Photo by Carla Francis, in Bows and Arrows, 2009
“Really, just getting dressed every morning to live my life is an art form. It is the piece of art that I make every day: Me.”
-Olivia Coelho
Name: Olivia Coelho
Location: Sacramento, California
Occupation: Co-owner, Bows & Arrows Vintage Boutique
Olivia Coelho is an amazing woman and is very dear to my heart. Without her love and support, I would not be the graphic designer and photographer that I am today. Back in 2003, right after graduating from college, she found my work on the internet and contacted me to ask if I would like to design a flyer for her tri-monthly sale event, Sellout/Buyout, in exchange for garments from her vintage store, Olipom. To a vintage clothing-loving 22 year old who was fresh out of school and eager to gain creative experience, this was a dream come true. And so our friendship began.
Over the last several years, I’ve had the privilege of working with and getting to know this woman through countless photo shoots (my favorite one involving twenty ceramic rabbits) and by frequenting her stores (her first store, Olipom, and now her new store, Bows and Arrows). It was an honor when she asked me to design her wedding invitations and photograph the event too, which I did with zeal. I have spent countless nights at her house and enjoyed our long, insightful conversations in the morning over her delicious french press coffee, and I am absolutely enamored with her Pomeranian. Olivia is a warm, intelligent, inspiring woman, and I’m proud to call her my friend.
When did you know that you wanted your own business? Tell me how it all started!
It was a series of walking through open doors and settling in. It sounds simplistic but there was a lot of hard work, too. I just kept being in these situations where I would think, “Someone should open a store like this,” or, “Someone should start a fashion bazaar that would run like this .” I am also naturally frugal, and I always squirrel money away, so when it was time to start Olipom (my first boutique), I had enough money to go ahead when a good cheap lease opened up. I am not a gambler. I wait until the perfect moment, and then I pounce.
What are you wearing as you respond to these interview questions? Tell me about your personal style!
Electric Blue swishy harem pants circa 1989 rolled up to my knees, a tie-dyed and hand screened tee that artist Daniel White made me, Sam Edelman brown leather sandals I found super cheap at Marshall’s, a big tiered wooden necklace, and a vintage silver and abalone cuff. I always wear my wedding band and a silver winding snake ring. I have this really pretty patchwork leather purse with me, too. It is large and the colors are muted turquoise, mauve, mustard, burgundy, navy – really all the best colors.
I am really open-minded about fashion. To me, it is okay to try things that are new, but I will always have a little hippie in me, no matter what. I love my bell sleeve sweaters! I love eclectic jewelry, and you know I have my ridiculously long brown hair. I just enjoy being pretty natural. I have a garden, I shop at the farmer’s market, I ride my bike, I grew up with parents who were loving and healthy and open-minded. The textures of things are important to me. I am always drawn to silk, wood, silver, well worn cotton, 70’s denim, leather, and early 90’s rayon.
Life as your own boss?
Well I am in a partnership right now and I love it. I found my business soulmate in Trisha Rhomberg. We have known each other for years. She used to sell her line, Pretty Trashy, at Olipom. We started talking two years ago about how fun it would be to open a large buy/sell/trade vintage store. Then, next thing you know, we found a building, signed a lease, and opened up shop. It took like three months from our first conversation to our opening day. It has been almost two years and we couldn’t be happier! We both put Bows first. We want to be successful, and we are always working, thinking of how we can make it better. She is the only person I have met that has the same drive that I do. We really keep each other motivated and excited about what’s next.
Favorite/worst things about having your own business?
Well the best thing is living up to your potential. You really get to see how hard you can work and what you can get when you work hard. For us, our income is directly proportionate to how hard we work. That can get obsessive. We are trying now to rely more on interns and to form new business relationships with mutual gratification. I mean, sometimes it is just nice to have a real day off to go jump in the river and read a book.
You have a passion for vintage. Tell me about it.
I love it on so many different levels. I love the thrill of the hunt. I love the search, the score. I love the affordability and the idea of re-using and recycling and, most of all, I love respecting the makers of things and the journey of the things themselves. In ancient cultures, it was called Animism. It is basically a belief that things have their own life force and soul. Some people hate the idea of “used” things, which I think is basically the most spoiled bullshit. You have got to live in a pretty privileged world to believe that something is gross if it has come in contact with another human being before you.
You are also a talented artist and painter. Tell me what inspires you.
