Who doesn't love a surprise?! Especially when said box is chock-a-block full with a curated selection of vintage goodies?!?
Here's how things come about at Villa Milagro:
While washing the dishes the other morning I was positively wracked with anxiety about trying to find the time to not only photograph the new (vintage) goodness that's come into the Villa, but the exhaustive process of editing the photos and picking the best of them to upload to the site. Then fully research any unknown details, measure each piece, and write about it - the description, the measurements, and give a condition report. Y'all, it is A LOT. A lot of time and research, a lot of time looking for a safe place to properly said item, and getting the listing just right. I figured out each item is well over 2 hours (that doesn't include the time it takes to refurbish something like a vintage Coach bag, I'm strictly speaking of the back end part).
So I started thinking about how to deal with the situation and the idea of a Mystery Box came up. What if, for a certain price point we could take some of these amazing vintage gems and put together a little (or large) grouping based on someone's selections? The time saved in not having to properly shoot, edit, research, write about, price and list will equal a lower price point, which will equal more Mystery for the Box. Me being me I would still include a little blurb on each piece, because these treasures' history needs to be passed on as much as possible. Thus was born mystery boxes full of carefully curated vintage treasures!
I started thinking about price points and names of the boxes, as well as what people might like to see in the boxes. I mean it can't be a total mystery... What if you get a box full of things you have no interest in? That wouldn't be much fun. So I came up with some categories based on goodies that I know I have a lot of fresh finds for and set to creating the vision on the website.
Talk about anxiety!! Geez Louise, this exercise hammered home that I am really an analog girl living in a digital world. With many deep, cleansing breaths and a few random blurted curse words I did it! There's a section for the Mystery Boxes!
What I absolutely love the most about this whole process is that I didn't have to run it by a manager or propose it to marketing or see what the logistics are with my team. I decided to do it, I figured out what it would look like after running it past friends, and I made it happen in under a week. THAT is a good use of time, energy, and resources, and it feels good.
Ranging from the Itty Bitty to the Big Enchilada, I hope you find a price point and a category that suits you. Whether you're thinking of keeping it or gifting it, I want you to know that there are some fabulous pieces that are ready to go to their new homes. Ranging from post war to 90s, from ceramic cache pots to handbags, from a little wacky to pretty darned fabulous... They're ready to surprise and delight you ❤️🔥I'm open to category suggestions, by the way. If you feel like there's an area that has been missed (and it's something that we have in the Villa) I'm happy to add categories.
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