VA Vintage — Local services in Virginia Beach

It's taken me a little bit to put together what I was going to say about my experience as a vendor at this place. From the start there were issues and a real lack of communication. The space I went and picked out and paid for later became unavailable. They ended up fixing the situation after a couple emails back and forth but then I felt bad for what happened to that other person that was thinking they too had that space. Moving in was exciting and I met some really nice people who also were seeing this as a opportunity to share their craft with others and get more exposure. Of course being apart of the new project was exciting so I offered to come in and work some shifts as well. It started off fun and we all were learning together how this was all going to play out. The lack of structure became apparent very quickly. Bathrooms were starting to smell, new vendors coming for interviews were being directed to staff to show them around, following "suspicious" people became a daily weird game of cat and mouse and we were now, what felt like stalking people in the aisles. It was uncomfortable and obvious who they were profiling. At one point a family was harassed so much their older child left in a panic attack as their parents carried her out the door. Even once they had me follow a woman that ended up being a vendor! There were some other situations with an owner after that and made me decide that I no longer wanted to work as a staff member and removed myself from the schedule.

Among all that there were quite a bit of favoritism from the owners and it was blatantly obvious. Social media exposure we thought would be fair across the board, but wasn't. For a small business it can really make a difference when a larger space shares your work and thats what we thought would get paying to be there. Unfortunately it was limited to the handful or so of people they considered on brand, products they liked or people they have previous relationships with in their other stores. Meanwhile many of us voiced our concerns about these matters and were ignored. Personally for me the thrill of this new space was over. The microaggression towards certain people was almost celebrated. There was no concern for cultural appropriation, the political items being sold were embarrassing, the loudest voices that aligned with their lifestyle were heard over others. Shortly after having a conversation on my personal time with other vendors about these issues I received an email with a violation to my contract stating it was reported to them that in a public space I made statements that were unverified information and slander. Of course I emailed them back and asked what it was I said because how would I be able to correct the issues without knowing what it was? They responded with no more information. I again emailed them asking what it was that I specifically said and they never responded. It was then that I decided to end my contract. After confirmation, I went in and packed MOST of my stuff leaving behind a few things for the last couple weeks I had the space for. Closer towards the end of the month I woke up to a charge on my account for double the rent. This was very unusual because rent isnt charged until the 12th of the month and this was the end of the month. So I went into my accounts and found they must have missed pulling a couple payments the last months. No problem at all to pay them what they are owed but why no email with a heads up?

Overall as a vendor it was the worst experience I ever had. A lot of us come from the space of doing markets or are in other artisan stores where community and support is very important. This was not my community, these were not my people and I felt that others should be aware of the "in shop" stuff that is kept quiet from the public. Seeing the more recent reviews speaking out about some of what I saw while there just confirmed for me that I...

I feel it's important to share my experience so others are fully informed of the serious miscommunication and disorganization I encountered with this company.

I started my paperwork to join May 17 and promptly paid the $250 fee, obtained a business license, completed all required documentation, and prepared everything necessary for a successful setup. I made a point to visit the building ahead of time to speak with someone in charge and ensure I understood the rules and expectations. Unfortunately, I was told by front desk staff that they did not have the proper information to assist me.

My original setup date was June 1. I was later informed that setting up on a Sunday was not allowed and that I would need to return on Wednesday. I complied and returned on June 3. Again, I asked to speak with someone in charge to get clarity on what was expected. Once more, no one was available, and I was told there was no updated list or guidance they could provide.

Left with no other option, I went ahead and set up my booth based on advice and support from other vendors around me--who were thankfully kind and helpful. It wasn't until eight days later that I learned my items needed a vendor code on the back of each tag--something that had never been communicated to me. I only discovered this by speaking with a front desk staff member.

To resolve the issue, I had to reach out to four different people before I was finally connected with someone from the service team, who helped correct the situation. At that point, I was informed that my products had been sitting unsellable for eight days due to the missing vendor code.

Despite all this, I was then told that I would need to pay an additional $250--on top of the original payment I had already made. When I questioned this, I was abruptly informed that I would need to remove my products and that I was no longer allowed to participate.

At no point was I rude or disrespectful, and I have receipts and communications to support that. I have since told in would be refunded the initial $250, ( have not received it as of yet) but the fact remains: this situation was handled with a staggering lack of professionalism and accountability.

It is truly disappointing--and frankly shocking--that instead of taking responsibility for the internal missteps and poor communication, the company chose to remove me entirely. I believe it's critical for others involved with or considering this company to understand how significant these...

Yesterday I was invited to meet a friend here, she was super excited about going because she said she loved this place. So, I googled it and saw the reviews and asked my daughter if she wanted to go since she loves shopping at places like this and thrifting. She has a natural knack for these places, I never have luck finding things 🫣. When we walked in I was in awe 🫢, and my daughter literally clutched her pearls. I told her I will let her do her thang while I walked around with my friend. Never realized how many vendors there were and my friend and I was determined to go through each one. I would text my daughter to make sure she was ok. And she was, she would pop up with an item and put in our cart. Next time I saw her she had her own cart and my friend and I laughed. But the next time I spoke with my daughter she called me crying and asked me to come to her. She was accused of stealing and I tried to purchase the items in her cart but they said no. I asked the nice young lady in the pink shirt who was it that accused her of stealing and she told me the man in the green shirt. Funny, he was harassing some other children in the store. Granted my daughter is 19, but she never experienced this before. I asked the man what made him think she was stealing. He automatically had an attitude and I instantly went into mama bear mode. I told him he could check her, he said he couldn’t so I did it myself and he said it doesn’t matter I need to take it up with the police, we needed to leave, which I told him I was not going to because I had items I wanted to purchase and he told me it didn’t matter and walked away. Well I gave my daughter the keys to the car and told her I’ll be right out. Her cart, mind you ,was full of jewelry and purses and a hat and a top. She was texting me before all this happened saying she wanted to come back on her next payday. Well that’s not happening because 1) she was told she could not come back and 2) after this we don’t even want to. It started off as a good experience and a potentially a returned trip with the rest of my family, but nope....