Hot Babes. Does that sound shallow? I just love beautiful women, and they inspire me in my artwork. I have a great appreciation for the female form. That is part of what drew me to fashion and my love of fashion photography. I love that line between being ravishing or alluring and being sleazy. My paintings are very Guy Bourdin meets Botticelli meets Nagel. My mother is an amazing sculptor and painter, and I grew up with nudity in artwork all around me, mainly classical realism, Baroque and Byzantine classics. I am so grateful for that because I don’t have any hang ups about nudity. Art was always respected in my home. I got my bachelor’s of Fine Art at UCSC, and that was an amazing experience. I think in college they want you to be more cognitive, have more meaning, and be more political in your art, but my art is about beauty. I don’t think of it as being political, but with the conservative religious movement, I guess it is. I haven’t been painting as much, but I have been having so much fun styling and taking photos and sewing that I feel really artistically fulfilled. Really just getting dressed every morning to live my life is an art form. It is the piece of art that I make every day: Me.
What are your three current favorite songs?
“This is my Love” by Hercules & Love Affair
“Red Hot Drops” by Chad Vangaalen
“Leaders of Men” by Joy Division
Do you have a favorite vintage item that you own?
Oh god, I could never pick just one. I have two 70s shirts that belonged to my best friend’s mother. They are thin polyester disco shirts, but they are really delicate. One has nature scenes on it, and the other has a bunch of flappers at a soiree in neutral tones, mauve, tan, burgundy, and slate grey. She gave them to me when I was fifteen, and I have worn them about twice a month ever since. I love that she wore them when she was a disco fox in the 70s, and I am still wearing them now. Some things cycle out of my life really quickly and other things just always work. I also have a small destroyed Fendi purse that I wear almost everyday. Nice vintage pieces are so sturdy.
What are your customers wearing?
We have so many different kinds of customers. We’ve got a lot of off the wall party kids that love all the wild gear: the neon, the acid wash, the bandage dresses. There are a lot of natural beauties who like the flowy floral dresses and well worn leather bags. Then we have a bunch of professional ladies and gents who like the slim 40s dresses, and the 80’s silk tops, blazers, and the slim button ups. It is all about having the right balance of flair and basics. I am just happy that our regular customers are so varied, and that they can all find something that was meant for them, every time they come in. I want the pieces in our store to carry on their journey and go to the next loving home.
I’ve known you for a long time, and you have been wearing pantsuits way before the pantsuit trend started. How do you feel about it? Do you still want to wear them now that everyone is?
Jumpsuits just make my ass look great. Nothing can stop that. Every awesome period had a pantsuit associated with it. There were the high-powered “Dynasty” 80s pantsuits, 90s “Fly Girl” stretch pantsuits, 70s slinky Studio 54 pantsuits, 60s beehive cocktail queen pantsuits. I ain’t skerrrd.
Personally, I am not terribly concerned with what is trendy. Style is about longevity. Sometimes I put stuff in the back of the closet and give it a break when it gets too popular, but anything really amazing will resurface. I do have fun with fashion, though. I like to see all the new lines by the big designers and I love tearing through the fashion mags as they come out. The new trends are always easy to piece with vintage, or you can even find vintage versions of them. So much of fashion is just a reference to the past. People can be such sticks in the mud – “I’m not wearing that! I will not wear harem pants, or high-waisted denim, or crop tops, or skinny jeans, or over-sized.” I just think it is fun to try it all out and have fun with all sorts of styles. Some people are just going to wear the same shit year after year. I like to be adventurous.
Tell me about the future of Bows and Arrows?
Bows & Arrows is just exploding right now. We have such an awesome store jam-packed with radness. We have a good team of interns. Trisha and I have an amazing relationship. We have our new partnership with on eBay with HOLD MY GOLD, which is awesome. Erica has such a great eye for choosing pieces and styling them. Trisha and I have a sewing station set up in the store, and that is where you will most likely find us. We have been sewing so much that we are about to launch our house brand MISS CHIEF OF CALIFORNIA, exclusively for Bows & Arrows. We make our clothes from vintage fabrics. Each piece is one of a kind. We are always trying to plan fun parties, fashion shows, art shows, and sales. There are just never enough hours in the day!
Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
I say go for it! Just don’t risk more money than you would comfortably burn in a pit. Take a risk! It is the same for investing money. You are betting on yourself and your dreams, so make it happen! If you fail, then so what? It is not a big deal, you just move on to what is next and learn from it. I don’t think being an entrepreneur is for everyone. You may just learn that you don’t like working for yourself, and then you can stop fantasizing about it. I don’t take out loans and I don’t gamble, so if I have real money that I am going to put down for start up costs, you better believe I am going to do everything in my power to make it work. You’ve got to always remember that business is about selling a product for money. It has to make sense financially. You may have some radical ideas, but if you’re not making money, it is a hobby, not a business.
Olivia has agreed to give-away the above gorgeous Miss Chief of California skirt! Please submit a comment here by Friday 9/4 at midnight and we will choose a winner at random. The winner will be notified by email!
Note from Olivia: It is a size small, but the elastic waist should fit an XS/M!
Links:
Hold My Gold
Bows and Arrows Vintage
Bows and Arrows Blog
