A year ago I was in Round Top, Texas and met the talented and interesting, Sarah Smith. She is a native of Minnesota, currently living in Tennessee. She is a flea market lover, a creator, entrepreneur, and one hell of a lady if you ask me. She is the founder of Sarah Smith Salvage Style (in this pic she sold the Smith right before I got this shot.)
Her originality is what drew me in immediately. Everything has her style written all over it.
I was immediately drawn to her aesthetic and approach to offering up unique pieces for your wardrobe or for your home. A mix of old and new, no one is doing what she is doing, although there are people who are trying!
Sarah has always found beauty in items that are not so typical. Growing up she shopped in flea markets frequently and tried to get out of that business. But even when she was not in the business, she was still "in the business." She would display her own garage with pieces and items that she made or found and friends would literally shop out of her garage. She has always had a knack for reworking pieces of jewelry to make them her own and ended up working with a bride to create all of her pieces for her wedding. From there it spiraled into the business she has today.
Mostly wholesale now, she still travels to flea markets and other festivals where anyone can shop her products for what I think is great pricing! One of the things that Sarah is most proud of is the fact that well-known retailers such as Madewell, Anthropologie, and major department stores are buying HER pieces to help sell THEIR products. Pieces that other people would have considered garbage and she turned them into something beautiful.
Her inspiration is drawn from her background in the military and her faith first and foremost.
You might remember my Camo style post a while back where I wore a vintage Army jacket from Sarah. They are authentic and have history and are far better than any new store bought jacket could ever be...in my opinion. This tends to be true for most of Sarah's pieces.
Sarah has recently done work for the ladies from Duck Dynasty as well as The Striver's Row (a military based men's line.)
I can see no sign of Sarah slowing down anytime soon! I can only see growth continuing in her future.
I am lucky enough to get to see her twice a year at Round Top where I always have to leave with a treasure of some sort. And I have big plans on getting light fixtures made for my kitchen and a couple of custom signs made when we decide to buy a house again.
There aren't too many people who are doing something unique these days, and I tend to get really excited when I find someone who is. I couldn't resist not sharing her amazing talent with all of you and hopefully if nothing else you will be inspired.
You can contact Sarah by emailing her at smithsalvage@yahoo.com if you are interested in purchasing any of her work for yourself! She also has a website that gives you a sneak peek at some of her work called The Global Swap Shop.
You can follow Sarah on Instagram and Facebook:
Instagram: @sarahsmithsalvage
Facebook: Sarah Smith Salvage Style
