Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberley Ellis.
Hi Kimberley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In my late 20s, my husband and I walked away from a corporate job and I left my job in social work to open two retail stores, The English Cottage, and Designs For Children on Camp Bowie Blvd… I got lost in the aesthetics that our shops would have. How would they smell when people walked in? What music would they hear? What items could I buy that they had to have? Merchandising was the best part. I got lost in it. Two babies later we left retail. I wanted to stay home with my children and my husband went into real estate. Once my youngest started kindergarten I wanted back into retail. I got a part-time job at the store Simple Things in Fort Worth. I worked there for five years and learned a tremendous amount. Working there exposed me to vintage pieces which became my new passion! I adored mixing quirky and unusual pieces with new modern pieces to make a home feel personal, layered in history, and unique. I wanted to start my own business, but one that would allow our family to spend summers in our home on Cape Cod. My love of vintage and antique pieces drove me to start my company Off The Cape Vintage. I created an online website that allowed me to work wherever I went. Cape Cod became a buying mecca for me and the business. I now have switched my business to Etsy which has been easier and more successful. I do some interior design projects that usually come by word of mouth through friends. So, in retrospect my life has always told me that my passion is design and making things pretty and welcoming, it just took a lot of life experiences, learning, and my faith in God to lead me to where I am now.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life is not without challenges, but I truly believe that each challenge or hiccup serves a purpose. As I have shared, this journey has taken 48 years! I obviously didn’t clue in for the first 28 years that I even had a gift in this area. It took me another twelve years of learning different businesses to have the courage to start my own business and to say yes to people’s design projects. Life gets in the way and can distract us. I lost my mother to gall bladder cancer when I was 35 years old. So, time stopped for a while. However, her legacy allowed us to purchase our Cape Cod home that fed my love of history, old things, preppy, and allowed me to envelope the nautical, coastal style. My mother’s death also created an urgency in me to live life to its fullest now. Not to wait for when I retire or have more money, or have more time… NOW. That pushed me out of some comfort zones. Raising teenagers is not for the faint of heart. That phase of life also took a lot of intentional effort and distracted me from my operating my business the way I would have liked. Just this past November I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I don’t know what my physical future looks like so again time to live life now!
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 buy and sell vintage and antique pieces. I sell them in my Etsy shop, Offthecapevintage. I adore shopping for interesting pieces that speak to customers personally. I have felt like there is a big void in accessories in retail stores. Few things spark excitement or exude personality. I want to provide items that will make people’s home individual and interesting to them. Using vintage items in unusual ways is a passion for me. Silver champagne buckets and trophies are my favorite vases in my home. Vintage wood bowling pins are mixed in with beautiful China pieces in my dining room. English marmalade jars are a huge weakness for me! They make great vases, flatware caddies on a buffet, or to hold my paintbrushes. Accessorizing bookcases for people is my favorite kind of project. Taking their personal items and adding new and vintage items to it so that their bookcases don’t look like their neighbor’s, but they tell a story for their family.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Pay attention to what makes your heart race. How can you create a profession out of your passions? I can serve people by helping them create their own personal environment that instills peace, love, and personality into their home.
Live life now which may mean making big changes or taking risks.
Ask for help and encouragement. My husband and my children are my biggest cheerleaders. They constantly assure me that I have a gift and that I have talent. (I am my harshest critic) My husband has helped me retrieve and load many, many items over the years. My daughter Sophie is my best co-shopper. She attends estate sales with me all the time and helps me in prepping products to sell. My son created my logo and helps me with graphic design projects. It has been a family affair. Mentors are also wonderful to find for wisdom and encouragement.
Pray and trust God. He is the one in control.
Contact Info:
- Email: offthecapevintage@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/OffTheCape?ref+search_shop_redirect
- Facebook: Off The Cape
