childhood dream of one day owning a floral shop. Can you see ways in which your passion for floral design carried over into your vintage business?

Jamie: Totally. At one point floral design was a creative outlet of mine and I truly did think that I would become a florist one day. I’ve never been afraid to delve into any aspect of my creativity. If there was ever something that I was curious about, I would just dive in head-first. So “blossom” became this word that really grounded me and reminded me to explore, indulge and appreciate my creative interests. 

Display Copy: Once you decided to dive head-first into vintage, where did you start?

Jamie: I did a lot of exploration and research when I was just getting started and I decided to focus my energy on finding antique pieces rather than anything else. It became the ultimate treasure hunt for me. I would go to estate sales and the other people there were going for everything but the clothing. There wasn't much competition back then, especially in the LA area. I always looked for the boxes in the back of the closet. There would be this pristine, heavy beaded, 1920s flapper dress carefully folded in between tissues of paper. Perfectly preserved. And you know that the family of this person had just carried it with them for generations and never opened it. It's like Christmas when I find those pieces. Body chills. It gets me every time.

Now that I've created a name for myself, I get these incredibly heartwarming emails from people who are ready to pass along their family heirlooms. It's a really sacred process. And I feel so fortunate and humbled whenever I receive those messages because they're putting their trust in me. Not only am I going to take care of these pieces by photographing them, admiring them, and documenting them, they also know that my customers are the people who appreciate these treasures. I never thought this is what my job would become. But those moments are what makes me love what I do. 

Display Copy: It sounds like a huge honor and also a huge responsibility. 

Jamie: It’s really about so much more than the clothing. I think that's why vintage in general has appealed more and more to mainstream audiences. In some ways I feel like vintage t-shirts are the modern day equivalent of baseball cards. This idea of collecting special, nostalgic pieces and then building upon them. More people seem to have an appreciation for it these days.

Display Copy: People in general seem to be craving more personable shopping experiences. As a business owner, do you find that the small details are really what makes the customer feel special?

Jamie: I admire businesses, artists, and any individual who really puts thought and detail into their process and craft. I see it and I appreciate it. I put a lot of time and energy into making sure I give my customers that same feeling, down to the way that I photograph pieces or show some of my process on social media. Those little bits remind my customers that there's a human behind all of this. I’m not just throwing things in a box. I'm truly putting good energy into each garment so that it can bring you joy and whatever else it is that you hope for. Again, it's so much more than just a piece of clothing. 

Display Copy: Have you found that you’re needing to increasingly travel outside of the city to source?

Jamie: LA is special in that way because there are so many people coming in and out of this city. I feel like we're in a place of abundance here. I do make certain sourcing trips outside of LA but it’s a little bit more difficult now that I have my kids. 

Display Copy: How else has motherhood changed your relationship to the work that you do?

Jamie: Something I've learned through motherhood that's given me peace of mind is that everything is temporary. This moment in my life, taking care of young babies, is so fleeting. So, embracing these moments and putting my all into them, knowing that they’re temporary, has helped me to be more flexible. And I think that's also how it is to run a small business; every moment is fleeting and temporary. You could be successful for a year and the next year could be the worst you've ever had. But you have to show yourself grace and pick yourself back up and find a different way to make things work. If it's really what you want you'll figure it out. I think motherhood has created that shift in how I run my business. It's all connected in some way. 

Display Copy: Can you talk about an antique piece you’ve found that’s made you feel a greater sense of connectedness to the world? 

Jamie: One that comes to my mind right away was this 1930s sheer, net lace gown with embroidered tulips that came with a photo of the original owner wearing it. Those special artifacts that I find with the clothing always really stand out to me. The wedding dresses I come across will almost always have a note with them. Here’s one that I’m looking at now from a dress I recently found and it’s dated 1924. It tells you her name, where she got the fabric, who the dressmaker was. I don't know anybody nowadays who would do this. [laughs] 

Display Copy: Can you tell us more about your antique bridal collection at Blossom?

Jamie: In the last three years I’ve really been trying to build out my bridal collection. It wasn't until this year that I noticed more and more brides contacting me for bridal wear from the 1930s. It's amazing that there are so many more brides open to the idea of wearing antique pieces on their wedding day. Even if they're not perfect. If there's a little discoloration or a hole here and there—they don't mind. People are starting to have the perspective that they don't have to be this perfectly “clean” bride. The brides that come to me tell me some of their experiences at new bridal studios and how sterile everything looks compared to what they really want. Even down to the way that the lace is created. Not to talk down on new bridal dresses, they're beautiful in their own way, but I think the specific customer who has a love for vintage knows to reach out to me. 

Display Copy: Do the brides that come to you have any hesitations about wearing vintage on their wedding day?

Jamie: It's funny because these brides will come with their mom or their aunt or somebody who doesn’t understand why they're trying on all these old wedding dresses. You can see the confusion in their facial expressions. [laughs] It's really hard to witness because these women are coming for support but they don’t understand the look. I try to remind my brides that what's most important is how you feel in the dress. It doesn't matter what other people think of you, because if you feel like you’re wearing a costume, that's going to affect how you feel on your wedding day. I can see the relief when they try on a dress and their face lights up and they say, “This is my dress.” Overall, most brides who come looking for a vintage wedding dress know what they want. They want something that portrays their individuality, their strength, and their independence. 

Display Copy: Are your customers in general women who know what they’re looking for?

Jamie: Yeah. And if they don't know what they want, they know what they don't like. [laughs] I think that goes with vintage shopping in general. When you’re shopping a vintage rack it’s always about finding what speaks to you. Whereas if you go into an H&M they kind of show you what the outfit is going to look like and how you're going to style it. That's really not how vintage shoppers look at clothing, does that make sense? 

Display Copy: Definitely. What do you think it is about the business you’ve built that allows for so many people to trust and admire your curation?

Jamie: I know I keep saying this, but this business is so personal to me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. You can see it in my business, that it really comes from a place of passion. When you enter my business and show me love, I can't help but reciprocate that love. I’ve always been someone who has put my head down to focus on my work and do the best that I can. I've never really looked outwards and got distracted by feelings of competitiveness. It's human nature to get into those bouts but I really try to focus on what I'm doing. And when I do that, I feel like it brings out my best work. 

Display Copy: How do you see Blossom ‘blossoming' in the future?

Jamie: Something I've been thinking about a lot, especially now that I'm a mom, is finding new ways to come together as a community and collaborate. My goal within the next couple of years is to move to a bigger showroom space and bring in a collective of vintage dealers. Kind of like a vintage workspace. We can collaborate on creative projects and also have our own separate showroom spaces, but it would allow us to produce events together and build upon each other's communities. Selling vintage is so isolating in a lot of ways. That's why I really appreciate Display Copy and what you guys are doing because you're doing it in the right way. There’s not a lot of noise to it. There's a level of curation that is appealing not just to curators but to customers as well. So, I kind of want to bring that into a showroom space because I think that customers are ready for a new kind of shopping experience. My plan is to make that dream come into fruition.