{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"S10 Ep15 MEOW VINTAGE: Kathleen Schaaf, the \u201cBig Kitty\u201d of Meow Vintage, located in Long Beach since 1986 - on  crisscrossing the country hunting deadstock and doing vintage her way.","description":"Today we're chatting with Kathleen Schaaf \u2014 the owner of Meow Vintage, located right in the heart of Retro Row in Long Beach, California. Kathleen is a vintage legend, someone who has been doing it for a long time, and doing it her way, and I\u2019m so excited for you to hear her stories from four decades in the business. Kathleen grew up thrifting with her mom, raiding her aunt's hand-me-downs in elementary school, and haunting the cheap, treasure-packed shops of downtown Long Beach before anyone was calling it a \u201cvintage scene\u201d. She opened Meow Vintage in 1986 \u2014 nearly forty years ago \u2014 and has been a fixture of vintage ever since. But Kathleen's story goes so much deeper. She\u2019s a dead stock hunter \u2014 crisscrossing the country before the internet even existed, cold-calling merchants and slipping into back rooms and dusty attics from New Mexico to Massachusetts, building relationships with dealers and shop owners that have now spanned three generations. And along the way, she built a parallel career outfitting film and television \u2014 from Roseanne and Seinfeld all the way to Stranger Things. On today's episode, we get into all of it, plus what forty years in the business has taught her about people, quality, and the difference between loving vintage and just selling it. All that and more! Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:  [5:05] Kathleen grew up thrifting and accumulated a lot of great vintage. [6:22] The \u201caha\u201d moment where Kathleen realized she could be a vintage dealer \u2014 buying an entire rack of deadstock 60s pointy flats&amp;nbsp; [9:51] She quickly became a deadstock hunter, criss-crossing the country looking for \u201cnew old\u201d stock. [13:36] Opening Meow Vintage in 1986 on Retro Row in Long Beach,&amp;nbsp; [16:06] Crisscrossing the country before the internet even existed, digging for deadstock. [20:36] What the vintage landscape looked like when she opened&amp;nbsp; [26:52] She built a parallel career outfitting film and television [36:26] How the vintage industry has changed over the years [43:41] Reflections on Brimfield \u2014 what's changed, what hasn't, and the chaos that's part of it.  EPISODE MENTIONS:&amp;nbsp;  Meow Vintage @meowvintagelb Larry from Hellers Cafe&amp;nbsp; Amy Parris Pickwick Vintage Rin Tanaka\u2019s books Liz Baca Shirley Kurata  LET\u2019S CONNECT:&amp;nbsp;  \ud83d\udcf8Instagram: @emilymstochl \ud83d\udc26Threads: @emilymstochl \ud83c\udfa5TikTok: @emilymstochl \ud83d\udce7 Substack: https:\/\/prelovedpod.substack.com\/&amp;nbsp; \ud83c\udfa7Patreon: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/prelovedpod&amp;nbsp; SPECIAL THANKS:&amp;nbsp;  A special thanks goes out to my Patron Insiders \u2013 your support makes Pre-Loved Podcast possible!  Patty Weber Kathy Brand Lisa of Queenie &amp;amp; Pearl Lydia Welp Michael A. Megan Morris Jennifer Alana Rivero Jerrica Yasumura Amanda Hale  ","author_name":"Pre-Loved Podcast with Emily Stochl","author_url":"http:\/\/emilymstochl.com\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/41561845\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/202705835"}