Inspiring Conversations with Ronni Jean of Moonhoney Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronni Jean.

Hi Ronni, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m so excited to be here telling you my story! My name is Ronni Jean and I am the owner of Moonhoney Vintage. I’m just in awe of this little business of mine and how far we’ve come. I’ve always been in vintage, but it was called handy-downs back when I was young! From as far back as six months old, I’ve been in Harley tees, and the biker lifestyle had always surrounded me and the small town of Ojai where I grew up in. I’ve had such influential women around me who have had a love for music, art, and culture so clearly that was shown through their clothing, so I grew up loving all things of past eras.

I graduated from FIDM in 2008 and I’ve worked in the fashion world for many years in merchandising, visuals and graphics, so shooting and modeling clothing, editing photos, etc. came naturally to me. Around 2015, I began throwing some items up online and saw that they were selling so easily that became a little side hustle for me. I still worked in the industry and soon realized that I was enjoying reselling more than I was working full-time. Over the next few years, I co-ran a very successful vintage company from my home in South Bay. During that time I was constantly learning the value of vintage clothing, whether that be band tees, Harley tees, leathers, etc. and let me tell you, IT IS VAST! The market and lifestyle of vintage is INSANE and constantly changing and super exciting.

In 2019, I had my daughter and that changed things quite a bit. I decided to branch out solo and began Moonhoney Vintage. I created an Instagram and Etsy store and continued shooting, editing, writing descriptions, and selling vintage items from my home, especially since Covid hit soon after that, working from home was the only option. To my surprise, I kind of blew up. I went from posting 5-10 items a week on Instagram to posting 20+ items and completely selling out. Aside from meeting some of the most kind and supportive women along the way. The women’s vintage/biker community is tight-knit, and we all support each other with pleasure. It’s been really rewarding to see my business grow and I am genuinely excited to see what’s to come!

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?
Is anything ever smooth? HAHA! It has not been, but not due to lack of work. Just life tends to get rocky sometimes and having to make choices and changes to do what’s best for you (and my daughter). Luckily, business always stayed pretty consistent minus weeks here and there of ups and downs.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Moonhoney Vintage?
I specialize in 70s, 80s and 90s Harley and biker-related clothing. I spend hours a day (7 days a week!) sourcing the best and most rare Harley, 3D Emblem, Bike Week, Sturgis, American Biker, Rebel Rider, Easyriders, etc. items I can find.

It is not just for reselling purposes; it is to keep the clothing alive, I guess you can say! Disposable fashion is so harmful to our environment polluting oceans and soils and majorly contributing to the climate crisis. By reselling vintage not only does it keep these super rad items in circulation, but it is also my way to help the environment, even if it’s small.

Besides collecting and reselling, I also find tons of joy in wrapping EVERY order with my custom touches and providing really great customer service. It is a top priority of mine to make sure my customers are fully satisfied with their purchases and to make it known how grateful I am for their orders.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
Oh man, where do I start?! I have THE BEST support system. My partner, Joshua Gordon is my biggest supporter and it literally makes my heart explode! I’ve never had someone be there for me like he is; it’s the most warm and fuzzy feeling ever to have someone root for you every step of the way. I also have absolutely wonderful customers; I am soooo lucky for that. I truly have a rad, strong circle of women riders, vintage resellers, and supporters.

Contact Info:

• Website: moonhoneyvintage.com (coming soon!)
• Instagram: @moonhoney.vintage

Image Credits
Photos with bike – Lauren Newman Photography @laurenlnewman on IG www.lauren-newman.com