Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Teague.
Hi Katrina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband and I founded Charlotte Vintage after retiring from our respective careers (banking for me, law enforcement for Stan). As avid collectors, our personal collection of Midcentury Modern furniture had grown to warehouse size. We began selling pieces online and found demand quickly outstripped supply. Buying trips across the US allowed us to scale up inventory quickly and open our warehouse to the public. In March of 2022, we opened the Charlotte Vintage Retail Showroom, where we offer one of the largest collections of Mid-Century Modern furnishings in the Southeast.
Stan and I have always loved furnishing our own homes with authentic pieces that inspire, have a history and meaning, and create the perfect setting. The mid-twentieth century was a time of hope and revitalization, fueled by post-World War II investment and innovation. Pioneering architects and designers during this time envisioned some of the most diverse and iconic furniture styles in our history — and the clean modern lines and craftsmanship has stood the test of time.
We’ve believed there’s magic in a warm, welcoming home filled friends, family, and conversation. We love sharing our large, ever-changing collection of Mid-Century Modern, Italian, Danish and Post-Modern furniture, lighting, and accessories, hand-selected for quality and authenticity and to evoke the optimism and energy of the era.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting and growing a small business has been personally rewarding and full of learning! Both Stan and I love helping our clients select the perfect pieces, and we love the hunt for amazing vintage inventory. That’s the fun part! In addition to the fun, we’ve tackled a handful of challenges associated with starting a small business from ground up — most of the challenges have very little to do with buying and selling furniture!
One of the biggest learning curves for us has been learning the social media ropes, getting comfortable promoting our business on various platforms including Instagram and Facebook, and landing on a self-serve web development app after a few tries. Early on, we tapped our support network, including our daughter, for much-appreciated help.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Charlotte Vintage offers one of the largest curated collections of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) furnishings under one roof. We specialize in clean-lined modern furniture, lighting, and accessories from American and European designers in the 1940s through the 1980s. Our retail Showroom, located just north of Charlotte, NC, is housed in a historic Julius Rosenwald/Booker T. Washington 4-room schoolhouse built in the 1930s.
We love working with Interior Designers and the public alike and have a growing business supplying period pieces for movie and TV sets. About half our clients buy from us in-store, liking the convenience of taking the inventory home right off the floor. We also ship nationwide, with New York and California being the hottest online markets for us.
We’ve built expertise in MCM over many years as collectors and conduct careful and extensive research on each piece we offer to clients. Our collections come from travels largely throughout the Midwest and South, from Michigan and Ohio to the Carolinas and Florida.
Most of our inventory is owned by Charlotte Vintage — we’re known to buy entire estates — we take in a small percentage of pieces on consignment.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Born and raised in Traverse City, Michigan, I’m a huge fan of Michigan summers, returning a few times a year to enjoy the lakes, bays, and great weather. And we love shopping for inventory in the greater Detroit and Grand Rapids areas, with the proliferation of amazing designers and furniture manufacturing companies. The influence of Cranbrook Academy, well-known as the “incubator” of mid-century modernism, produced some of the most significant architects and designers of the era. Michigan a regular return destination for us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charlottevintage.com
- Instagram: @charlottevintagefurniture
Image Credits
Amanda Anderson Photography
