Q) Apprise us with when and what made you start your journey as @rasa_thrifts owner?
Sayantani: Well, I started the store in February 2021, mainly to declutter my closet and it was a kind of temporary thing initially. But over time I have grown fond of the store and even made some amazing friends in the Thrifting community throughout the journey. Having received some great responses from my customers, I don’t plan to close it as I enjoy my time doing what I do. For me, Thrifting started as a buy-sell but now it has become the base of friendship for me.
Q) What sort of advice would you want to give to the upcoming fashion entrepreneurs?
Sayantani: Personally, running a small store does not occupy a major amount of your day, it might be true for big store owners. To start with, online mode like being an Oyela seller is super easy as it has handy features and is customer friendly. So, working with Oyela won’t make the process such a hassle. To start your store, find yourself else you won’t be able to attract the customers. Secondly, it is important to be patient even when you don’t receive many orders. Remaining authentic is key to making your business grow in the right direction.
Q) You started your store as a part-time thing, so what was the reason to run it as a part-time business?
Sayantani: To be honest, the motive behind starting the store was to feed the stray animals in my area with the earnings I make through it. All this started during lockdown when I saw how people would treat stray animals, so I decided to do something besides my job to feed them.
Q) Now that the pandemic has submerged a bit and life would be back to normal, how do you plan to manage your time for your store?
Sayantani: I have my office 6 days a week and one day is off which is when I go out for sourcing which is too hectic. Also, I have a few neighbours and friends who come over to me if they want to sell something from their wardrobe. I usually shoot for an entire week on the day off and use it for the whole week. But yes, Oyela has been a saviour to me when it comes to managing my time.
Q) What is the burning fuel which ignites the passion to run the thrift store?
Sayantani: Honestly, sometimes the process becomes so frustrating when I don’t get much of the orders or the customers ghost us but the thought that is it worth it, but the positive feedback by the customers is really like a booster to me.
Q) You have had your store for 10 months and must have faced some problems. Mention some typical characteristics of Thrifting culture that you don’t like at all.
Sayantani: As I said, the ghosting thing is terrible. I am grateful to the customers who straightforwardly tell you that they’d pass the product rather than keep us hanging for weeks. Another thing is that the public stores on social media get a lot of hatred for the model shoots we do but as we say the world is full of them so ignore them. Sometimes even the customers ask for a discount like an item of Rs. 700 to be sold at Rs. 200, which is not really what we expect as we invest our time in what we bring for the customer.
Q) Tell us about your experience working with Oyela.
Sayantani: By far, I haven’t had any bad experiences. It has been such an advantage to me as my sales have increased, time is saved and it has given me a lot of exposure. Even my customers love it because of the discounts they get on the website.
Q) If you think of Thrifting as the blooming culture which started during the pandemic when life goes back to normal, time crunch will be a major problem. Do you think that the Thrifting community will vanish or lay flat post-pandemic?
Sayantani: Thrifting community for sure will stay with us for a longer time. People indeed found out about the Thrifting community during a pandemic but it won’t subside as there are women who have gained their independence through Thrifting only, so I don’t see them giving up their means of earning for anything. Also, it is pocket-friendly and environment friendly, so with the profit it holds, it will grow immensely and Thrifting provides exclusivity to people looking for uniqueness.
Oyela is looking forward to building a better community for every seller and customer who wants to move towards sustainable fashion. Thank you for making us an integral part of your journey.
