Etsy store: Tiny Acorn Vintage

I am an Etsy addict. I confess.

I can waste days on that site. It's hard not to, right? With pages and pages of unique items, vintage finds and handmade goodies galore! But one day whilst browsing amongst the 25 million members and 900,000 stores.. I came across one very special shop, run by a very lovely lady, Erica McIntyre..  

"TINY ACORN VINTAGE"

What was your inspiration behind 'Tiny Acorn Vintage'?

Erica: I love being able to put together funky outfits that reflect my mood and personality. It's those really special unique pieces that I am often drawn to, and those are hard to find at the mall and other big department stores. When you wear something vintage, you will almost never see someone else wearing the same thing as you! I love that the vintage pieces at Tiny Acorn all have a unique story and have been worn by other personalities in the past. I love hunting for these treasures and bringing them to vintage lovers around the world! 

Along with wanting to make unique and one of a kind pieces accessible to my customers, I also have a desire to merge my love of fashion with my heart for the children of Africa. I hope that I can use Tiny Acorn to make a difference, even if it means sowing one little acorn seed! One tiny seed can grow to become a giant oak tree, which in itself, will produce thousands of acorns in it's lifetime! Tiny Acorn is putting 10% of all moneys earned toward needy children in Africa. This money goes to their families to provide them with clean water, food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care. (This is made possible through an organization called World Vision.)

What challenges did you have to overcome in order to get to where you are today? 

Erica: I think the biggest challenge I had to overcome was sticking with it even when things got hard. There's always going to be mountains in our way when we are going after our dreams but we can't let them stop us! Perseverance doesn't come naturally for me so that has definitely been something I've had to learn! 

 

You said the store began in August 2012, but was a dream in your heart for a very long time. Is there any advice you would give to others who are trying to make their dreams a reality?

Erica: I think so many of us are held back by lies that we believe about ourselves. They become self-defeating and we cap ourselves off. If there is something you are passionate about but you keep hearing that you're not as good as other people or you don't have what it takes- recognize those negative thoughts as lies! Believing them is the only thing keeping you from achieving your dreams! You can't live your life believing lies or you will never be happy and you will never walk in your destiny! I believe we are all like little acorns in that we all have everything we need already packed inside of us to make our dreams a reality! Acorns are packed with protein, but in order to eat them you have to dry them, crack them open, and leech out all the tannic acid which can be quite a long process. It is similar with each of us. We might have it all in there and have just never tapped into our true potential. That is what takes a lot of perseverance and intentionality. It is a process and we have to keep at it. We only fail if we quit! 

Where do you hope to see 'Tiny Acorn Vintage' in five years time?
Erica: My ultimate dream is to see Tiny Acorn grow into something much bigger than itself-- to become the "mighty oak" it has inside of it. I would love to start designing my own clothes and possibly open a brick and mortar store. When I dream really big I see Tiny Acorn building homes for orphans in Africa. Just like an oak tree that never stops producing acorns, the possibilities are endless! 

If you enjoy wonderful, unique, high quality vintage clothing (I'm sure you do!) head on over to http://www.etsy.com/shop/TinyAcornVintage and find yourself a bargain!

Please go and show this lovely girl some support, you can check out her Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/TinyAcornVintage