Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Schur.
Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started selling on Etsy in 2011 to help pay my college tuition and as a way to supplement my income after graduating from college. I had spent years working for local businesses, helping them grow, and decided I wanted to focus that energy on my dream of opening a vintage shop. I believe that vintage clothing has a story, and I want that story to make people connect more with what they’re buying.
I officially opened in June 2018 in a small studio space in the basement of the building my shop currently resides in. I slowly grew my base by doing local events and vendor shows to the point where I was able to move into a larger space on a highly visible street in Downtown Fargo. I moved into my current brick & mortar space in February of 2020, a month and a half before the pandemic shutdown.
I was still a very new business and didn’t qualify for any small business loans, so I really had to use the time to get creative on how my shop would survive. I taught myself how to do websites and constructed a website that has helped grow my business to this day. My main way of surviving has been being scrappy in how I do business and collaborating with other small businesses in my community. I recently collaborated with a local artist to create our own line of knitwear, including our most popular design featuring the infamous D.B. Cooper.
My shop, as it stands today, is operating much like it has been since I opened. Being scrappy and using the limited resources I have to keep going, especially in this economy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been anything but smooth. When I first opened in 2018, I was denied for all of the small business loans I applied for and was even told by a banker to just “borrow money from my parents”, which was not an option.
I worked a second job unloading freight at another clothing business to be able to pay my studio rent the first year I opened. I realized that burning my candle at both ends would burn me out and completely wipe away all that I had worked for, so I decided to go all in and took my shop to full-time retail hours in 2019. I worked hard doing numerous collaborations and vendor shows to grow my base enough to upgrade my space to something way more visible.
When I opened my larger brick-and-mortar in February 2020, I had a good run with foot traffic until we had to close for the pandemic shutdown. This became hard because I wasn’t approved for the first PPP loan and had to really get creative in how I could keep making sales and pay my rent. This is where I collaborated with local small businesses for Facebook Lives to keep my shop’s name out there and entertain people while we were all shut in. I created a YouTube Channel, which I still have today, to keep myself connected with my customers.
Flash forward to now, facing the tariffs, it has been a new struggle with every day bringing a new challenge, like a sharp decrease in my Canadian customers. Right now, my scrappiness is really being tested, and I just have to take these challenges day by day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My goal when opening my shop was to be able to create more conversations around fashion and history. We’ve become disconnected from the history of clothing, so we no longer have fun with it. I have always collected vintage and antique clothing, which led to the creation of my shop’s archive. I’ve worked with local students, sewists, and curiosity seekers to show them the evolution of clothing and let them touch and see in-person garments they may not otherwise have access to outside of school.
Last year, I received a Main Street America grant that allowed me to invest in proper displays for my pieces so that customers can now walk in and see my favorite archival pieces that include garments owned by Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, and Carol Burnett!
I’ve really become known for my fierce passion for clothing and history that I want to pass on to others.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I grew up between Fargo and lakes country, while studying abroad in France when I was in college. Nothing beats coming back home, where you grew up and where your family is. I love Fargo for its history and my experiences growing up here. As with any city across the country, I do see the reverence for history and the necessity of small businesses start to wane. It’s an ebb and flow, but I want the importance of small businesses to be seen as a valuable part of keeping cities vibrant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carmineandhayworth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmineandhayworth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmineandhayworth
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNMAeu9yZTMcpYsEIUiTZqw
