I remember visiting Dripping Springs years ago while on vacation and my sister in law, Marla, always talked about the cutest boutique in town- Vintage Soul! She would have cute mugs with the Vintage Soul logo in her Airbnbs and would always get us Christmas gifts from the shop in downtown Dripping Springs.
My outfit collection quickly grew when we moved here and it seemed like I was shopping at Vintage Soul every Tuesday before our weekly Magnolia Realty meeting a block away. Everything was SO cute and affordable! I kept telling my husband it was a business expense… Ha! Julie was always filming her Tuesday try ons when I’d stop by and would sometimes throw me in them because I was in the store all decked out in Vintage Soul attire!
I think my entire wardrobe is Vintage Soul at this point! Julie’s colorful, casual and beautiful style is exactly what I love to wear and I was so excited when she asked me to be a model for the shop last December! So if you go to VintageSoulTx.com and click on new arrivals… you’ll see my photos peppered in with Julie’s. It’s kind of fun… ok, a LOT OF FUN! She made my middle school dreams of being a model come true… at 37 years old. Ha!
I was pleased as punch when Julie said I could feature her and Tom on my blog, so let me introduce you to my friend, Julie and her husband, Tom!
Hey Julie! Tell us more about you and Tom…
Our marriage could be described as I jump into the water and hope it’s not too shallow. Tom will analyze all things about the pool before getting in. We are vastly different but it’s what makes us the best team! We complete each other in areas where we struggle.
I am a visionary at heart.
Tom is best at researching ways to make it work. I wouldn’t want it any other way! We have 4 grown children that we raised here in Dripping Springs.
How long have you been in Dripping Springs?
We bought land and built here in 2009.
What do you love most about this town?
The community and love for all things Tigers! Being born and raised in a small Texas town, the people that have chosen to move to Dripping Springs desire that same small town community feel. I love it here!
Tell us about how you started Vintage Soul…
Vintage Soul started under a different name, Shabby Mama, in 2012.
I redid furniture, did custom paintwork on pallets and was doing interior decorating for people here until I couldn’t keep up with one on one consults. So I decided to open a storefront where people could come to me instead and I could chat and help them at their convenience.
In 2014 I switched the name over and opened up in the tiny building directly behind the current Vintage Soul store.
What was your vision for the place when you first began? Did you expect it to grow to a massive business where you were shipping out gifts and cute clothes all over America?
Clothing, gifts and jewelry were literally an afterthought when I first opened! I panicked last minute and decided to carry a little bit of these items so that as people came in they may leave with something other than home decor…oh how things have changed. 😉
How did the pandemic change your business? How did you have to pivot and how did that impact your business?
I’m a New Year’s Goal driven gal! I love writing down things I’ve done right, wrong and how to improve. In 2019 a major goal of mine was to implement a functional website. It was a huge undertaking as I had handwritten tags on all products and nothing was inventoried.
Putting pieces online meant I had to take pictures of all pieces, give them individual barcodes, etc. My team and I plodded along and finished at the beginning of 2020. Little did I know that I was blessed to have made that decision and stick with the resolution to build that website.
When 2020 raged on we were able to quickly pivot to 100% online and continue to bring laughter, clothing, gifts (and puzzles!!!) to so many across the U.S.!
It 100% changed our business drastically and we still see the ripple effects of this. Today, more than 30% of our business is through online sales and we ship all over the U.S. on a daily basis.
What are your plans for the future of your business?
To always stay true to who I am and to always have the flagship store on Mercer! Otherwise…we have some things up our sleeves.
What is your absolute favorite outfit you’ve ever sold?
Oh my!!! Honestly, I’d have to say I love the dress that I wore for the blog post! I love vibrant and fun colors and clothing should never be taken too seriously.
Which is why I try to keep pieces affordable…dressing up should make you feel good and confident.
How would you describe your style?
Relaxed and fun! Life, along with style should have some spunk and not be taken seriously!
Life is way too short for that!
Is it weird to be a local celebrity?
HA! I’m feeling a tad more infamous at most places….I share WAYYY too much of my personal life at times and I forget that the audience isn’t a group of 10 friends. 🙂 To be real is worth so much more…it’s too hard to be fake and keep that up!
What are your favorite places to relax in Dripping over a weekend?
We joke at the shop that we love to tell out of town guests where to go eat and drink more than we show them pieces in the store!
I love sharing the places I frequent: one can never go wrong at Hays City store and we are there A LOT!! They have the best margaritas!
I also love Crimson Creek BBQ at Deep Eddy. And depending which Side of town I’m on, a coffee from Mazama or Summer Moon is always my go-to.
Can you tell I love to eat and drink?!
How can everyone follow you?
I love connecting daily with so many wonderful people! The easiest way to connect is via IG: @vintagesoultx
Do you LOVE Dripping Springs, too? I’m a local real estate agent and would be happy to help you buy or sell real estate in this area! There is such a vibrant scene of new businesses, cool people and fun things to do making Dripping a hot spot for people seeking adventure and a unique lifestyle in the Texas Hill Country! Call or email me today to get started! 512-569-8480 or laurenclark@magnoliarealty.com
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