Meet Jenny Kuller | Authentic Vintage Clothing and Jewelry Dealer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Kuller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Vintage is literally my life. I never think about work and life balance because for me, there is no distinction. It’s always been that way. I attribute that to my lifelong love of history and archeology. I always wanted to be either an historian or an archeologist when I was young, and I figured out long ago that I am now both! I can’t think of anything else I would rather do. I am Neurodivergent, and tend to hyperfocus on the things I love. I consider it a superpower!

What should our readers know about your business?
Way back in the old days of 1994, I was 24 years old, and started creatively painting old furniture with the boyfriend I had at the time. We both loved old things, and back then, you could really clean up at yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores! We opened an antique booth in downtown Mesa at a store no longer there, and ran it very successfully for a couple of years until we split up. I got custody of the booth, and continued to run it until 1998. I got married, had a baby, and joined eBay in May of 1999. It really was a matter of doing the right thing at the right time, and I built an extremely successful eBay business, riding the wave of the Internet being new and exciting! Along with eBay, in 2008, I fell into what became a dream job: working for a friend at a magical vintage shop in the Melrose District in Phoenix called Hollywood Regency. Managing the shop solidified my lifelong love for vintage clothing, and my focus started to change from hard goods to vintage clothing and jewelry. Once the shop closed due to my dear friend’s passing, I started vending at events officially in 2010 as Redhead Sadie Vintage . It wasn’t so much as a specific thought process that drove me, as I was really just making it up as I was going along. I was a single parent twice, and selling vintage plus starting work doing estate sale liquidation along the way has managed to keep me solvent. It helps that over the last 30 years, I have also developed quite a vast knowledge base when it comes to vintage and antiques.

I take pride in the fact that I am still here, still doing what I love, though the face of vintage has certainly changed over the years. I have tried to weather the ups and downs as successfully as I could, keeping my integrity and authenticity intact. I will do this business until I can’t anymore! I have vended at amazing shows that don’t exist anymore and I miss them all very much. But, I have found new events that I have come to love, too. I have made a million wonderful friends along the way. I have had thousands of incredible, wonderful items run through my hands, and kept a few! I have lots of great stories from being in both the vintage and estate sale business.

I’m writing a book. I fell in love with 1950s American Southwest Patio Dresses over 20 years ago, and during Covid I decided the history of this Arizona-indigenous fashion needed to be told. I have been collecting vintage ephemera and items relating to the dresses for years, plus recently I have been lucky to meet some of the right people who are part of the actual history of their manufacture. I have lectured a few times now on them to warm response. I am enjoying how this is coming together, and even though the publication date is unknown, I know that someday I will hold a physical copy in my hands. I have so much more work to do, and I don’t think I will ever get tired of discovering new bits of information to help tell the story! This unique aspect in the overall history of Arizona fashion deserves to be known and remembered.

I refer to myself as a Rock and Roll Cowgirl at a Luau, because that encompasses all the vintage subcultures I love. The modern world is pretty alien to me, so I try to walk the line between staying in touch with what’s new and staying where I am truly comfortable. I am always looking for new events at which to vend, new opportunities to share my love for vintage, and chances to travel to all the old places I am interested in seeing, especially on historic Route 66.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite places in Phoenix are (surprise!) vintage places that managed to survive the Urban Renewal travesty of the 1970s. The Orpheum Theatre downtown is a true survivor and the tours they do are worth it, especially the Haunted Tour! For shopping, at the top of my list are Antique Sugar, Retro Ranch and Timebomb Vintage. Longstanding concert venues/bars The Rhythm Room and The Dirty Drummer host most of the best American Roots music that comes through town, plus they both have a warm, inviting vibe. I also have a soft spot in my heart for the 1950s-era Bikini Lounge on Grand Avenue because it’s the oldest Tiki bar in the city. I love old places with soul; they are becoming harder to find, so I treasure what is left. My dear friend, Marshall Shore, is the Hip Historian in Phoenix, and offers many tours and lectures exploring untold and unique aspects of Arizona history!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this Shoutout to my Mom, BJ; my grandmother, LaVonne; and my mentors Heidi Owens and Kathy Dubs. All of these amazing women have always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.

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Image Credits
All photography by me.