Outside of school, YLHS students are capable of pursuing their hobbies in numerous ways. Be it through sports, extracurriculars, or passion projects, everyone has their own method of achieving their goals. Roxanne Rasch (10) and Aaron Choi (10) have been collaborating on Mako Vintage, a local business that specializes in selling vintage clothing. Currently, they have over 300 sales and 100 five-star reviews. Sprouting from their curiosity in fashion, the business grew into a consistent endeavor.
Aaron began selling clothes about two years ago because of his interest in clothing, “I’ve always been into fashion and clothing. I like exploring new things.” On the other hand, Roxanne began about a year later since she appreciated vintage wear, “Vintage clothing is cool because you can find some really cool pieces, and it all has a history to it. Also, it’s good for the environment rather than buying fast fashion.” This summer, they began working together under the name “Mako Vintage.”
Their procedure for acquiring inventory and selling merchandise is extremely organized. Firstly, they carefully choose clothing to purchase from thrift stores and garage sales. Then, Roxanne takes photos of each piece and posts it on Instagram and Depop, and prices it by researching the cost of a given product then marking it down 10-25% – all while maintaining a small margin of profit. According to Roxanne, “typically for one piece of clothing, it takes around 10 minutes to take pictures and list it.”
In addition to selling online, Mako Vintage does sale-events on a monthly basis; however, Aaron explains that they “plan on expanding to flea markets in the near future.”
They originally entered the industry with an interest in fashion and clothing, but Aaron added “the community is welcoming and you get to meet a lot of cool people who have the same interests” as well. For those who are thinking of entering the clothing industry, Roxanne advises others “to be patient with it.” When sourcing, you have to find things that people actually want. Get as many connections as you can, and be as polite as possible to everyone that you meet and sell to.”
Mako Vintage’s expansion is the product of Aaron and Roxanne’s consistency and determination. Most importantly, they continue their business for their own pursuits. They can teach us that it’s possible to just start if you’re interested in something and improve along the way. If interested in viewing their products, they can be found on Instagram under @mako.vntg or on their Depop linked here.
