Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicolas Szyn.
Hi Nicolas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started getting into vintage and used clothing when I was a kid, my dad was a huge influence on me getting into antiques since he used to sell vintage clothing in the late 80s to mid-90s. He loved taking me to flea markets every weekend so I could build my collection of retro video games and vintage jerseys.
When I was 18 I told myself that I would take a gap year of college to try and focus on opening up a vintage clothing business, and by the time I was 19 I was able to rent a small space in a warehouse and find enough suppliers to wholesale my clothing to other countries like Japan and United Kindom. After a couple of years of saving up money, I was able to open Szyn Thrift + Vintage in Kendall at 21 years old and still hope to open up more locations.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve definitely encountered many struggles along the way, I spent around almost a year trying to find the perfect location for my store, and every time it felt like I had found the perfect place, I was denied either for the short amount of time my business was open, or for my age. After tireless months of searching, I had nearly decided I was just going to continue doing wholesale for a couple more years and hope the market would be ready for me then.
Right as I had decided to switch my business model, my friend sent me the listing for a store on Sunset. It was perfect and the landlord was willing to take a chance on me despite my age and my business is relatively new. After agreeing upon the terms of our lease, we wanted to get the ball rolling as soon as possible to build out and open the store within a week. Luckily, I had a group of amazing friends who helped me build out the store, working 16 hours a day for 7 days straight. Opening day was a huge success and to this day, is one of, if not the happiest days of my life.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Szyn Thrift + Vintage is a curated thrift and vintage store. We aim to be the middle ground between your average thrift stores and high-end vintage stores with affordable pricing. Our prices range from $3.50-$100 with lots of vintage pieces being priced significantly below market value.
What sets us apart from your average thrift store is that every single piece that comes into our store is personally selected by our team and comes in washed. Our goal was to always make thrifting easy and to make getting vintage pieces affordable. We’re very proud to have accomplished both, while simultaneously bringing together a small community of thrifting and vintage clothes into the Kendall area.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way for anyone to work and collaborate with me would be to just come by the shop and talk to anyone on the team! We’ve hosted events from video game tournaments to car meets.
We’re always looking for new ideas for events and help bring Miami’s thrifting community together.
Contact Info:
- Website: szynthrift.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/szynthrift/
Image Credits
Albert Marroquin
