Saturday 10 November 2012

Runaround Sue Vintage presents a charity event of vintage fashion and music



Runaround Sue Vintage will host its second annual charity vintage fashion show on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at the Tin Roof, Charleston, SC. Proceeds will once again benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year’s event was held in honor of a dear friend fighting lymphoma, and, sadly, this event will be in her memory. Despite the bravest fight possible, she lost her battle on September 27, 2012, and this will be an evening that celebrates both her love of life as well as her love of fashion and music.

Kicking off at 8 p.m., the first 50 early birds through the door will get a goody bag filled with gift cards and knickknacks from Charleston’s creative community and local businesses, including Buttermilk Bakeshop (formerly Carla Bakes), Kool Kat Designz, Lava Salon, and Spacecraft Studios.

Candle-filled mason jars will light the runway at 9 p.m. sharp, and the catwalk show will last for roughly ten minutes. Models will wear vintage fashions scanning several eras while loud retro dance tunes complement every step. Lava Salon’s Ashley Wagner and Spencer Barnhart will amp up their hair and makeup. Eight Four Three Magazine’s copyeditor Jessie Parks and local musician Rachel Kate Gillon (Charleston City Paper’s 2012 Best Rock ‘n’ roll Seamstress) are the style assistants. Jake Simp Photos will document the night with images. Clothes modeled will be for sale after the show.

Following the fashion, the ukulele-driven vintage stylings of the V-Tones of Charleston will keep you on your toes for a spell. And finally, the Flat Foot Floozies, voted Jazz Band of the Year in the Charleston City Paper Music Awards in November 2012, will wrap up the night with their 1930s, Tin Pan Alley-style jazz. All the while, look out for the Roaring 20s Hot Jazz Dance Club as they set the scene on the dance floor. Attendees, no matter how amateur, are encouraged to cut a rug right alongside these long-time teachers of swing and lindy hop. Judging from the 2012 shindig, this detail really does the trick in taking you back in time while making the evening extra memorable.

There is a $10 minimum charge at the door, although additional donations are welcome.

In the words of Hank Williams Sr, Runaround Sue Vintage encourages all to dress in style and go hog wild!

Runaround Sue Vintage Boutique is an online Etsy shop selling clothes with stories to tell. It is owned and operated by Kelly Rae Smith, also a Charleston-based freelance writer. Contact Kelly Rae Smith on shopatrunaroundsue@gmail.com for a plethora of real fancy press images.
www.runaroundsuevintage.com
https://www.facebook.com/runaroundsuevintage
https://twitter.com/runaroundsuevtg

The Tin Roof is located at 1117 Magnolia Road, Charleston, SC 29407

The V-Tones of Charleston is a local outfit comprised of ukulele, kazoo, whistle, violin, guitar, and bass antics to produce a “vaudeville pop” kind of party. Stalk them a little more here: https://www.facebook.com/TheVTonesofCharleston?sk=info

The Flat Foot Floozies plays old-time jazz, jug band, Tin Pan Alley, swing, blues, and country, and is comprised of ukulele, kazoo, harmonica, upright bass, guitar, tap dancing, and a little bit of humor, too. In November 2012, they received the Charleston City Paper’s Music Award for Jazz Band of the Year.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flat-Foot-Floozies/185008648218551?fref=ts

Contact: Kelly Rae Smith
E: shopatrunaroundsue@gmail.com

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Appreciation pic

Thank you, Emily Everett for sending in this amazing appreciation pic. Emily's rocking a Runaround Sue sleeveless shirt covered with a pattern of retro glasses that she bought at the Lowcountry Artist Market recently!

