Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy Steele.
Kathy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The name Spill the Milk is from a Carnival backdrop for a game of chance. My family owned Steele’s Amusements Midway. For 28 years, 1947- 1975 we traveled throughout Northwest Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin for 22 weeks every Summer. The original 16′ x 16′ canvas hangs in our 4000 square foot store. It was painted in Chicago at the O’Henry tent and Awning Company by Fred Johnson. My Grandfather and Dad know Fred and commissioned him to paint a number of other canvas pieces for the sideshow that joined the carnival during the 1950-60’s. It is a piece of American Folk art that has had thousands of baseballs thrown at it yet remains in excellent condition to the heavy canvas. Typically the canvases were much thinner so they could be dried rolled and transported easily to the next location on the route.
Having said that, I started out 3-1/2 yrs ago having Weekend Barn Sales for the Summer at the original Winter Quarter’s where rides and carnival equipment were kept. The Barn Sales were a success and I decided to relocate about 1/4 mile farther East on Hwy 30 to our second barn that we used for storage when we were off the road.
This new location gives us ample parking and a venue to host Seasonal Outdoor Pop Up Markets April through October. Typically we host 8-12 local handcrafted artisans work and a food vendor. We are always looking for new vendors. Inside Spill the Milk we offer discounts giveaways. November 18-19th 2017 we will be hosting our Christmas Open House. A celebration to kick off the Holiday Shopping Season with refreshments and giveaways.
Spill the Milk has 4 buyers along with a number of carpenters that re-purpose and recycle unused, discarded salvage and industrial into functional furniture, art and much more. We seek to offer eclectic and unique gifts and ideas for the hard to shop for friend or family member. Our staff is creative out of the box thinkers here to help the DIYer create their own inspirations for home and outdoor garden decor.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We are very grateful to the local and Tri-State area customers that have shared our love for all things vintage and beyond. Through word of mouth and social media, we have numerous daily calls. Some people just want to sell their items, others seek a certain piece and others want to know where we’re located.
Attracting new customers, making the store a destination visit, and being easily found are three things we are constantly working to improve upon. The city of Valparaiso, the University, a forward-thinking Mayor and a strong talent pool of artists has been a part of our success.
Facebook advertising directed to the Chicago area has made us a destination for the weekend traveler into Michigan and Ohio that wants an alternative to the major Hwy. Many visitors say they stopped because of our front porch salvage items visible from Morthland, Dr.also known locally as Hwy 30. We hope to expand into another 3000 sq ft in the back of the building in the future. Sometimes not enough showroom floor space to have all our new treasures out so we will almost always ask if you are looking for a special item…It might just be in the back room!
Please tell us about Spill the Milk Vintage.
I am most proud of our staff. Our reviews almost always share “the staff was knowledgeable, helpful and kind” I truly feel that the store is a walk through peoples memories sometimes. Those past times of family gathered around a table or a special bowl used only for the potato salad at Grandma’s can be priceless. It is fun to hear young children ask their parents or grandparents “what is this?”. For us, it is often a brief history lesson or story that an item’s purpose will be shared.
We have made new friends and know many of our customers by name. Those friends will bring their friends that are visiting from out of town to shop with us.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Branding is a large part of marketing in today’s business strategy. We have T-shirts, pins, and stickers for purchase.
Maybe would have started that sooner. We know that we are an ever-evolving store based on the highly successful Pinterest App. Our creative customer’s requests and interior design trends are a large part of the items we offer. We will continue to supply those items and the much more we find on our treasure hunts picking through old barns in Indiana and peoples homes as they transition to smaller or bigger homes. We have new homeowners as well as assisted living seniors who need useful furniture.
Pricing:
- We offer the $1 to $1000 dollar items. A college student can furnish their 1st apartment for a very reasonable price..
Contact Info:
- Address: We are located at 3152 W. Morthland Drive
Valpareaiso, Indiana 46385 - Website: Spillthemilkvintage.com
- Phone: 219-286-3955 Store
- Email: Spillthemilkvintage@gmail.com
- Instagram: Spill the Milk Vintage
- Facebook: Spill the Milk Vintage
- Yelp: Spill the Milk Vintage
- Other: Bargain Treasure Hunters Magazine
Image Credit:
Jeremy Keene
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
