A New Chapter: Vintage Drift SLC Opens on 900 South
I am thrilled to announce that my dream of owning a storefront on 900 South has finally come true!
As I sit here reflecting on my journey as a small-business owner, I cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and gratitude for everything that brought me to this moment.
My love of retail started with my grandmother. She gave me my first job running the cash register at her business, introducing me to entrepreneurship and showing me how special it can be to build something of your own.
As a teenager, I was always thrifting and participating in online buying and selling groups. When platforms like Poshmark began to emerge, I started to see the possibility of building a real retail brand around my love of secondhand clothing.
In 2018, I interned with the sustainable outdoor brand Cotopaxi. That experience gave me a closer look at how thoughtful brands are created and strengthened my interest in sustainability, retail, and entrepreneurship.
In 2019, I opened Kissing Whiskey Vintage on Etsy. What began as an online vintage shop eventually grew into pop-ups, markets, community events, and the retail brand that became Vintage Drift SLC.
During my first year as a pop-up seller, I participated in 55 live events. In my second year, I organized more than 15 events of my own.
My first holiday pop-up at Maven Create helped me imagine what a permanent retail home could look like. From that moment forward, I started working toward opening a storefront of my own.
Local events like Craft Lake City, Urban Flea Market, and markets at The Monarch in Ogden gave me a platform to showcase my work, meet customers, and become part of Utah’s creative community. Makers markets and local retail spaces like The Hive Market and Salt & Honey Market also helped me build my brand one event, one clothing rack, and one customer at a time.
But when I decided to scale up to brick-and-mortar retail, I faced my biggest challenge yet: finding a space.
I spent nearly 10 months searching, hearing no, and trying to convince someone to take a chance on a small and growing vintage business.
Then Jamaica and Hello!Bulk Markets said yes.
In 2021, they offered me a home inside their shop on 300 West. Vintage Drift SLC spent nearly 18 months growing in that space, and I could not have sustained this dream without Jamaica taking a chance on me.
The support and collaboration I received from Hello!Bulk Markets were invaluable. That opportunity allowed me to develop the store, build relationships with customers, and prove that Vintage Drift SLC had a place in Salt Lake City.
Now, in 2023, I have opened a storefront of my own at 265 East 900 South in Salt Lake City’s Liberty Wells neighborhood.
This space represents years of pop-ups, markets, packed cars, clothing racks, late nights, lessons, risks, and people choosing to believe in what I was building. It is a home for thoughtfully curated vintage, sustainable shopping, creative collaboration, and community.
This has been my dream for three years, five months, and six days. I cannot quite remember the hours, sorry.
To all the incredible makers, independent brands, market organizers, retail partners, friends, and customers I have met along the way, thank you. Every purchase, shared post, recommendation, event invitation, kind word, and moment of encouragement helped bring me here.
I feel so fortunate to be part of Salt Lake City’s vibrant small-business community. The journey has not always been easy, but moments like this make it all worth it.
I would be honored to have you join me tonight from 5:00 to 8:00 PM for the Vintage Drift SLC Grand Opening Celebration.
We will also be open regularly Wednesday through Sunday at:
Vintage Drift SLC
265 East 900 South
Salt Lake City, Utah
I hope you will join me for this next chapter as we continue to grow and build something truly special together.
My dream of opening a storefront on 900 South is finally happening, and I am still pinching myself.
Xoxoxo,
Kristen
😘🥃
