12/28/2024
I am SO EXCITED to finally share our news with you all❤️
Stay with us, this is a long post.
Where do I even start? I guess, from the very beginning. In January of 2024 I set out to open The Find Vintage Warehouse. With many doubts, fears, and thoughts of “no one will want to be a part of this” rapidly turned into a 10,000sqft warehouse filled with the 54 supportive vendors, curated finds, and a community and customers that welcomed us with open arms.
May 4, 2024 was our grand opening and I still look back in awe of what that day held. I don’t think myself or any of the vendors expected the crowd, sales, and love that we were shown that day. I still can’t believe it, it truly felt like a dream. Customers were parking on the street, and the line was wrapped to the back of the store from 11am-6pm. Just wow, what a great day! For the next 5 months I felt like I was living the dream to be the shop owner of The Find. As Bailey says (my 7 year old daughter, and the real star of the show) “it was the coolest place ever!” From meeting customers, making connections, and lifelong friends, to gawking over each piece my vendors brought in and telling myself I didn’t need it. Those 5 months brought so much joy!
September 27, 2024 The Find was gone. All the hard work, love, pride, and inventory that my self and 54 others put in to making The Find what it was, was gone. Everything wiped out in a day from Helene. A business that was thriving the day before, now sitting literally in the mud, and debt with no way to dig out.
For the first half of October I felt so many emotions defeated , upset at myself for being upset over a business when others lost so much more, desperate, frustrated, sad, angry, confused, thankful that it was just my business and not my home or my family. You name it, I felt it.
But then….
The middle of October Amy Ward, one of my vendors and the owner of 𝑳𝒂𝒎𝒑 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 reached out with an offer to become partners and to join her in ownership of the Lamp Post and to purchase another antique vendor market. I can truly say that was probably the first day since the storm that I saw a glimmer of hope for what was next for my family and I, but also how was I supposed to be able to afford this next adventure? I’m still in debt for a store now destroyed, and no income to pay back those loans. Then it hit me that I can’t wallow in this hard time forever, and I need income to pay back the debt already owed, so with much prayer and guidance from family I was able to get financing to pursue this partnership with Amy in owning the Lamp Post. But wait, that’s just half of the big announcement!
Amy’s heart in extending this offer to me was beyond selfless. Amy lost a lot in the storm, however her heart was to help people despite her personal losses and for that I am so thankful. Since the decision to go in together as partners Amy and I have said many times that the Lord just keeps providing and we are just trying to keep up with his blessings.
Now for the announcement you have all been waiting for….
As of January 1, 2025 Amy and I will not only own the Lamp Post, but we will be purchasing Back Alley Pickers in Newland North Carolina and will be rebranding Back Alley as The Find Vintage Warehouse !
Donna Burnop the current owner of Back Alley Pickers has done a phenomenal job creating such a beautiful and unique vendor market with the most curated vendors and finds. We congratulate her on her retirement and are so thankful to her for the opportunity to step into this amazing space.
For those of you familiar with Back Alley Pickers, we want to assure you that when you patronize The Find, you’ll be supporting the same great vendors from Back Alley, you’ll just be greeted by new faces and we can’t wait to see you!
Please help us in sharing or news and please continue to support us in Newland❤️
We will host a soft Opening on Friday January 24,2025 opening up as The Find!
❤️Kayla AND Amy
P.S If you’ve made it to the end of this incredibly long post, then we’d also like to let you in on another secret!
In addition to the Lamp Post and the Find a third location will be coming to a city near you in the spring🤫
