Williamsport, Pa. — A curated thrift store is opening soon in the heart of downtown Williamsport.
Lyndsay Miller, owner of Honeyella, has been running her brand online for the past three years. The store offers a mix of modern and vintage clothing “for women, men and baby,” as well as some home decor.
Honeyella, located at 416 William Street in Williamsport, will have its grand opening next week.
Longtime customers of the online brand have been waiting for Miller to open her first brick-and-mortar location for some time.
“One of the most common questions I get asked is, ‘Where’s your store located?'” Miller said. “I’ve always had to say that I’m just pop-ups and online.”
As a vendor at events and farmers markets, also known as “pop-up events,” she has been able to meet many of her customers.
“Online is fun, but you don’t get to meet people and you don’t get to talk to them and see their faces. I love being in person,” Miller said.
Miller got her start in 2019 selling home decor online.
“When I moved into my first apartment with my husband, I wanted to thrift things that were different,” she said. “I checked antique shops and thrift stores. I saw how many good things were actually inside the thrift stores. Some people don’t really know that all this good stuff is in here that you can decorate with. I just fell in love with finding gems.”
Through the pop-up events and selling on Instagram, she noticed how quickly everything was selling out, so she kept adding more inventory.
As her clothing business grew, her home decor sales became secondary.
“It’s kind of flipped now.,” Miller said. “I love the clothes aspect because I find so much more now with clothes. It’s a wider target of people that I get to reach to with clothing.”
Once a week, Miller posts a number of new clothing pieces on her Instagram with detailed descriptions and photos. Some customers can’t get enough and even set alarms on their phones for when her clothing drops begin.
“I do the weekly drops on my Instagram. I have people that still, three years later, buy every single week, and they don’t really go out to stores anymore,” Miller said. “They know that I bring good stuff every week and they’re waiting for that. I don’t have many one-time customers. A lot of people do come back very often.”
Everything Miller sells is carefully curated to fit her brand’s style — a reflection of her own personal style.
“I can leave a really good brand at the thrift store if I don’t think it’s going to fit the vibe of my store or the aesthetic of my store,” Miller said.
Miller guarantees the clothes she provides have been thoughtfully sourced, so customers can expect a selection of quality clothing.
“Vintage is just made so much better. I always pay attention to the fabric content. Cotton is wonderful. I do try to find those vintage brands and really good fabrics,” Miller said.
The store will offer something new to the area, Miller says, due to the way in which the clothing is sourced.
“It’s hand-selected and curated. I’m going out and looking for something very specific,” Miller said.
All items available in the store will be one-of-a-kind.
“I wanted to make sure that in my name, I put thrift somewhere because it is cheaper and they are used clothing. Everything is just one. There’s only one of everything,” Miller said. “With boutiques, there’s stock of however many per size. This is just one size, one item,” she added.
Buying secondhand, Miller says, is a guilt-free and waste-free experience.
“With clothes that are constantly being produced, there’s just so much waste to it and it’s unfortunate,” Miller said. “There are so many clothes that are in the landfill or that you donate. And that’s because you go impulse buy and then you end up not liking it. Secondhand, it’s not any waste,” Miller said.
Without the whims of fast fashion trends, thrifting has helped Miller to find her own personal style. She hopes her customers will have the same experience shopping at her store.
“I would love to see people branch out of their comfort zone,” Miller said. “I just hope people find their own style. I hope people find clothes that are affordable and something that they love (and) just bring them good quality clothes at a good price. That’s kind of my biggest hope for the store,” Miller said.”
Miller will be sourcing her clothes both locally and out of town. To keep the style consistent, she will continue to do the thrifting herself.
“For the most part, it’s still just me. I have a very specific style and I want it to stay that way,” Miller said.
Her mother helps with the odds and ends of the business, including staffing the pop-ups and working on advertising.
Along with clothing, the store will have a few sustainable kitchen and home goods that are sourced from another local brand, All Things Kind.
Honeyella’s grand opening will be Friday, Oct. 6, during first Friday.
For updates and more, find Honeyella on Facebook and Instagram.
