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Maddie

@madeleinevillaa

2.1K

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1188

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Founder of @esmeandevee
@southendvintagemarket organizer
📍 Shop in person 2674 Agricola St. Halifax, NS

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Quick, let’s play ‘vintage shop owner’ Swipe for an immersive experience!!!

(No Uma’s were psychologically harmed … I think) taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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4 days ago

Use these 4 simple questions to help you decide if you really need that prime deal!

And remember “progress over perfection” small actions by a big group of people add up! taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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13 days ago

There is nothing I wouldn’t give to have known #13 before experiencing it. 🥲

What a journey it’s been, I’m forever thankful to the vintage community for allowing me to live my dream and for always being a soft place to land.

It’s been 1 whole year since our last @thecuriocollective vintage show and we just can’t wait to be back!! 💛

Join me as one of 45 vintage and antiques sellers from across the Maritimes for The Curio Collective FALL
VINTAGE SHOW happening in downtown Halifax!

📍 1800 ARGYLE ST, HFX
📆 OCTOBER 3 - 4 from 10 - 5
👛 $5 Admission
🎟️ First dibs tickets available for Friday, Oct. 2 from 5-8 pm at the link in the bio!

Imagine an evening shopping party full of VINTAGE ITEMS & VINTAGE LOVERS 🍷🛍️ This could be you if you get a VIP ticket to the Fall Vintage Show + get your hands on rare items FIRST!

💌Visit the link in our bio to get yours!

YOUR FIRST DIBS TICKET INCLUDES:

First Dibs Access to Shop The Curio Collective Spring Vintage Show on Friday, October 2nd from 5pm - 8pm at the Lighthouse Arts Centre in downtown Halifax

$5 in Curio Ca$h to spend with any vendor OR a choice of drinks from the Lighthouse Arts Centre bar

Free Admission to return Saturday / Sunday

Upon purchase, your name will be added to our list at the door on Friday night so you do not require a physical ticket to enter the event! taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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20 days ago

✨🌿 Q&A with Maddie from Esmé and Evee Vintage🌿✨

We’re excited to share a Q&A with Maddie, the owner of local business, Esmé and Evee Vintage, where we chatted about sustainable fashion, responsible business practices, entrepreneurship, and all things vintage!

From giving clothing a second life to building a business around sustainability, Maddie shares her perspective on the importance of mindful fashion and what goes on behind the scenes of operating a vintage store. ♻️

Thank you to Maddie for taking the time to chat with us and for sharing her insights with our community! 🤍

💳And a reminder: Fashion & Retail Law Network members receive 10% off in-store purchases at Esmé and Evee! Just show your membership card at checkout. 🛍️ by @madeleinevillaa

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a month ago

6 months, yet it feels like days and years all at the same time.

I can’t wait to reunite atop sandy dunes, embraced once more by your arms.

I love you mom and miss you so, so, so much. by @madeleinevillaa

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a month ago

This @instylemagazine article by @lady_hadeline is a must-read if you’re scratching your head holding a polyester sack dress that’s costing you $$$$$ 😅

You’re not going crazy, things cost more and are worth less! 😄

She explores a brief history of how in the world we got here and suggests the rise in secondhand shopping as the unexpected remedy to a fashion-forward future!

“Buy vintage, save the world”
“Shop secondhand, first.”
“Everything you want, already exists.”

Are phrases we use daily and they can be your mantras too! taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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a month ago

Baggy on baggy is comfy and cool. Stop trying to look smaller ‼️

Linen top- @esmeandevee
Barrel Jeans - @freepeople
Suede ballet Flats - @gap purchased from @esmeandevee
Accessories - my late mother & nonnas! taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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a month ago

#5 is a hill I will die on 😅🕊️

#5things #vintageshop #secondhandfirst taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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2 months ago

Now we just need to get her back in the shop!?

For those who are new here, Esmé is my middle name and Evee is my dog/daughter. She used to come work at the shop everyday until all of a sudden she became terrified.

That was in September, I still have people asking where she is 😅

Because it was truly 1 day she was happy go-lucky and the naxt day she was terrified, I thought perhaps a piece of clothing was haunted!

