Today we’d like to introduce you to Coco Balalau and Jason Janik.
Coco and Jason, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We started out as a pair of avid collectors, selling our excess items at local flea markets, antique shows, and online. Eventually, it made more sense to have a physical location for our repeat customers. We have had booths in Oak Cliff and the design district, but have slowly moved north to Plano and Allen. We specialize in selling vintage records, vintage clothing, and collectibles from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always ups and downs with any retail venture, but we’ve been surprised how some items can be so hot one month and then we can’t even give it away the next month! Polaroid cameras are a great example. We’ll sell five or six one month, then we won’t sell a single camera the following month. You have to keep ahead of the curve and try to anticipate what’s going to be in demand. It’s a tricky game!
Jack and Jill Vintage – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We get a lot of repeat customers for our vintage vinyl and stereo equipment. Good quality music never goes out of style, and we try to offer unique items. The more expensive albums are sold online, to take advantage of the age of an international audience; but, we sell plenty of really amazing titles through our Plano and Allen booths, and we participate in a few records shows every year.
We used to have a large booth for vintage clothing in Oak Cliff, and we’re trying to figure out a good venue north of 635 to continue our brick and mortar presence. In the meantime, we’ve stocked a few pieces in our current booths, and we sell some rare pieces online.
Our full time careers are ER Nurse for Coco and professional photographer for me. It’s the flexibility in our regular jobs that allows us to be successful in our hobby career of rehabbing and selling vintage collectibles.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We don’t necessarily have some crowning achievement, but we feel really proud to see so many vintage items get a new life. Some stuff we’ve literally dug out old barns or bulk trash piles to refurbish and save from the grave. Some pieces need to be completely redone, stripped, stained, rebuilt, patched, painted, etc. it feels so good knowing something made a hundred years ago will be enjoyed for another hundred years!
Pricing:
- Our vinyl albums generally sell or between $4 and $20
- Our vintage clothing ranges from $12 to $65 on average
Contact Info:
- Address: Plano Antique Mall
1717 E Spring Creek Pkwy
Plano, TX 75074
Antique Mall of Allen
104 N Greenville Ave
Allen, TX 75002 - Instagram: jackandjill_vintage
- Facebook: Jack and Jill Vintage
Image Credit:
Photos by Jason Janik
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