theblackcatcloset

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I hand select each and every item you see in my shop. I thrive on collecting Vintage clothing and accessories for myself, though occasionally I must "clean house" to rid of the overflowing collection I've accumulated over the last 25 years. If there is something you're interested in that you do not see in my shop, ask me - I may have it or know how to acquire it for you! Enjoy browsing my shop.

The Black Cat Closet started out in October 1999 with an Ebay account under a different name. Ebay launched in 1995 though since I was working full time as a Computer Programmer at an Insurance Company, I was busy with my other career. I graduated college in 1995 with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and two weeks later I was hired at a very reputable Insurance firm – I was quite lucky! I didn’t even have a home computer yet!
Though, every weekend I spent my Saturday mornings rummaging at yard sales, finding trinkets to decorate my apartment with. I had a passion for decorating and collecting since a child. It wasn’t long before I realized the treasures I could find and began to accumulate quite a collection. Some friends had told me about Ebay and I brushed it off for a while until finally in late 1999 I got my first home computer and within a week had an account on Ebay. I remember the first item I sold. It was a black leather biker style wristwatch that sold for around $10. It was a watch I had sitting in my jewelry box that I purchased from a NYC street vendor in 1990 that I just never wore anymore. I thought to myself, well $10 isn’t a lot, though how incredible that I could make anything on an item that was of no use to me, sitting in a drawer. I immediately started gathering more items around the house to sell and selling off some of my yard sale finds. I sold jewelry, shoes, clothing, collectibles and even a life size Witch prop from the Wizard of Oz that I got on clearance in a local store one Halloween.

For three years I juggled working full time at the Insurance Company and selling on Ebay. My day job schedule was flexible in that I worked extra hours through the week and had Friday off. It got to the point where I couldn’t wait for Friday to come so I could photograph and post more items for sale! I was really enjoying my little side business – more than my day job! My day job started to become quite mundane, sitting in a cubicle all day and thinking about that next big yard sale score. I had a very secure job with a great pay and incredible benefits, though I never felt like I really fit in. I hid my piercings and tattoos under uncomfortable business attire. My personality is such that I can’t sit still for very long, and sitting at that desk all day was torture! And the work was boring to me. It involved a lot of technical thought and I had so much creative thought that needed to come out. After six years of college and a Bacheleor’s degree, I began to question if I could be happy writing code in a cubicle for the rest of my life! I started to look at my living expenses matched with the income coming in from Ebay and the more I crunched the numbers, the more I realized I could actually make a living doing Ebay full time.

I didn’t take the plunge right away because I was terrified – I had just purchased a house in December 1997. Also, the few people I mentioned it to thought I was crazy to let go of such a secure job. Though, I trusted my own instinct and in March 2002 I left my day job and pursued my online retail business.

I continued to sell on Ebay and in 2003 had my own website designed. The main website was slow in its progression, so I focused mostly on Ebay sales. Then I found out about Etsy. In July 2007 I opened the Etsy store. In November 2008 I revamped my main website.