We had @vanessaleaquinn come into the shop to do a cleansing and discovered we did have a ghost!

So, it’s been almost a year later and Evee is still so scared of the store.

Do you have any tips or tricks to get her back into the shop as a shop dog? 🐶

Plus she is part owner and has NOT been pulling her weight… by @madeleinevillaa

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2 months ago

And that’s our super power my friends 🙂‍↕️🦸‍♀️

By choosing secondhand first, your helping to divert clothing waste from sitting in a landfill and that’s pretty badass!

That’s why our slogan is ‘ Buy Vintage, Save the World’ 🕊️✨ taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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2 months ago

Happy pride lovers!! 🏳️‍🌈✨

I’m a bi/queer woman who is SUPER privileged to be open and proud of her sexuality. As a white, cisgender woman, my experience with safety and acceptance is vastly different from that of QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) and trans individuals, and I want to hold space for that privilege today.

These photos are some of my favourites I have with Beck (they/them), my beautiful spouse-to-be. I’m so fortunate to have found a partner in this life that is as thoughtful, supportive, hardworking, and loving as Beck is. We are celebrating 6 years together this August and our wedding is coming up in October, there is so much queer joy to relish in!!!🤍

Through my business, I’ve been honoured to help support the queer community. Some ways are small, like calling clothing masculine or feminine instead of the traditional “men’s” and “women’s”, using gender-neutral greetings, and helping anybody find something they feel exceptional in no matter their size, identity, or style.

And other ways we support the community are bigger, like donating a portion of each product to Rainbow Refugees!

We recently surpassed $6k in donations, with the majority going to Rainbow Refugees—a non-profit helping queer individuals flee violence and persecution to move safely to Nova Scotia so they can be out and safe. Recognizing that my whiteness and citizenship grant me a level of inherent safety that many queer and trans people globally are denied, supporting this life-saving work is a vital piece of putting my privilege into action.

We are so honoured to be able to do a small part in making the world a more inclusive place. I know that as a white woman, I have a continuous responsibility to listen, unlearn, and use my platform to amplify those who face the sharpest edges of marginalization. There is still so much to be done, learned, and celebrated!

So, hi, I’m Maddie! I use she/her pronouns and identify as bi/queer. I’m more interested in who you are at a soul level - all are welcome and celebrated at Esmé & Evee. 🕊️✨ taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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3 months ago

We celebrated 1 year of brick-and-mortar retail!

There was so much to celebrate: surpassing 6k in donations, helping thousands of preloved clothing items find new homes, running Halifax’s monthly vintage market successfully on the side, and growing personally each and every month.

But, of course, with any endeavour, we faced our fair share of challenges.

Some were expected:
- How to maintain work/life balance
- Surviving our first holiday season
- Discovering the quirks of our space
- Managing inventory
- Navigating a shared space (we have some furry tenants in the basement 🐀)

And other challenges most won’t ever experience:

You get the call, the one where your mom has a CT scan and it illuminates cancer everywhere. You fly home the next morning, meeting your family at the hospital. You ask your part-time employee to step in full-time for hopefully just a week. You realize quickly that you won’t be home soon. You know it’s Stage 4, but the timelines keep changing. First it’s 8 months, then 3 months, then 2 weeks, then days. You watch your mom change in ways you never thought possible. You hold her hand as she passes just 21 days after she was diagnosed with cancer.

My business shouldn’t have made it through this. We were not prepared for me to be removed from the day-to-day operations. We weren’t ready to pay an employee for full-time hours. But we did it. We stayed open. We paid our bills. By leaning on my community, my business grew years in a matter of months.

My mom was one of the biggest supporters of this dream. And while at points it felt impulsive to open a shop so soon, I know now that I needed to do it when I did so I could make my dream come true while my mom could be there to see it.

365 days after our exciting opening day we celebrated in a different way. We celebrated not only surviving but thriving through hardship.

There were so many wonderful customers who celebrated with us but the standouts were my dad and my brother who flew in from Ontario to celebrate with me. I know my mom would have loved to have been there too. I’m sure she was there, just not physically.

So thank you, for everything. I love you all so much! taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia by @madeleinevillaa

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3 months ago