Happy New Year 2026

Levi's Denim Stack

Last year, 2025, at my Etsy shop Perennial Vintage was the best year I've ever had, as far as sales and profit are concerned. 

Do I know why? No. Not really. I believe it was due to a variety of things. It may perhaps be dumb luck, but when I really think about it, I believe it was due to hard work and these things:

• more quality items (Quality over quantity.)
• fewer items overall (Less is more.)
• running more sales (The most eye-opening action I've taken.)
• learning as I go for the last 15 YEARS! (A lot of trial and error here.)
• listing what people truly want (They want denim and sweaters.)
• taking advantage of advertising on Instagram and Etsy (Small investment = Big Reward.)
• writing blog posts (Seriously, these posts help Google searchers find my shop.)

So, what didn't work this year? I'm finding that as much as I love dresses, they don't sell well - if you look at thrift stores, there is always a glut of dresses. Twice or three times as many of them as any other item.

It isn't that women don't love dresses anymore. We do, but we don't wear them daily the way we used to up until the early '70s. We wear them for special occasions, rather than a daily uniform.

So, I will be listing fewer dresses in my shop this year to see how I do (and try to sell the rest that I have). But when I do list one, it will be amazing, as in cut, era (1940s), or quality. It will be exceptional.

Instead, I will be listing more of what I love to sell: sweaters and outerwear. I'm super excited about this. As you know, I love sweaters and cardigans. I've made extra room available for them in my spare bedroom closets (now that my two sons have fled the nest) and have bins in place ready to store them until I sell them.

There's always a need for them (minus a couple of months in summer, and even then, people are always looking ahead), so having a larger portion of those items has been the big seller for me this winter and what I'll be doing more of in 2026.

Of course, denim, as in jeans, jackets, and shirts, will always be a staple for my shop and is equally one of the biggest sellers alongside sweaters and outerwear. I also sell a ton of belts. I love and wear belts all the time, and last year, I made it my mission to up my belt inventory. I'm happy to say, I've done it. I have over 100 belts listed, of all shapes and sizes. Visit my shop to see what I have!

I hope you have a fantastic January. Thank you for following me alongside my vintage journey, and I wish you the biggest and best blessings for 2026.

-Heather

Christmas Season 2025 - 15 Years On Etsy

Just a little note to tell you all how thankful I am for you!

November 30th marked the day I "opened shop" 15 years ago on Etsy, which means this is the start of the 16th year. 

Never did I think a fun "hobby" would turn into something I love, cherish, and adore even more now than when I started in 2010. It is a way of life for me: the vintage life. And it's one of the best things to happen to me.

I have sold almost 11,000 items through my Etsy shop. Every piece is a labor of love because I intentionally choose each one of those items to put into my store, to purchase it, photograph it, list it, and wait for it to be chosen by someone else to add to their life (or someone else's life. I get a lot of gift-giver purchases, and this time of year is no exception!)

So these pieces are all a little part of me; my love, my life, a part of who I am and want to be. This shop reflects my specific vintage love, and I feel lucky to share it with the world.

If you've purchased from me, read a blog post, or admired from a distance, thank you so much. I'm living a dream come true: doing what I love to do (that just happens to make a little "daily bread.") I have to add that this year has been the best year I've ever had, as far as sales go. So, for those who think instant success is the norm, it isn't. For me, it's taken 15 years to get there! What a journey.

And, in truth, it doesn't get better than this. It's been a blessed journey

Merry Christmas, and please enjoy continuous sales in my shop throughout the rest of the year to celebrate 15 years of life on Etsy. Visit the shop today to see what sparks joy for you!♥

-Heather

Vintage L. L Bean Bomber Jacket

This gorgeous jacket was made in the ‘80s by L.L. Bean, and is a take on the World War 2 bomber jacket. Bomber jackets have a history that goes back to World War 1 with a slightly looser fit, but their fitted form became the style of WW2, called the A-2 jacket, and is what people think of when they hear the words "bomber jacket."

When I found this a few weeks ago, I felt a little like I was being pranked. It was sitting out in plain sight with a very reasonable price tag. And no one was around me to snatch it from my hands or hope I put it back on the rack for them to pick it up. 

Was I missing something? Nope. I was meant to find it. This jacket is of amazing quality. It’s easy to assume the dupes that come out 40 years after the war are going to feel “fake” or in no way comparable.

