Lili Kinsman, owner of Butter Curated Thrift, has a story about resilience, creativity, and passion. Butter was born out of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic after Lili lost her business as a professional chef—a career she had pursued for 37 years. With a love for organization, design, and staging, Lili transitioned her skills to the thrift store industry. Her journey is filled with unique experiences, from helping snowbirds prepare their vacation rentals to using her extensive inventory to create a vibrant and curated thrift store. Join us as Lili shares her insights and advice on navigating the world of thrift stores, the importance of community, and the creative process behind Butter Curated Thrift.

SRQ: What was the inspiration behind Butter Curated Thrift?

Kinsman: Butter was born out of the pandemic because I had another business I had been doing for about six years. My mom was a contractor so I knew how to do wallpaper, painting and decorating because staging is my real love–something I became passionate about as a professional chef. With my culinary background, I had gotten good at organizing and decorating so with the big influx of snowbirds that come to Florida every year, I would help them prepare and open their homes up as vacation rentals when they would go back north. When the owners would come they'd have their things. Then, if they had renters during the offseason, I would oversee the process of putting the vacation renter stuff in the houses. A lot of my clients began selling their homes leaving me with an excess of inventory. I had a whole bunch of inventory in storage and I didn’t know what to do with all this stuff. I thought I could either Facebook or Marketplace myself to death or start my own business selling the extra inventory. It took a while because, during the peak of COVID-19, I couldn't get an inspection on the rental space I had found in Gulfgate. While no one was coming, I was busy painting and decorating the space. The name “Butter” came from my time as a young chef in culinary school. I was one out of two women in a class of 122. My mentor, Julia Child, was one of the only female celebrity chefs during that time and that's where the name came from. It is an homage to butter.

SRQ: What book are you reading now that expands on your business acumen?

Kinsman: I keep up with fashion magazines to be up-to-date with all the latest trends. I found a church sale not too long ago that had a stack of 150 fashion magazines. Some of them were Vogue and some of them were older from the eighties and nineties.

SRQ: What podcast are you listening to that is inspiring you in your business life?

Kinsman: My business is so fluid that it would be hard to find any podcast that directly correlates but lately, I have been actively listening to podcasts about climate change and sustainability. I listen to Heather Cox Richardson who addresses climate change quite often from a very practical standpoint. That helps me with my business practices as I try to make it as sustainable as possible. While I am not in a position where I can change the building and make it smarter, I can change my own practices on how I shop and how to not consume so much stuff.

SRQ: Share one of your business bucket list items.

Kinsman: I guess my business bucket list item is to become less dependent on things like air conditioning and find ways where I can use less manufactured energy and more sustainable energy.

SRQ: What strategies or best practices have you found most effective in sourcing quality items for your thrift store, and how do you maintain a diverse and appealing inventory for your customers?

Kinsman: Unlike a consignment shop, we do not accept donations. It’s almost disingenuous to say we’re a thrift store because it’s more like a boutique and we do have some new things in there. The only time that stuff comes in is when we sell artwork, especially female artists because we like to support them. Everything else is collected from state sales, church sales, or even yard sales. When we find items we want to sell, our process begins by taking these items to our storage unit on Stickney Point Road. It stays there for a bit and then goes through a thorough cleaning process. During this cleaning process, every button, zipper and stitch gets inspected. If it is not good, it gets donated to one of the women’s shelters here. We prefer to donate it to local people who can use it instead of re-donating it to Goodwill. Lastly, it goes to the store where it gets priced. Our inventory includes items for all kinds of weather so if you come in June or July, we’ve got a lot of Grandpa sweaters, vests or cool leather jackets that you wouldn’t see in normal stores. Half of our demographic is made up of younger people like Gen Z or Millennials because they know this thrifting game inside and out and understand it is better for the planet.

For more information, you can visit Butter Curated Thrift SRQ on their Facebook here! https://www.facebook.com/butterlivingsrq/