The Vintage Unscripted Seller Spotlight is on Beckiy owner of Trunk of Dresses and Fox Vintage Mercantile. I’ve been following Beckiy on Instagram for several years now. I was lucky enough to meet her and shop her studio in 2022 when a friend and I took a trip to Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada. Her studio is located in a quaint historic old building just outside of downtown Vancouver. While I was there I was able to purchase a fabulous 1940s rayon blouse and my absolute favorite pair of vintage 1980s Levi’s 501 jeans.
Beckiy has two shops where she sells vintage clothing. Trunk of Dresses and Fox Vintage Mercantile. Her stores can be found at Trunk of Dresses.com as well as at Trunk of Dresses and Fox Vintage Mercantile on Etsy. As you can probably guess, Trunk sells vintage women’s clothing, while Fox sells men’s wear. She also sells direct on Instagram. And if you’re in the market for fabulous vintage at a discount follow her Trunkofdresssale account on Insta. 
How and when did you start selling vintage?
I had started collecting and wearing vintage when I was around 15, but actually pursued Fashion Design once I graduated high school. After completing that program, I just kind of found myself diving deeper into the fashion history side and started selling vintage instead of making new clothes.
How do you describe your vintage shop?
I have two technically – I describe Fox Vintage as Wil Wheaton’s character’s style in Stand by Me, and Trunk as maybe a bit of an eclectic mix of femme looks from a variety of eras.
What’s the best part of being a vintage seller?
Working for myself on my own schedule is really necessary for me and my health issues, so it’s probably the best part aside from finding vintage things. I’ve always been a treasure hunter, so that’s a super close second.
What’s the hardest part?
Working for yourself… lol… there’s no guaranteed pay cheque at the end of every week/two weeks. No health benefits, no bonuses, no raises other than growth in the business if you’re lucky. I guess it’s just the lack of security with income and even not knowing for how long it will be sustainable. How long will I be able to find this stuff for? How long will people be interested enough in it to keep buying it and keeping us small businesses afloat?
What changes have you seen in the vintage market over the past few years?
SO MANY! Lots of micro trends within what sells and for how much, as to be expected. But the biggest change though has really been the explosion of vintage sellers since the pandemic in 2020. Every one and their dog now sells vintage and so it has been harder and harder to be noticed amongst the sea of vintage available online nowadays. I’m not passing judgment on it. It simply is what it is.
What are some memorable sales or favorite items you’ve sold?
That’s a tough one! I’ve been selling for over a decade so there have been many. I still think about a pair of women’s 1940s denim jeans I should have kept that I sold for wayyy too little earlier on in my career. (But if they’re in a good home then also that’s okay!) For some reason I think about those the most, even though I’ve sold rarer and better pieces throughout the years.
What do you collect?
Right now I’m not sure. I’ve been slowly downsizing my collection of things. I forever love novelty items and prints. I even did a vintage fashion show with some of my collection in 2018. So by that I mean either pieces that are a bit weird and were part of a micro trend like the sack dress, or the piece has a wild print with something like a comic book, or even if the piece itself is a novelty like Schiapparelli’s drawer suit. (I don’t own that but it’s a good example! OR her shoe hat!)
What vintage sellers do you admire?
SO MANY! I sometimes steer away from listing them because I will always be leaving someone out even just by mistake. A few of my top faves include Lilies & Remains Vintage, Bonnie Vintage, & Caprice Vintage. Literally admire all of the accounts I follow on Instagram so if you’re ever looking for more amazing vintage accounts to follow just click my follow list and you will find so many!
You can find Beckiy at any of these links.
Fox Vintage Mercantile on Etsy
@trunkofdressessale on Instagram
As vintage sellers, the Vintage Unscripted team is part of a community of like-minded individuals and are pleased to support our fellow dealers. If you enjoy this Seller Spotlight feature, please support these sellers by following them on social media and purchasing from their shops.
