Today we’d like to introduce you to Damaris Combs.
Hi Damaris, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a stay at home mom for the last 12 years and I have been itching to get back into the community! One thing that I learned early on as a parent is that the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” is very true. Being from Oregon originally and raising my kids in Texas meant that most of my village was too spread out. Raising kids in that structure is tough. But, it crystalized my point of view that being part of building community is essential in our everyday lives. With Sundance, I knew from this experience that community and how to serve/build community would be at the center of the business model. From there, I decided to just go for it. I made the decision to clumsily hop onto Instagram and TikTok and just start sharing my dream. Just the action of posting online was the forward momentum that was needed. Not before long, attended FlintConf put on by Stoke last year and made some local business connections. I left that conference with plans to run my first pop up hosted by Real Love is Boba in Flower Mound. From there, the pop ups and local followers blossomed.
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?
Definitely came across some struggles. Most, if not all the struggles came when it was time to transition from pop ups to seeking funding, acquiring funding, and finding a storefront for Sundance. The easy part (and arguably the fun part) was the pop ups. Physically challenging in the Summer heat, but it’s such a pleasure to meet people and share my vision for the store. The biggest hurdle so far was after signing a lease on the storefront. An asbestos survey was performed and came back positive for asbestos in the walls and the floors. After the initial panic subsided and worry that everything was going up in smoke, I came back down to reality and got to work on how to handle the situation. This was ultimately a big blow that delayed the store from opening by a few months. But, things are finally moving along!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I lived in Oregon, I was working at a local mom and pop secondhand shop that specialized in baby clothes, toys, and gear. This is where I got a good training in taking in donations, grading donations, pricing, etc. Before starting Sundance, I was reselling online. I would spend part of the week at the Dallas Goodwill Bins, rifle through their overflow in an attempt to prolong the lifecycle of the items I claimed. Not to mention, I have been thrifting all of my life. So, the interest and knowledge in the secondhand market has always been there in different forms.
While I lead a pretty typical life as stay at home parent, married, with a family dog, and handful of hobbies; my real life experience informs and fuels the vision for Sundance Thrift. I am especially critical of the trappings of modern American family life. From my experience, it keeps us lonely. Lonely is not a good place to be. It hurts us as individuals and weakens our communities. My work has been born out of that. It was only chance that I have a background in the secondhand market. Thrifting seemed like the perfect vehicle to promote sustainability and build community.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson that I have learned so far is to just start. Start small, start unprepared, start without knowing what comes next. Things do not have to be perfect to start and you can learn as you go.
Pricing:
- Clothing ranges from .99-10.00 an item.
- Books range from 1.00-2.00 mostly with some priced around 4.00.
- Household/misc items range from .50-12.00, there may be some items higher, just depends on the item
- Affordability is the goal at Sundance.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundance.thrift/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576365723870
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sundance.thrift
Image Credits
Headshot (from FlintConf 2025) Will Milne
Logos by Claire Morales
