Meet Lorena Villegas | Owner of Queens Exchange

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

Hi Lorena, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I wholeheartedly believe that having a team that believes in your mission and shares the company’s values is an important factor behind our success. I hired people that were passionate about sustainability, fashion, customer service and that truly wanted to make a connection within the community.

We each own a different skill set and knowledge base but at the heart there is a team that supports each other and is willing to step in to teach others what they know. We do receive a lot of compliments from our customers about our level of service. The staff is often asked if they are the owner of the store which I’m really proud of. It shows that they are deeply invested in our success.

What should our readers know about your business?
Queens Exchange is all about community! Yes, we are a buy, sell, consign boutique – however, we want to be a resource for all things creative in our area. Since we’ve opened – we’ve hosted over 6 events in store that support small businesses & non profits. Our biggest day is April 20th – Earth Day! We are hosting an event with 6 other artists and creatives to promote fashionable sustainability. We are honored that these individuals who dedicate their time to creating beautiful and unique one of a kind pieces will be in the shop with us.

Our previous event was a collaboration with a local poet & author, Ryanna Hammond. Ryanna is completing a masters in creative writing and we partnered with her to host a free journaling workshop. We invited everyone in the community to join us and afterward we had a fun sip & shop event. People mingled, made connections and shopped around.

Our biggest challenge to date has been our location. We are located on the second floor of a busy shopping center – although the shopping center is incredibly busy with a McDonald’s, a Starbucks and even a supermarket – people had a hard time finding us! We’ve put a lot of effort behind our social media strategy. Slowly but surely the community is learning about us, not only through our events but also through our support of local community fundraisers. This week we are a Platinum sponsor for the Jog-a-thon at the elementary school.

In retrospect, it would have been nice to grab a floor level location for the shop. In exchange, I will take the hard lesson and grow our brand and following while we plan to make it to our next location. We’ve also put a lot of effort into vendor market events to expand our presence. This has worked out as a successful strategy to get our name out.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My best friend is actually visiting LA in April! I love going to Melrose to check out my favorite buy/sell shops, I could spend an entire afternoon there. For dinner, there is a fantastic place “Rosaline” that serves Peruvian Cuisine (my parents homeland). The decor and food is amazing and it certainly has the LA vibe. My fiancé and I love music – we’ve been to the Hollywood Bowl is such an incredible experience and separately a small lounge called the Gold Line Bar in Highland park that spins vinyl sets. Sticking to music and great food, I’d recommend having a drink at Grandmaster Recorders. The menu is unique and tasty – just trust the experience. There are so many beautiful places to visit in LA but if you have a passion for thrifting and music – LA can be extra special for you!

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?
There have been so many people involved in the evolution of myself but I always think of my daughter first. I have a teenage daughter Adriana, who is an entrepreneur as well. She pursues a life of authenticity, passion and dedication. She loves photography, horses and the arts. I don’t think I was as adventurous and confident as she is at her age. I’m proud of her for always trying her best to achieve her goals and dreams.

Another person that comes to mind is my former manager, Karen Serritella. I used to work for her when I was part of the hospitality circuit and I always admired how quickly she made personal connections with her customers. She always treated people like family! She was also one of the first managers to give me a chance outside of my role. I loved working for her because she allowed me to pursue opportunities outside of my reach.

My fiancé who has learned more about buying, trading and consignment than he ever thought and who built absolutely every rack and laid down a beautiful floor in the shop – his support is immeasurable. I have best friends who are like family that have been there to check on me in every way possible, I’m happy to say that I’ve never been alone in the journey

Website: www.ConsignQueens.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queens.exchange/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenavillegas6/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConsignQueens

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@QueensExchangeConsignQueens

Other: https://linktr.ee/queens.exchange