Last week, we made the uber-fun announcement that we’d be heading to the sunny state of California in September. Well, I can honestly say that I would NOT have won the Backstage Bridal Scholarship contest if it wasn’t for the amazing talent and help of Maggie from Maggpie Vintage Rentals (and Kim Winey, too – of course!)
But, my relationship with Maggie started a while before that. A little over a year ago, I was bouncing through a local bridal show doing my normal gathering of business cards, hugging familiar friends and briefly meeting new ones. And then I stumbled across a fun booth gently decorated with crafty pieces mixed with some antique loveliness. It totally caught my eye, so I snagged a card, said a brief hello and told her I’d be in touch. To this day, she’ll still bust me that I sent her an email within a few hours of meeting her – but I was so excited about her and her business that I couldn’t wait! A few days later we met for a hot beverage and our courtship officially began.
Since our pow-wow, we’ve been involved in several projects together, both business and personal, and I’m so grateful to not only call Maggie a friend, but to introduce you to her and her bomb-diggity business. Ready? GO!
Hello. Who are you?
Hi! We are Maggpie Vintage Rentals, a vintage rental company in NEPA. I say “we” because it is run by myself & my fiancé, Jason Hoak… we make a pretty unique team if I may say so…
photo by Jillian McGrath at this year’s Borrowed Event
Who or what got you started in the industry?
We initially got started in the industry because of my brother, Mark Farrell who runs Big Top Rentals, a NEPA tent rental company. We did a lot of work inside of tents (who would of guessed), a lot of modern-style weddings which, to much of your surprise, we realized wasn’t our niche. Starting to rent vintage pieces sort of occurred as an accident. We always knew how we wanted our wedding to be, but we knew we were on our own to collect the pieces we needed to achieve the look we were going for. During our down season from decorating traditional weddings we would spend countless hours searching for pieces for our own special day. As we started acquiring more and more pieces we were faced with the inevitable question, “what we going to do with all this stuff when we we’re done with it?! There must be other people looking for the same things we are, right?” We started doing our research on other people who rented vintage finds and for people who were looking for vintage finds. We quickly found that the supply wasn’t meeting the demand and a little over a year ago our journey began and we haven’t looked back since.
What is your favorite part about being in the wedding world?
Honestly, between the people we meet, the places we get to travel to, and the work we’re able to produce together, we love everything about it. But I guess if we had to pick one thing it’s going out and hunting for new finds. Gathering our inventory allows us to travel, explore new places and spend quality time together. We started this business based on the idea of our own wedding and it will always be an adventure to be shared together. Jason is my best friend and luckily we really never get tired of each other… ok once in awhile lol ;) but that’s just because he hates stopping at rest stops for me.
Besides weddings, are there any other special events that you service?
Yes! We’re never opposed to stepping outside of the wedding world and going in another direction. We’ve done photo shoots, dinner parties, holiday parties… we’re very open to new adventures.
Where do you go to be inspired?
I would have to say what inspires us the most is our inventory. It can be a piece we’ve had for months that can be seen in a different aspect than the last time or the overall hunt of the piece. The overall hunt opens up so many opportunities for inspiration. The place we got it from, where the piece originally came from or the physical story it tells from the wear of the item.
What sets you apart from other fellow professionals?
Besides the obvious of being a unique rental business, I think it’s how we acquire our inventory. First and foremost we are always looking for pieces that are authentically old and have original wear on them. After looking through so much stuff for so long and so often you start an editing process that weeds out the not so great stuff from the quality pieces. Sort of like how a photographer edits through a shoot he/she has just finished. The great stuff starts to appear without even thinking about it or forcing it. Thats when it really becomes fun. Where don’t we look for our pieces is probably the best answer to that question. Flea markets and auctions are great primary sources to get a great range and variety of finds but there are a hundred other ways we acquire things, yard sales, second stores, etc. – we can’t tell you all our secrets though.
Whether you’re single, married, divorced, widowed… we all have words of advice when it comes to relationships. What is your advice to couples tying the knot?
Have the wedding YOU want to have, do the things that are special to you. We’re very into “there are no rules” and “non traditional” aspects. This doesn’t mean your wedding won’t look like a wedding but when people can walk in and say “oh yes, this has their name written all over it” – I think that’s very special. It’s hard to not get caught up in all the small stuff but always keep in mind what this is all about at the end of the day.
Aside from weddings, what are some other hobbies/hidden talents/secret powers?
Jason & I can make ANYTHING! Ha – just kidding but Jason is quite the craftsman in the wood shop. I mean.. have you seen our farm tables? Yes he makes those and they’re pretty incredible. I am an amatuer sewer. I don’t follow patterns and I would most likely make a talented seamstress cringe but I can make it happen.. especially when it comes to making anything ruffled.
photo by Jason Hoak, Maggie’s fiancé and partner-in-crime business
Finally, how do we connect with you?
Email: maggpievintage@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggpie-Vintage-Rentals/146799268727419
Twitter: Maggpiefinds
Website: www.maggpievintagerentals.com
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All photos by Kim Winey Photography unless otherwise stated.
Danielle is an experienced and certified wedding coordinator and life-lover from NEPA. She is also fabulously obsessed with love, laughing, details, bread and Mr. Blue Eyes.
