Meet Rainy Romero of Circa Rentals in Monrovia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rainy Romero.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Just like any vintage enthusiast, the love affair began at a young age. My amazing Mom worked in the Los Angeles Estate Sale circuit and is an antique lover herself. This transferred over to me by way of appreciating furniture and design. My passion grew stronger as I got older, especially in interior design.

However, I did not initially pursue my craft, I fell into the Education field and worked with students for nearly 20 years before I decided to pursue Circa Rentals full time. All the while, I would moonlight as a Vintage Dealer along with my Husband, who is equally passionate about our craft. By day, we worked for School Districts and as soon as we were out, we would head over to our little Brick & Mortar on Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park, CA. There we would resale vintage items that we curated from all over Los Angeles. It was a good tiring hustle and we loved it.

We took a hiatus on our shop, closed it up and focused on our careers and family, like responsible parents, right? It wasn’t long after closing our shop, we realized we are happiest when we are hustling and working hard, collectively as a family. We are a three man show, my Husband Osker, our Son Rusten and myself. To this day, we are knee deep in and very involved in our business.

In 2012, one restless late night, I pitched the idea to Osker at 3am, yes, I totally woke him up! For the first time after hearing my hundreds of crazy ideas, he looked at me and said, “Do it Rain, do it!”.  It took us a while to get ourselves off the ground, we knew nothing about weddings or events, that year was all trial and a whole lot of quick learning, just to get us noticed. It was amazing to be embraced by so many talented folks and how much we grew in such a short time. We went from our spare room filled with furniture to our garage to storage spaces in the Arts District in Los Angeles, to various warehouses that we felt suited us.

Over the years our work continues to get noticed and praised, we have been on countless Blogs, Published Magazines and Television. The style that best describes us is Eclectic Modern California Bohemian, got that? Yes, it is crisp, clean, and filled with unique touches that we feel is very Californian. We are heavily influenced by music and fashion, we take to the streets for inspiration and are constantly evolving.

What set us apart in this field, is that we have been very transparent in all that we do, right from the start. From listing all of our prices on our site to the honest and dedicated service we provide our clients.

Now, here we are, nearly seven years later and we still get so happy when we are booked for an awesome event!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely, the business side of things. I am not a businesswoman, I am a woman that owns a business.

Letting go of the reins, by hiring assistants and coordinators was also very difficult. The stress of having someone make a mistake was a constant fear of mine. That was eased by realizing that when you hire smart, hardworking folks, it leaves little room for error. I have the best team! We all do our part equally. Yes, I scrub the office toilet and sweep the warehouse, why wouldn’t I?

In order to have a Team that works, you need to work alongside of them!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Circa Rentals – what should we know?
Circa Rentals is a Specialty Rental Company, serving Southern California and beyond. We specialize in events and productions. We are known as a high design rental biz., our furniture collection is thoughtfully curated by both vintage, custom, and functional design. We believe in sustainability by repurposing furniture and giving it new life to shine at an event.

Our pride overflows when clients & planners come to us with excitement that they are using us for their event and/or when we hear that they are fans of our work. That is crazy cool! We love the support we receive from our fellow industry peers, we are so grateful.

We feel that it is important to evolve each year to stay fresh and set trends. The event industry has had a major shift in the last several years, in terms of style and flow. Knowing your audience and targeting the ideal client that represents our brand has been organic and natural for us. If you set your vibe, folks will navigate to you. By no means are we trying to please everyone or are we trying to fit in. We have our own niche of client forward thinkers with mad dope style, that gravitates to us!

We are a bit Punk Rock on how we approach our business, we don’t follow the herd, never.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Oh man, we have the best damn team!

First off, my Husband and our Son. Where would CIRCA be without them? Osker and Rusten *aka Rusty, are truly the backbone of our company. They give it all to Circa and it shows and I love them deep.

Our crew: Derek (my brother), Juan, Bob, Aaron, Israel, Nick and Javier (my uncle). With the exception of two of them, they all have been kicking ass with us for years!

Our Office Crew, changes from time to time and we are grateful for all the gals that have put in work for Circa! Our current staff is amazing and we have a blast!

There has been others along the way, that played different roles, such as our Carpenters/Builders, Nick (Brother in Law) and Luis, they both have done so much for us! We are forever grateful for their skills and time.

Most importantly we want to thank our Families, for sharing us with everyone else.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1070 Hamilton Rd. Unit A
  Duarte, CA 91010
• Website: CircaVintageRentals.com
• Phone: 626-531-6650
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @CircaRentals

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