Meet Courtney Watkins | Owner of Mine & Yours The Leader in Luxury Consignment in Canada

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Watkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
12 years ago I had moved back to Vancouver to take over my family business, a sawmill, after spending a lot of time back and forth between LA. It was definitely not my dream job but there were some life circumstances where the business required my help. I ran the business for 3 years and we tripled sales. I figured if I could do well in a business where I wasn’t passionate about the products I could do even better if I got into the fashion industry.

From there I told friends and family I was looking for a new venture and I was introduced to my then business partner, Jigme. I initially was thinking of a “Rent the Runway” concept but when we met and she brought to me the concept of Mine & Yours and was looking for a partner I knew this was it. We had both spent a lot of time in Los Angeles where curated second hand stores were more popular and we noticed there was nothing like it in Vancouver. Just like that, Mine & Yours was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mine & Yours is not just a Luxury Resale company it’s a community. The fact that the business is so community focused is exactly what sets me and my business apart from others. I am so proud and excited that I was able to build a brand that people want to be a part of. We create experiences at Mine & Yours, whether it’s through hosting events and elaborate shopping parties or having personal stylists give high end customer service. I am big on events and celebrating the people in our community which is a direct reflection of my brand. The idea is that when you walk into one of our stores you should feel like you’re walking into your best friend’s closet. We really take that statement into consideration when we are making decisions for the company.

I am from a small town an hour outside of Vancouver called Maple Ridge. I moved to LA when I was 17 which also had a great impact on me. I was a small town girl who essentially fell in love with a big city and that spurred on my love for the fashion industry.

I grew up going to a mix of private and public schools. I got a great education and also became street smart through these different experiences which was helpful to me when it came to running Mine & Yours. My upbringing and where I lived had a huge impact on where I am today.

Starting a business is never an easy under taking but I will say that I am not scared to take risks, this attitude has allowed me to grow and has got me to where I am today. My mindset is to dream big and go even bigger, because why not? At the end of the day the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Keep in mind, Mine & Yours started in a 300-square-foot townhouse to test the luxury resale model out, once it worked and I felt confident I took a larger risk to grow the business. I guess you could say I am more of a calculated risk taker.

I would say I want the world to know that there’s more to come when it comes to Mine & Yours! This is only the beginning for us and luxury resale is the future. I picture my brand as being one of the game changers in the industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have not lived in LA for almost 10 years so some things may have changed since then, I’ll share my top 3 trip highlights!

I would suggest that my friend and I head to Melrose Place for shopping, there are some really good high-end stores in that area. Next we would go to Fairfax Flea Market, which is a treasure trove for great vintage pieces.

On another day we could go have an afternoon drink like an Aperol Spritz at Skybar, around sunset because the rooftop view is amazing and we could hang out next to the pool.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout both the Summit and EO organizations. EO is a group of entrepreneurs that I meet with every month who provide peer to peer mentoring and many learning aspects that come with being an entrepreneur. I find them very supportive! Summit is a group of people that I am a part of who get together and are all doing impressive things in the world, they inspire me to do better and to go bigger!

Website: https://www.mineandyours.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itscourtwatkins/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/courtneywatkins