Vintage Sisterhood
Sisters Laura Mae and Amanda Jean Hornberger struggle to find one thing they don’t love about co-owning their vintage jewelry business, Maejean Vintage. From sourcing the jewelry, to building their “super-empowering” all-female team, to learning the history behind antique jewelry that otherwise would have been “melted” for gold—they love it all! Their passion, combined with the creativity of the Maejean team, makes for a captivating and well-followed social media and online presence.
Maejean Vintage offers their entire inventory for sale on Etsy. Customers can shop seven days a week, 24 hours a day, at maejeanvintage.etsy.com, with items being shipped out Monday through Friday. Their shop has over 17,000 sales and a five-star rating, so it’s clear that the Meajean team has an eye for the perfect vintage pieces and the customer service skills to match.
“It has been such a great platform for us because we reach a huge audience,” explains Amanda Jean. “Selling online definitely has advantages—like working in our PJs some days,” she jokes. “But we do hope to have a brick-and-mortar store someday, because we’d love to meet our local customers and invite them in to see our pieces in person.”
Current customers still have plenty of access to their beautifully styled vintage jewelry. In addition to their wildly popular Etsy page, shoppers can follow Maejean Vintage through Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Shop manager Dahlia Jean Miranda models pieces with hand selfies that regularly earn thousands of likes and have helped to acquire an Instagram following of over 49,000. Dahlia Jean may be building an important customer base, but she insists it doesn’t feel like work! “Work is never work when you get to hang out with some of your closest friends every day and play with sparkly pretties,” Dahlia Jean admits. “I have truly been drawn to vintage jewelry my entire life.”
The love of all things vintage is a passion that resonates among the entire team at Maejean Vintage. Initially, it was bonding over that shared love that brought Laura Mae and Amanda Jean together for what started as a fun hobby in their parents’ basement.
“We enjoyed having sister dates to flea markets, auctions, and estate sales,” says Laura Mae. “It started as a fun way to share our finds with the world, but we realized some of the pieces we found were quite valuable!”
“Work is never work when you get to hang out with some of your closest friends every day and play with sparkly pretties.”
They began listing them on Etsy, and the overwhelming response led to full-time careers for both sisters, along with shop manager Dahlia Jean and customer service and global logistics manager Savannah Tate.
It wasn’t just their passion but also their combined experience that perfectly complemented one another, which helped establish those careers. As a former kindergarten teacher, Laura Mae enjoys the creative aspects, such as putting together artsy photo shoots and researching the history behind the pieces. Amanda Jean, who earned a business degree from Temple, manages the logistics and business details.
“We make an awesome team!” says Amanda Jean. “With only the occasional disagreement here and there,” she adds with a smile. They are sisters, after all.
Although their combined credentials made for a successful business right from the start, Laura Mae and Amanda Jean are always looking to expand their knowledge on gems and jewelry. Both sisters recently graduated from the Gemological Institute of America and both are certified GIA Graduate Gemologists. Dahlia and Savannah are now beginning classes at GIA as well. In addition, Amanda Jean has started taking appraising courses through the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers, with plans to offer appraisal services through Maejean Vintage in the near future.
“I love that Maejean encourages me to explore the jewelry and gemstone industries by providing continued education,” explains Savannah Tate, “While inspiring my creative side as well.”
The comradery among this all-female team is powerful, and arguably just as unique as the once-forgotten-about pieces that the sisters have given new life. The future looks bright for Maejean Vintage.
To find out more about Maejean Vintage, go to maejeanvintage.com/blog. To shop, visit maejeanvintage.etsy.com. Find them on Facebook at facebook.com/maejeanvintage, on Pinterest at pinterest.com/maejeanvintage, and on Instagram @Maejeanvintage. Join the mailing list at eepurl.com/bHd-D1 for notification of sales, pop-up events, sneak peeks of new inventory, and informative articles on vintage jewelry.
Maejean Vintage
