Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Phantha.
Hi Sharon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into entrepreneurship was kick-started by my journey into motherhood. When I had my first child, I took a break from full-time work and college to became a stay-at-home mom. I felt that I could still find a way to bring in more income so I started an online Etsy shop selling second-hand items. I had always loved vintage decor and had a knack for computers and photography, which helped me tremendously when starting out in this business. This was in the early 2010s when online sellers were becoming more prevalent. Selling online became my way of trying to make a living while caring for my children at home, and it worked out perfectly.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle of running my own business was juggling my time, energy, and attention. Working from home offered flexibility with time, but it was still hard to determine how much attention I should give to work versus mom duties. Both took a lot of energy out of me and to this day, I still struggle with how much I have to give to each responsibility. When it comes to running your own business, you have to factor in mental capacity just as much as anything else.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I run an online vintage shop that carries home decor, furniture, and household goods. It had allowed me to find and collect other amazing vintage treasures that I soon realized I could reuse them for event rental purposes. With these two capabilities, we’ve been able to marry our vintage store with our other side of business, event rentals. We are known for specializing in vintage pieces, as well as sustainably sourced materials and goods. I am most proud of our sustainable mission because I’ve seen first-hand how much excess and waste is produced from parties and events. Everything we rent out is in good vintage condition and we do not rely on newly manufactured goods, which then alleviates consumption from new sources. Our items get to have a new lease on life, and it also showcases the durability and craftsmanship of older, vintage things.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am currently based in Sacramento, CA, and I absolutely love our city and culture. Our area is home to all kinds of sceneries and terrain, making a wonderful area for events. We have access to many different types of venues. We also have a diverse population that seems to produce an incredible amount of vintage items. The competition is growing fierce around here, but so far, we have been blessed by the vintage gods and have found almost all of our inventory in our local areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.WhiteElephantCo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/whiteelephantco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/whiteelephantco
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/whiteelephantcoevents/
Image Credits
Lorenzo Tinoco Photography
White Elephant Co.
