Meet Erin Sarile | Vintage Clothing and Coffee Shop Owner

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

Hi Erin, what matters most to you?
I feel compassion is the foundation of growth and connection. My bio reads “vintage for all sizes and identities.” When curating vintage clothing, you’re confronted with history, a t-shirt is now a portal to the past. For example, dated phrases like “sports are for boys” or gender specified on tags, lack of people of color illustrated on designs, cultural appropriation and more. It’s a constant reminder of how we are still faced with many of the same oppressive limits today. My vintage collections can be a starting point to begin exploring broader pictures. Maybe you shop vintage or secondhand in efforts to be environmentally conscious, then you find it leads to being socially conscious as well, that’s my hope for my shop, to bridge this gap and celebrate untold stories. I’m realizing now as I’m sharing this, is ultimately, compassion brings a sense of belonging and safety in community where everyone is allowed to exist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Los Angeles born and raised Filipino American woman-owned shop where I curate collections of vintage for all sizes, newborn to adult plus sizes, and for all identities, with much love and emphasis on the queer community.
I’m also a freelance media artist and filmmaker for creative brands, businesses and artists – this is something I actively still pursue and tie into my brand as a whole. There’s a lot of film and fun editing happening when I share my vintage pieces, I love telling stories through clothing while highlighting worthy causes and movements at the same time. My most recent collection collaboration was for Pride Month and a portion of proceeds were donated to each shop’s LGBTQIA+ organization of choice. Stories like this are worth telling especially through an interest that already connects a community, like vintage clothing does.

I personally curate each collection, it’s just me hand-picking clothing from flea markets, estate sales and my favorite thrift stores.

When starting this business over two years ago, it felt very gradual and natural. I quickly connected with likeminded vintage shops and began growing my social media presence. Creating collections is an artistic and therapeutic process for me, I never had to share or sell something I didn’t actually enjoy myself or believe in.
That’s really the beauty in hand-selecting each piece personally, many shops are routinely given pieces in crates and bulk and it’s something I purposely stay away from doing. I think my style of curating is a huge challenge, especially when the vintage market is growing exponentially every day. It feels like a new shop is born daily on instagram, so I’ve learned to keep up by being as consistent as possible and as creative as possible. One day I would like to have the resources and ability to produce more collections, but right now, I’m really happy where I’m at. It’s sustainable and it’s meaningful to me and I think the thoughtfulness behind the pieces, collections and causes highlighted have a really special impact and influence.

If you or someone you know doesn’t have the resources and access to clothing and needs assistance, I would love to get in touch and help people and families in need. My shop is inclusive to all ages, sizes and identities for this reason.

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.
A special place that’s dear to my heart is the Huntington Library in San Marino surrounded by old trees, rose gardens, art, sit by the water, read a book, journal, it’s the perfect spot to reset in nature. The Griffith Observatory is a close second, their shows in the planetarium are a must see! And before leaving, I would take them to my favorite thrift stores and maybe hit up a local estate sale.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The reason why I pursued a creative business is my family. Growing up my sister and I were vintage lovers and thrifters, before it was considered “trendy” the way it is today. I remember people feeling pity for me carrying around a vintage handbag, telling me one day, I’ll be able to afford a new one. Obviously that wasn’t the point. Since becoming a mother, planet-friendly choices started becoming more important to me, I knew my family had to make efforts in reducing our consumption. My 3 small kids inspired me to collect vintage clothing for them and resell once we grew out of them, thankfully I found a beautiful community because of it! And of course, none of this would be possible without my husband Brian’s hard work and dedication to our family. He’s also my biggest supporter and his belief in my creative projects is really beautiful to see.

Instagram: vintagecoffeeclub

Image Credits
Alison Parsons Photography