Just under a year ago, Chloe Lovett was working a minimum wage job at her local spa, selling old clothes on Vinted when she needed some extra cash. Now the 25-year-old earns up to £400 every day through the resale app, and is on course to make £100,000 by the end of the year.
From Side Hustle to Full-Time Income
'I was using Vinted just for a bit of money on the side,' she explains. 'I had done it on and off for a few years but always got busy with other stuff. But in September I just decided to give it my all and see where it takes me.' Chloe, from Sheerness, Kent, credits helping her partner, Jake, with his marketing agency for giving her the necessary transferable skills to start her business. At the beginning, he'd drive her to people's houses to collect bags of clothes, and she'd sell them from her home.
Opening a Physical Store
However, she was soon running out of space, and when Jake couldn't continue driving her around, she decided to find somewhere for people to drop their items off. In May, she opened her first in-person location, 'Lovett Or List It', in a former council building near her home. The store, which has rails of secondhand clothing all organised by colour and size, quickly took off. 'I am fully booked six days a week,' Chloe says. 'It is honestly so busy. I didn't think it would take off like this.'
Sourcing and Reselling Strategy
Chloe buys unwanted clothes from customers by weight before reselling them online and in store. She also gets other resellers buying items that her clientele aren't interested in, ensuring there's no wasted stock. 'Because it is pre-loved, it is all one-off pieces,' says the 25-year-old. 'People come in weekly just to see what I have got new in.' She says her favourite items are classic staples that can be worn for years over fast fashion trends, adding: 'It's crazy what people have and what people don't wear. It's a lot of stuff that they had bought in the sale. They picked it up because psychologically they thought they were getting a saving even if they didn't like the item or know where to wear it.'
Income Sources and Future Plans
Though the shop is popular, most of Chloe's income is from Vinted sales, and she also launched a standalone website last week. At the moment, she's the only employee – but her Jagdterrier, Dolly, has become a favourite with customers. 'When my dog is not in here, every single person who comes in asks where the dog is,' she jokes. 'She gets paid in treats!' Despite her success, Chloe admits she's 'learning along the way', and has at times struggled with 'imposter syndrome'. 'I thought that no one knew who I was or what I was doing,' she explains. 'It obviously went crazy. Now the money is coming in, but I am really stingy; I won't go out and spend it.' Chloe's journey has come a long way from selling from her house last September, but in her view, this is only the start. The dream now is to move to a commercial industrial unit in six months and look to hire more staff then. 'Loads of people were saying that I should get someone in, but I enjoy doing every aspect myself,' she says. 'Give it six months, and I will definitely need someone to help me, but I just really enjoy my own company.' All round, Chloe feels she 'definitely made the right choice' taking the plunge with her business, adding: 'I love working on my own and doing what I want to do.'
