Member of the Month - Space.Rocket.Store - The Interview

This month we bring you our first vintage shop of this series. A brother as sister team, space.rocket.store.

Lets see what they tell us. :)

Ana e João sometime in the past

Name: space.rocket.store
Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/spacerocketstore
Site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/spacerocketstore
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/store.space.rocket

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

We are Ana and João, two brothers with a taste for vintage items, arts and crafts. We created space.rocket.store order to unleash our desire to explore the world of flea and vintage, rescue lost items and take them to a new life.

2. How and when was this passion for vintage born?

Since we were little we got used to get along and participate in small journeys that my mother did in search of one more piece associated with childhood memories. These memories were often accompanied by visits to the places of my mother’s childhood. These trips awakened in us the value of time and our roots. That also brought the passion to recover pieces lost in time and the taste for discovering and preserving our identity.

3. What was your formal training in? Do you find it helpful for your business? In what way do you find it helpful for your business?

João graduated in Marketing and Advertising, while filling his free time searching and retrieving pieces and objects. Ana rediscovered her childhood taste for drawing and painting after having completed a degree in Geography and Regional Planning. Of course João’s degree in marketing has helped in the development of the store. But above all, our parallel interests, our callings and the willingness to change everyday life’s routines are what most inspire us and drive the realization of this dream.

4. Is this your fulltime job or do you have another job?

The space.rocket.store is, most of all, a way to occupy our free time. Another challenge in two lives already so full and satisfied!

5. How did this project started?

This project started when we realized that we could not keep all the pieces that we rescued. And that there was still much to discover, especially regarding all those typically Portuguese items. And that these articles were increasingly appreciated by others.

Vintage Pharmacy Scale

6. What inspires you?

João is passionate about nature: the sea, the sand ... sports like surf and kitesurf! Ana cannot live without paints, brushes, pens, papers! Loves rollerskates and dreams ... awake!

7. How do you choose your items? And where do you find them?

The items we put in store are chosen in a very intuitive manner!! However it is clear the enthusiasm we have for farmhouse and rural pieces, industrial items and those reveal a bit of our history and culture. Wooden boxes and chests are always a passion!

8. Could you share a typical work day?

Space.rocket.store isn't a full time job, so we cannot describe a typical working day. We have an almost anarchist and casual way of working for the store. We both look for objects during our trips, free time, festivals and fairs warehouses, among people that we get to know and that preset us with interesting pieces. João gets the pieces ready according with is schedule, most of the times at night in his garage. Ana takes the pictures and lists the items on Etsy also according with her free time. So, as you can see, we don’t have a typical working day concerning Etsy’s space.rocket.store: every working day is non typical one and there are never two days alike.

9. What is your favorite part of your work? Why?

Our favorite task is looking for that special item – the one that could stand different among so many other vintage and antique items available. João loves to give small touches to the pieces and to provide them the additional brightness that only a piece that was taken care of shows. Ana, on the other hand, loves to pack sold items, to write a little note to accompany them and to give a custom look to each order.

10. Why did you open an Etsy shop?

Ana knew etsy for a while. In fact she had run a little store on Etsy, dedicated to handcrafted goods and patchwork, that she used to do. So, for us opening space.rocket.store was almost a natural thing, after a casual conversation between brothers with common tastes and interest for vintage bits and antiques. We both had some pieces that we acquired and that were pilling at home, so we thought it could be a good business to sell them to people around the world. Etsy seemed the perfect solution to do so.

11. What do you think are the benefits of belonging to a team like the PTteam?

The greatest benefits of belonging to a team like PT team have to do with the spirit of belonging and community that it creates. In addition, of course, to the promotion of Portuguese crafts and culture in a medium as vast as the online markets are.

Small vintage red enamel bucket

12. What do you do to promote your work and shop?

For now the ways we use to publicize the store are updating it periodically and carrying out activities on our facebook page On the other hand, we consider that a very important aspect for the promotion of our work is the impression we leave on every sale we complete Therefore, we always try our best to describe accurately each item and to pack it in a pleasant and personalized way, in order to receive good feedback from each buyer. Good feedbacks are definitely a great way to promote and publicize the store!

13. What advice would you like to share with fellow artists or crafters or vintage sellers?

To try to be as honest as possible. To seek an identity and a common thread. To seek, seek, seek!

14. What do you find most inspiring in Portugal?

The Alentejo landscape. The sea. Lisbon and its neighborhoods. The food and the people!

vintage rare and unique green suitcase

15. Where do you see yourself and your project in 5 years?

We'd would really like to get answer to this question ... But in fact, at this point, five years seems such a long period in light of all the changes that our society faces. Obviously we would like to achieve a remarkable success on etsy, one that could enable us to further stimulate the store without losing the spirit that we shared during its opening: the sale of items of good taste and quality that were also cultural references.

16. What would you take with you if your house was on fire?

Ana: Definitely all the photos of my son. The paintings. My collection of earrings, some jewellery that belonged to my mother as a child. My most precious books and movies.

João: If we are talking about material goods; all my comic books, vinyl records, the surf and kitesurf boards and bike.

Quick fire questions. Your favorits:

Book:
João: “The call of the wild – Jack London”
Ana: "High Fidelity" - Nick Hornby
Movie:
Ana: ”In the mood for love” by Wong Kar Wai.
João: “Delicatessen” “Persepolis”
Music:
Ana: “To build a home” Cinematic Orchestra, or any by Sigúr Rós
João: “Oceans – Pearl Jam”
Artist:
Ana: Tamara deLempicka, Lucien Freud…
João: Bansky, Vhils
Food:
Ana: Cherrys!! Typical Portuguese dishes, like codfish with chickpeas
João: Fresh grilled fish and all sorts of fruit
City:
Ana: Copenhagen
João: Tavira - Portugal
Country:
Ana: Brazil
João: Marrocos


All photos by space.rocket.store