Woman boosts earnings by £4,000 a month and it ‘doesn’t really feel like work’
Woman explains how she boosts earnings by £4,000 a month – and it ‘doesn’t really feel like work!’ (Image: Erin Kennedy)
After 15 years constructing and renovating houses, Tammie Kennedy, 43, opted for a profession change and is now making hundreds of kilos doing what she “loves”, shopping for and promoting classic furniture.
Express.co.uk spoke completely to Mrs Kennedy about her passion-turned-business, which may see her make as much as £4,000 a month by means of her web site and Narchie app – with some items raking in £1,800 alone.
Mrs Kennedy, who relies in Crawley, West Sussex, mentioned: “We have always bought vintage furniture for our own home and for the ones we have built. My husband and I have always had a love and appreciation for the thought that has gone into the design of such items, the quality of the materials used at the time, and ultimately the craftsmanship.
“All of this results in furniture that is not only timeless aesthetically but also built to last many generations.”
It was Mrs Kennedy’s daughter, who was “doing really well” promoting classic clothes on on-line market apps Depop and Vinted, who gave her the thought to arrange her personal store promoting classic homeware.
READ MORE: Mum turns £2,000 into global business worth £20million
Rosello Art Deco 2 Seat Sofa & Armchairs 60’s from Mrs Kennedy’s store, Sooo Last Century (Image: Sooo Last Century)
Her daughter’s recommendation was to “just go for it” and record as many objects as attainable, in order that’s what Mrs Kennedy and her husband did and after three months, it began to snowball.
Mrs Kennedy sources objects from native auctions or on-line, in addition to close to Normandy in France, the place her household have a property.
She specialises in promoting uncommon and well-liked objects from the twentieth century. Her greatest sale so far was a chair from Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, which she got here throughout accidentally at an public sale and offered for £1,800 to a collector.
Other huge sellers embrace teak Danish and rosewood eating tables, the place she will make something between £1,100 to £1,500 per desk.
Pair of Louis XV Style Bedside Cabinets Fifties from Mrs Kennedy’s store, Sooo Last Century (Image: Sooo Last Century)
Mrs Kennedy mentioned: “There’s no golden rule or formula – sometimes if you absolutely love an item and it’s in good condition you will pay a lot for it, and be happy with a smaller profit – knowing that you’ve given it the opportunity to be rehomed and appreciated again. And that for a brief moment you had that item in your possession.
“On other occasions, you might pick an item up cheaply, but then invest a lot of time and money in having it restored. But on very rare occasions, you can find an amazing item – in amazing condition, for very little money and make a fantastic profit!”
Mrs Kennedy added: “It takes a lot of work. But when you enjoy your job this much, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s nice to be making some money and to be making a profit this early on our journey leaves us optimistic, but we want to focus on being the best we can for our customers too.
“So many people worry about ordering vintage furniture and homeware online and the delivery process, so we want to make that process as easy and stress-free as possible.”
Sharing some key ideas, Mrs Kennedy defined the significance of maintaining with traits and monitoring what’s well-liked. She mentioned it may be a little bit of trial and error, nevertheless it doesn’t take lengthy to seek out out what sells.
According to Mrs Kennedy, the preferred objects in the intervening time at bobbin stools, matching bedside tables, plant stands, bamboo and rattan items, sideboards, and any good high quality mid-century eating tables.
As a brand new enterprise, Mrs Kennedy has mentioned assist from the homeware market app Narchie, which she makes use of to shift her merchandise, has been “amazing”.
She mentioned: “I hate it when you sign up as a seller on platforms and then can’t find any details on how to contact customer services. The Narchie team have provided so much support.
“Group chats have been set up for sellers to share experiences and ask for improvements to the app, and the team at Narchie listen and respond. The app is super easy to use as a seller and a buyer.”
They say a change is pretty much as good as a relaxation and for Mrs Kennedy, she mentioned: “It’s true. My husband and I loved our previous job as designers and builders of individual bespoke homes, but the change has revitalised us.
“Our daughter, who sells vintage clothing online, has been amazing. She’s taught me how to navigate social media and how to set up Stripe Payments, etcetera. We have an autistic son who has now reached 20 and is only at college part-time. This new career has enabled me to work from home on his days off, which is obviously the most amazing bonus of all.”