Today we’d like to introduce you to Terry Winter
Hi Terry, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Mississippi Vintage Girls was founded in a small area called Wren, Mississippi by Terry Lynn Winter. Terry has always been a fashionista, she loves all things clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags, really anything you can think of. And, after being introduced to a love of anything old with her family collecting antiques, she developed a love of vintage clothing. In December of 2019 she decided to take action and share her passion with the area. On her own she sourced clothing from estate sales, thrift stores, and closing business, eventually collecting well over 1000 pieces to start her business. She *literally* built the store from the ground up, creating a small space beside her house where customers could freely shop and play dress up with the help of a handy friend. Afterwards, MSVG was made a two person team in 2021 after bringing on a senior high school student planning on pursuing fashion design in college. Helena Plum helped run various social media and selling platforms to outreach as much as possible outside of Mississippi. MSVG has done booths at festivals and for christmas markets, with that being the most successful times for the store. (We have an upcoming booth at Amory Railroad Festival on April 10th-13th!)
The target consumer for the brand unfortunately does not live in the area, so the solution to this was to bring MSVG elsewhere, prompting Helena to bring a small stock to Savannah, GA. The goal is to sell and rent to the students at SCAD who may need costuming for film sets, styling pieces for photoshoots and editorials, or for people who just want a new taste of vintage. With this new appreciative audience coming from Savannah, MSVG was given a boost to keep pushing and sharing our collection with as many people as possible.
Terry has a goal of sharing the beauty of this type of fashion with as many people as possible. She wants others to feel as she does when wearing things that truly embrace who you are.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Mississippi Vintage Girls has seen ups and downs throughout its five years. After Helena went to college and only worked when she was back in Mississippi from SCAD, there wasn’t anyone else to hire for the store. It requires previous knowledge of vintage fashion or the desire to learn, a commitment to the mission of the store, and the belief that what we do has promise. Because of the challenge of finding people who would want to do this job, MSVG faced periods of time when the store wasn’t open or faced the possibility of clothing because of this and no sales. Towards the end of 2024, Helena randomly pitched an idea to Terry after not working for a while. This pitch consisted of a fully made website and the idea to bring a small, carefully selected stock to Savannah, GA to market towards SCAD students. Students are always looking for the most financially beneficial way to costume their films, fully style their editorials and photoshoots, and add unique pieces to their wardrobe. Students are able to rent or buy from this stock and are asked to share the content with MSVG to post to social media.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
“At Mississippi Vintage Girls, we are dedicated to celebrating femininity through timeless style. Our mission is to offer carefully curated, second-hand, vintage clothing that empowers our customers to embrace their unique beauty and individuality. We believe in the stories woven into each garment, and invite our customers to be part of a fashion journey that connects the past to the present with care, creativity, and authenticity.”
“Here at MSVG we strive to display our love of fashion and all things vintage by extending our collections to customers. The unique experience we aim to provide is meant to offer someone an extension of their style while providing them with a newfound or continuation of passion for these clothes. We pass the care we put into our collections to our customer, and in turn, they continue to give that to their new wardrobe.”
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Terry is the definition of a risk taker. She is bold and ambitious, and the creation of Mississippi Vintage Girls is proof of that. In an area where vintage and antiques aren’t sought after at an exuberant rate, Terry took a risk when pursuing her passion of vintage fashion. It wasn’t until the recent surrection of desire for anything vintage and the oversaturation of resellers that it became a competitive market. Before that, it was almost like saving these items of clothing before they were thrown out. Terry used her personal savings to fund the building of the shop, purchasing of the extensive collection, and her employees. She fully believed in what she had and the worth that it possessed. Other people in the tight-knit community started recognizing her as someone who would want these clothes or similar items. At the end of estate sales, she’d get calls to come pick up vintage clothing before it was thrown out or people would “donate” their parents’ clothing to her that they didn’t know what to do with.
There isn’t a guarantee of success anytime Terry/MSVG takes a new step in a different direction, but without her bravery and determination, the store wouldn’t have gained traction. This is the risk that any small business takes, especially ones that don’t have a large customer base in the area.
Pricing:
- Rentals from Sav: $5 per day per item
- Price per item
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msvg38821.wixsite.com/msvintagegirls
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mississippivintagegirls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSVG8/
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mississippivintagegirls
- Other: https://www.depop.com/mississippivintagegirls/
