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

Hi Maggie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In May I got engaged. As most brides do, I began dreaming and planning my day right away. The first thing I knew I wanted was vintage, vintage and more vintage. I have always been drawn to vintage styles, but even more so I love giving life to something again. I immediately started thrifting all of my dinnerware, glassware and decor! Within a few weeks china and glassware was taking over my home. This all happened around the time that my sisters wedding was right around the corner. She was telling me about her vision and vendors and mentioned that she would be renting her China and glassware from a vendor that specializes in vintage and antique styles. I started looking around the area and speaking to some brides and I found that I may be able to fill a space in the community. This business allows me to share my beautiful finds with others looking for the same vision as me but may not have the time or interest to execute it on their own. Gigis China cabinet was born from my love of thrifting, sustainability, and love!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Gigi’s was built from my own personal passion for vintage style and thrifting! It was created to provide people with access to unique, vintage china and decorations for their events without all of the effort and cost of sourcing them yourself. I truly believe that in order to be the most successful at something you need to be doing something that you’re passionate about. I also believe that if you want something, the only person who can get it for you, is you!

Although Gigi’s does not solely focus on weddings, at this point they are a huge part of my business. Being a bride and having started this business during this period of my life, I hope that I can offer brides a calm and joyous experience. Weddings can get expensive and stressful. At Gigi’s I want to put my brides at ease and focus on executing the vision they have always dreamed of.

The wedding industry is full of consumption and sometimes excessive consumption. Although a wedding can be a once in a lifetime experience for people, the memories last forever but the physical items last a night. At Gigi’s we try to source majority of our items second hand, that way a lot of these beautiful items can be used over and over again!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I moved to Houston a little over a two years ago and landed in East Downtown. Moving here in my early 20s East downtown is an amazing community to be a part of! So with that in mind, I am a little partial to Eado and most of my favorite spots reside here.

If I were to plan a day in Houston for a tourist I think it would go something like this. I would recommend starting out on the many many miles of bike trails around the city and through the bayous! I love riding my bike around or even roller blading through the trails. If you don’t have your bike, never fear, Houston has tons of public bike rentals that I have utilized many times before!

From there I would probably end up heading towards Eado and grabbing a delicious burger from Rodeo Goat and check out all of the local businesses and the awesome Beatles statues at 8th Wonder. And since this is a city with amazing food I would recommend grabbing dinner at Nancy’s Hustle, my absolute favorite restaurant in Houston not only because of the food, but for the atmosphere as well. If you aren’t in a food coma after that, I would end your night catching a comedy show at the Secret Group.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although I would not have started my business without tremendous support from my fiancé, siblings, and friends, the true inspiration behind Gigis comes from my mom. My mom gave me my love for thrifting and giving new life and beauty to old things. More importantly though, my mom has always told me to go after anything and everything I want. The passion and drive that I put into Gigi’s was learned from her so it only felt right to name it after her. Not only is she an incredibly mom to 5 kids, she became a Gigi to her first grandson this year!

Website: Www.gigischinacabinet.com

Instagram: gigischinacabinet

Facebook: @GigisChinaCabinet

Image Credits
Anisha Varati

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