Thursday 7 June 2012

Article for Shortbread: www.shortbreadstories.co.uk

It took me years to decide that I would make my dream business a reality. I remember conversations with friends from as far back as 2003 when I spoke of owning a vintage clothing business. I knew every detail of how I would run it from where to source products (my hometown) to how to package them (wrapped in tissue paper, vintage ribbons and fabric) to the little extras, like giving customers a compilation CD full of vintage songs. I also spoke of somehow creatively integrating local artists and businesses. I just didn’t know where ‘local’ would be, for I left home (South Carolina) for Scotland in 2004 and didn’t come back until last year. In Scotland, my passion for all things old only grew. I danced at every retro club night in Edinburgh, became a northern soul connoisseur, and honed my vintage knowledge with not only a full-fledged collection, but also through a job I got at local vintage institution, Armstrong’s. I was one of their Ebay girls and learned all the dynamics of and tricks to selling vintage online. A little over a year ago, I had barely been home long enough to have a couple of home-cooked, southern meals when I learned of several different people who had or wanted to open up a vintage shop. I got a little angry, and realized I was only jealous. I decided there was no point in being bitter about something I was fully equipped to do on my own. So I did it. Instead of wallowing in unemployment depression, I started up Runaround Sue Vintage Boutique on Etsy and treated it like a full-time job, because at the time, it was. When I had at least 60 items listed, many derived from my own collection, I went public with a Facebook and Twitter page. I guess that’s when it felt official! Both of these social networks have been instrumental in getting the word out. So was Etsy. Instead of creating my own website, I chose to do work through Etsy since it’s like a social network in its own right. With its own newsfeed, it’s easy to see what fellow members are up to if you’ve added them to your ‘circle’ or ‘favourited’ their shop. My base following has been through Etsy and I love it because you can also check your ‘shop stats’ to see exactly which websites, listings and keywords generate the most or least traffic to your shop. Etsy listing pages enable you to easily post a new listing to Facebook and Twitter (and now, Pinterest too, another welcome and lucrative addition to my social media world), which is a huge help. They must know how daunting and time-consuming the wide web of social media has become, so Etsy has made it easy for sellers to quickly spread our gospel. Customers can also ‘like’ a listing, which gets the domino effect going on Facebook. The more impressions made through friends of friends, the more friends Runaround Sue Vintage has indeed. Another essential tool is Twitter, and the Twitter/Facebook teams have made this a time-saver as well. I have my Facebook page linked to Twitter so all posts and updates I make on Facebook are automatically posted on Twitter. Many times I’ll list an item and post it to Facebook and Twitter, then wait and refresh the item to see how many views it’s getting. A lot of times, that number multiplies several times in the span of five seconds. The more eyes I can reach, the better, and it would be a shame to sit on these completely free and totally useful tools at my disposal. I also use Facebook and Twitter to hold secret sales. This gives Etsy customers and an incentive to click off Etsy and take an interest in Runaround Sue on a different medium, which can attract their friends who may not be on Etsy yet. I also like to use social media to indicate when I’ve sold an item and where in the world it’s off to. Since my favorite thing about vintage clothing is the many stories a dress or a pair of shoes can tell, I think it’s important to indicate any known stories in the listing, as well as let everyone know where an item is going in order to make more memories, and more stories. One of my favorite stories lies in an item that holds so many memories for me, let alone the ones it must have made back in the 60s. It’s a pink, orange and white psychedelic top with sheer, pink sleeves. Not only is this the very first of many vintage threads that I would buy at Armstrong’s (the place I would work at five years later), it is also the shirt I wore to my very first of many nights of dancing at The GO-GO club night in Edinburgh. As nonsensical as it sounds that I would sell this, I believe, as I presume the previous owners did, that these memories will stay with me long after the shirt is not. I simply haven’t worn it in years (a vintage-buying addition will replace last night’s GO-GO blouse with next weekend’s 60s mini dress) and I love it too much to greedily hold it back from becoming a part of someone else’s nostalgia. This shirt will be one of over 60 items modeled in my first vintage fashion show I’m organizing to take place in one week. It’s for a special charity, and many artists and local businesses are contributing themselves, their time and their products (I’m doing goody bags) for the occasion. I hope there are people out there somewhere dancing to the tune of Runaround Sue by Dion & the Belmonts, clad in their Runaround Sue Vintage attire, creating their own stories to tell of that garment and making their own dreams come true, too.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Runaround Sue Vintage presents a charity event of vintage fashion and music


Polka dots recommended but not required!

Runaround Sue Vintage is hosting a charity vintage fashion show with live music at Tin Roof on the evening of Sunday, February 19, 2012. The occasion will mark the first anniversary of the online boutique as well as celebrate a great friend of mine who will win a battle she’s fighting right now against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The event will kick off at 8 p.m., and goodie bags will be given to the first 40 hepcats and kittens through the door, so early bird activity is encouraged. The catwalk will light up at 9 p.m. sharp and the fashion show will commence soon after. Live music from the V-Tones of Charleston will keep everything swinging after the models have done their thing!

A minimum of $10 will be charged at the door, but more donations are welcome. All door sales will go to benefit the Charleston chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Expect 50s sex kittens, 60s mod, 70s grunge, retro secretaries, indie Western, and more. Expect loud vintage tunes to complement every step.

Vintage threads provided by Runaround Sue Vintage Boutique. Vintage jewels by Gypsy Lady Antiques. Goodie bag contents provided by the Charleston creative community and independent local businesses, including Social Wine Bar and Kool Kat Designz.

Have a complimentary sweet, dress in style, and go hog wild!

More event updates will be made often on our Facebook event page, here: https://www.facebook.com/events/320907851265885/

Causes.com donation page is here: http://www.causes.com/causes/647154-runaround-sue-vintage-presents-a-charity-event-of-vintage-fashion-and-music/about

The Tin Roof is located at 1117 Magnolia Road, Charleston, SC 29407

The V-Tones of Charleston is a local outfit comprised of ukulele, kazoo, whistle, violin, guitar, and bass antics to produce a “vaudeville pop” kind of party. Stalk them a little more here. https://www.facebook.com/TheVTonesofCharleston?sk=info

Contact Kelly Rae Smith on shopatrunaroundsue@gmail.com for a plethora of real fancy press images.

Monday 9 January 2012

My grandmother's buttons converted to earrings!

Check out these great earrings Kool Kat Designz



was able to help me create. I found some stunning buttons in my grandmother's sewing box, which also contained more pretty buttons belonging to her mother. I asked Kayla to convert them to earrings for Christmas gifts to my mother, sister and myself! Very happy with the result and I highly recommend y'all try this out too. It is such a great way to honor a loved one and keep their spirit alive. Thank you Kayla, those earrings were even more special to them than I could have imagined:)

Thanks Coramantic!

I had my eye on this ACEO for literally months. It says 'Oh the rain, the rain. And sometimes I can bear it very well." It reminded me of my love for my other home, Scotland, which coincidentally is where it was created! Thanks girl, I just love it and proudly display it on my nightstand. I'm such a sentimental sap!