This article was published in the print and digital copy of The Chic Mag's Fall 2022 issue.
In the midst of a bustling downtown Phoenix, where offices are full of people ready to get out of their nine-to-fives and students live their nominal day-to-day campus life, all is calm and relaxed on this Saturday morning. Walking through the Roosevelt Row Arts District with my iced shaken espresso, I take note and find joy in the trivialness of the small things – good weather, being able to walk around with someone I love, art murals I’ve never seen before and strangers walking their dogs. When I start to spot girls my age in flowy cotton skirts and platform shoes, I know I’m headed in the right direction. When the balloons and sign saying, “Cute clothes this way” come into sight, I know I’ve successfully made it to the Ewie Dot Com Vintage Clothing Sale.
On Saturday, Sept. 17, Avery Greey, owner of Ewie Dot Com, hosted a clothing sale event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. My friend and I got there around 10:30 a.m. and you could tell that Ewie had loyal customers – clothing racks were already becoming bare, people were completely surrounding the $5 bins, and people were waiting in a line wrapped around multiple displays waiting to purchase their newly found clothing pieces. Despite the chaos that inevitably ensued (as it usually does at reselling events), it was a great event with considerate girls and good energy all around.
“The event I had in downtown Phoenix went so great! It’s really amazing how many people you can bring together through social media,” Greey said. “I love how everyone who comes has the same interest in fashion and vintage clothes. I had so much fun getting to meet all the people who showed up and I will definitely be doing another pop-up in the same spot!”
Greey sells handmade purses and vintage clothing including but not limited to: lingerie, slip dresses, cocktail dresses, and more. I’ve bought a couple of different sheer and flowy blouses from Greey. And, at her most recent clothing sale, I got a denim maxi-skirt with cargo pockets and side slits with zipper detailing – basically my favorite clothing piece right now. Greey started thrifting in 2019 during her first year of college.
“I started thrifting a lot to find pieces to experiment with my style and find out what type of clothes make me feel good,” Greey said. “I hadn’t expressed myself through clothing until I started thrifting. I love the way the clothes I thrifted made me feel confident and I wanted to share that with other girls.”
When she first started, Greey made jewelry for her business “Little Chili.” Later on, as she discovered her passion for thrifting, she also learned to sew purses and has recently picked up customizing branded ‘Ewie’ tops. The business evolved into what it is today, “Ewie Dot Com,'' simply because of Greey’s evolution as a person and stylish entrepreneur.
“Fashion is so important to me because it is something that I use to express myself and love helping other people do the same through any outfit or accessory,” Greey said.
As Greey’s full time job, she sources for pieces almost every time she leaves her house. Despite the stresses that may come with being a business owner, she describes thrifting as a form of therapy for her. She explains her process as “putting on headphones and walking around thrifting for hours not even realizing it.”
“I’m mostly just searching for anything that catches my eye: pattern, lace, details, ribbon etc. Vintage corsets are my favorite item to find,” Greey said. “I also thrift a lot of wearable lingerie. I definitely have a style that I’m searching for but I wouldn’t even know what to begin to call it.”
Ewie Dot Com is an online business that sells clothes through Depop, but Greey also sells at local thrifting events around the Valley – her favorite avenue of doing business. The pieces people shop for and find themselves drawn to highlight a small piece of each customer’s personality, according to Greey. But the customers are not the only good thing about reselling events.
“The reselling community in Arizona has been accepting and I have met a lot of super nice people through markets,” Greey said. “It can be super intimidating but I think you just have to be confident in what you’re doing and what you sell.”
When people think of the reselling community, they probably think of vintage graphic T-shirts, carharts, Levi’s and boots. These pieces are all universal, but the Arizona reselling community largely consists of a male-dominated field and male-dominated pieces. Greey explained that it was scary at first, but that no one has made her feel excluded or unwelcome.
“In the beginning, I was very intimidated by the male sellers but I honestly don’t think there’s a reason to be. We are all doing the same thing and it is easier to come together than feel competition with each other,” Greey said. “I have made lots of connections through the markets. I think it’s harder to make connections through social media because you can’t tell people's intentions until you really meet them.”
Even though social media can feel impersonal at times, especially as a business promoting itself, Ewie Dot Com does an amazing job at being authentic and doesn’t feel like it’s someone curating automated posts to fit an aesthetic or brand. With over 1,100 followers on Instagram, 1,500 followers on Depop and 4,700 followers on TikTok, Greey’s platforms continue to grow. On Instagram, the posts are a balanced mix of Greey and her life, her business, the pieces she’s selling, events coming up, etc. TikTok seems to be her strongest platform with videos getting views as high as 29,000.
“Social media has played a huge role in my business just by getting the word out to a large crowd. I definitely wouldn’t be able to bring as big a crowd to my individual popups without TikTok and instagram,” Greey said. “I’m not even someone who loves to use social media or “make content” but I know it is a huge tool for small businesses.”
Overall, not only does Greey seem like an amazingly kind soul, but a dedicated and passionate business owner and lover of vintage fashion. She hopes to one day own her own storefront, and with her fashion sense and enthusiasm I believe her customers will allow for that to become a reality.
“I just want girls to find shopping with me fun. I want my popups to be a place for anyone to come, admire vintage clothes and find something that helps them feel good and express themselves,” Greey said. “Clothes should make you feel good and confident and that’s how I feel like a lot of girls leave the popups feeling with their new pieces.”
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