“You have to be a ‘learn-it-all’ to succeed in this industry.”

Stacey Jones is the online shop owner of @ethelannredvan. She was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania, and currently resides in southeastern PA, but it's where her roots lie that sparked her passion for treasure hunting! Yard sales and flea markets were the game every weekend with her family. Her great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, and Stacey would ride around in a red van with the classifieds and a map hitting up yard sales.

Her shop’s namesake is a homage to her great-grandmother, Ethel, and to her grandmother, Ann. The red van is what they traveled around together in! Stacey’s dad, Tim, was also a collector and reseller. He rebuilt clocks, refurbished gaming consoles, and has his own Ebay store.

Her whole life, her love of yard sales and finding treasures waxed and waned. One thing that did remain consistent was her admiration for both her grandmothers’ homes. Ethel's house was filled with trinkets, dolls, and ceramics. Ann's house was just full of wonderful things that any little girl would be fascinated by!

About a year before COVID hit, Stacey was preparing for the possibility of returning to the workforce. After her first child, she continued to work at a casual status. After her second child, she left completely.

During this time, she discovered on Instagram a whole thriving vintage/thrifting community! She was intrigued and decided she was going to spend the whole summer and early fall preparing for a launch in October 2020. It has now been over two years and she is nearing 10k followers on Instagram. She can be found across multiple platforms, all under the name @ethelannredvan. You can find Stacey on Facebook, Instagram, Whatnot, and TikTok.

Stacey’s goal is to show her love of vintage through her passion, humor and knowledge. Every day she learns something new. Yes, it is a roller coaster of emotions. Yes, it is hard work. But there is no place else she’d rather be.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

  • How she spent her childhood with her family thrifting.
  • Creating her thrifting and yard sale maps.
  • How she prices the items she sells online.
  • Managing the ebbs and flows of the reselling business.
  • Trends to watch.
  • The importance of networking.