I can tell you that’s not an issue with this jacket. Thick leather, gorgeous faux sherpa liner, fur collar, and amazing zippers. It’s made of overwhelmingly beautiful and exquisite materials.

This A-2 style jacket is in the shop. She’s had years of wear, has a lovely patina, but is in excellent condition. The shop is currently 25% all week for the Black Friday Sale. So, now’s the time to get the best deal I’ll have on it.

Happy Thanksgiving, my vintage friends. Eat lots, laugh tons, and enjoy your time with friends and family. ♥

-Heather

Vintage 1950s Wool Black Lilli Ann Coat

Sometimes, it takes 15 years to find a Lilli Ann wool coat, but it was worth the wait!

For someone living in Sacramento, and actively searching for vintage clothing for the last decade and a half, you'd think finding the designer Lilli Ann wouldn't be so hard.

But it is. Partly because they are becoming a little rarer with every passing year, and also because there is a high demand for quality designer fashion pieces.

Lilli Ann was a clothing company created by designer Adolph Schuman, who named it after his wife, Lilliann, in San Francisco in 1934. He was well known for quality, incredible wool coats, dresses, and suit sets, and set the bar high for keeping fashion well-made. Many of his fabrics came from Paris, which is why the label has both San Francisco and Paris embroidered on it.

Yet, I don't live far from San Francisco - maybe a two-hour drive at the most. Why has it taken me so long to find a Lilli Ann coat? I would watch vintage seller after vintage seller via Instagram show their latest "Lilli Ann find" and wonder, What am I doing wrong? People had to bring back their Lilli Ann purchases from "the city" back in the day. So, where are they?

Well, I wasn't doing anything wrong. The vintage seller doesn't get to pick what they're going to find, only hope and pray they do find something great, and get on with their treasure hunt from thrift store, to garage sale, and estate sale.

And guess what? I did finally find a Lilli Ann this week, and she's a beauty. Made of black wool, with pleated sleeves, and a soft, silky interior as exquisite as the exterior, she's in perfect condition. I can only imagine she sat in a closet for the last seven decades or so, rarely seeing the light of day. There is no damage to her, and no moth holes. She's pristine.

Lilliann shuttered their doors in 2000, and founder Adolph Shuman, died in 1985, but their best and most well-known pieces are from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. This jacket is no exception. 

She's fabulous and in the shop and ready for the winter.

-Heather

Vintage Mid-Century 1950s Walsted Wool Sweater

The longer I sell vintage, the rarer certain things become that I didn't think would become rare. This is true in part because time causes destruction. In essence, moth and rust destroy our manmade items. That's a given. But also, we live in a consumeristic society now. I cringe to think it, but I often wonder how many vintage items are thrown away that could be repaired, all because they're moth-ridden, or just "old."

Yet, this rarity also occurs because, as the decades pass, older items become increasingly less common. Which is strange, even for ubiquitous items. I mean, sweaters are everywhere, right? Well, these days, a quality sweater is like a needle in a haystack. They aren't common anymore (don't get me started on modern sweaters = pure trash.)

What I mean is this: a sweater from the '60s is in abundance in the '80s, a little more rare in the '90s, less common in the early 2000s, and by the time I came into the "selling vintage" scene in 2010, just rare enough to make me super happy when I found it. 

These days, in 2025, I darn near gasp out loud when I see an amazing mid-century sweater. That happened to me yesterday (I couldn't get it off the rack fast enough), snatched it into my arms, lovingly held on tight throughout my sourcing event, to bring it home in pure happiness.

I'm in awe of the piece. It's a 1950s (perhaps early '60s) wool shawl neck sweater. Wool is so easily destroyed if you don't take care of it. Especially if it's from sixty-plus years ago. 

This piece looks untouched, as though it had been folded up for decades in a box (which I'm pretty sure it was, judging by the fold lines), waiting patiently to see the light of day again.

Well, that day is here! It's in pristine condition. And tell me, what color says midcentury better than this butterscotch, Dijon mustard blend? It's beautiful. It's a work of art, I say. A simple vintage sweater makes my day, and hopefully, it made yours. This one was sold in San Francisco back in the day, which warms the heart (the heart I left in SF, that is.) That's just a short jaunt down the freeway from me.

And now, it's in the shop waiting for the next wearer.

And that is reason 782 as to why I love vintage clothing. You never know what you'll find, you never know what's out there, and every day, the world of sourcing vintage is different. 

Being able to give new life to old clothes... there's nothing better, my vintage friends.

-Heather