A pandemic passion project blossoms into a new retro shop
By Judy Stone
Emily Driscoll and Brandon Folmar want to find you the perfect talking piece for your home. Perhaps it’s a hanging brass tea light votive or Japanese Bavarian-Style mugs, in any case it’s vintage, affordable and, since December, primarily only available through their Instagram account Solde Vintage, where customers can peruse the eclectic home décor that the two continue to cultivate.
“We started with furniture, but it was too difficult,” says Folmar. “People don’t want to buy furniture all the time, but people do want to buy little accessories for their home. So, we just started looking for things that we would like.”
Folmar’s actual occupation as an event producer, who helped envision runway shows for fashion brands like Moschino, Gucci and Burberry, certainly comes in handy when photographing the eclectic accessories he finds alongside Las Vegas native Driscoll. Driscoll’s occupation in the legal field gives her strength as the key Instagram captioner and head of customer service for Solde Vintage.
“Some of what I do is pretty taxing and exhausting work,” explains Driscoll of her day-to-day legal work. “It’s really cool to be able to have something that I just enjoy because I enjoy it with no sense of duty around it.”
What started as a pandemic passion project has quickly gained traction as a local hotspot for home accessories. The duo scour garage sales, estate sales, as well as the internet for unique items so you don’t have to.
“People tend to forget about Craigslist and the newspaper, older people still rely on those platforms and they are so reliable for garage sale hunting.”
What’s on their radar? Usually, colored glass, brass, and generally post-modern 80’s and Art Deco pieces.
“We’ve been in this pandemic and people are at home,” says Folmar. “I’m constantly changing stuff in my house, but I don’t want to spend $50 for a vase. For us, we like to make it accessible and reasonable. We’re not trying to make a huge profit out of anything. It’s just fun for us.”
