An Inspired Chat with Shannon Brydges

Shannon Brydges shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I love mornings. They’re so full of promise. I don’t usually set an alarm and I wake up naturally between 5-6am, which to a lot of people is very gross, but to me is so nice. Then I get up and make coffee and I do some stretches while it brews. I drink the proverbial warm lemon water and take my probiotic too. Then I take my coffee and go back to bed for an hour to read. This is something I started doing after I left my old job and I love it.
After that, I get up and go to the “Malofta Room” to journal, plan my day, budget, post to Instagram, pay bills, respond to emails – all that. Once desk time is done, it’s breakfast (usually yogurt & granola with banana & blueberries) and onto the rest of the day. That part changes a lot depending on if I’m sourcing or if I’m processing inventory and cleaning/photographing/listing. Every day is different, but my mornings tend to give me a little consistency.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Shannon Brydges and my store is Malofta Vintage, a vintage furniture, home decor and clothing store with some carefully selected modern items from other small businesses that fill in the mix. I have wanted to have my own store since I was 15. It’s been a crazy ride to get here, and it definitely hasn’t been (and isn’t) easy, but it’s so awesome to be doing it. I love vintage things and I love creating spaces and environments and Malofta is an expression of that.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my mom has been a deep source of strength to me all my life. I was lucky to have two extremely loving and supportive parents. My mom especially understands me better than anyone. We are very alike. When I lose sight of myself in the frenzy of life’s demands, she reminds me of who I am. She is so non-judgmental, kind and gentle, I just thank my lucky stars that she is my mother. Whenever I visit, I leave feeling grounded in who I am and the people I came from.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Probably fear of rejection – classic abandonment issues! I’ve always been a bit shy and never felt really secure in myself. I was internal and reserved and spent a lot of time observing others and wondering how they had such social ease. It was weird to me that I could see what it took, the elements that worked together to make someone “cool” or likable, but I could not for the life of me apply it.
Honestly, the shyness has remained and has to be negotiated frequently, but it doesn’t really bother me. I’m an introvert. Who cares! The part that is no longer in control now is the self-doubt. I enjoy who I am. I love to express myself and I feel like now, in my 40s, I am unpacking a treasure trove of cool stuff about myself that I once considered very not cool. Also, I think the years of honing my hyper-observational skills has made me really good at my job.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I don’t know if I have cultivated much of a public persona, but authenticity is really important to me. I try to be as much myself online as I can. I think my business is very “me” and my internet communication is too. I just don’t feel good unless I’m being honest. The qualifier to that is that I am pretty private, so the amount of “persona” content is rather limited. And I like that.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop worrying about my aging face. What a waste of time. But dang, our society’s pressures on women are cruel and intense and I don’t always shut it all out. A big and important work in progress.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maloftavintage.com
• Instagram: @maloftavintage

Image Credits
All my photos