We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle LaBounty and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Michelle, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Balance plays a huge role in my life, it is something I have to work at constantly. I don’t know if it is because I’m a Capricorn, middle child, achiever, or just plain genetics, but I spent my whole life working constantly and looking for what was next. It wasn’t until I was late 20’s and woke up and realized I hadn’t been as present in my own life as I should have been. From that point in I tried to make it a priority to not worry about work once I got home and focus on friends, family, hobbies and things that made me happy. Since doing that my whole life has changed; I am more fulfilled and actually do the things I do with intention. By creating boundaries and implementing work life balance my output is better quality because I’m less stressed and burnt out, and my relationships have improved (even the one with myself).
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up I was the athletic outdoorsy one, so I didn’t think I could be creative also. I falsely believed that you had to be able to draw or paint to be creative, and sadly I never excelled in art class. After high school I went to college and decided to study Marketing because honestly I had no clue what I wanted to do and it seemed vague enough to cover my bases. It was then that I realized creativity comes in many shapes and forms. I had always had an appreciation for the nature and art around me, and then I won a best dressed award (subtle brag ha) and it hit me that my creativity is expressed in other ways. My path has not been easy, I have had many professional jobs including sales, account management & merchandising (for a specialty cheese company…work perks), procurement, inventory control, sales planning and product marketing. All of those roles helped to prep me for my small business since it is a one woman show- I have to source my vintage, plan my inventory, sell/market my brand and products and merchandise so it all looks cohesive and visually appealing. My advice is to absorb as much as possible from each experience, be nice to everyone, trust your path and know that you are creative.
Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Day 1 would probably consist of some relaxing pool time with friends; somewhere low key like Dallas FOE now that I’m a bit past my wild party days 😉 Day 2/3 could be shopping, and I love walking around Bishop Arts and Deep Ellum. They both have so many eclectic and unique shops, you could walk around all day (likely a day for each area) spending all your money and snapping lots of good photos of the murals. While in Deep Ellum we would check out Flea Style since they carry tons of local makers (including Meta Vintage) and their staff is always super friendly. There are usually fun events and street fairs going on in Deep Ellum & Bishop Arts also, which makes for a good time. For the true tourist day I would take them downtown Dallas and take them up to the Reunion Tower observatory deck. You get to see panoramic views of the city, where my friends will likely ask me what all the buildings are and I will have to google it because I’m not great with history. We could then go see the JFK Memorial Plaza and Pioneer Plaza. That evening I would love to take them to see a show at the Majestic Theater or Kessler Theater (2 of my faves). My guests couldn’t leave Dallas without a true brunch experience, and in the 9 years I have lived here I haven’t found one I love as much as Taverna on Knox. Not only is the food amazing, their cheap mimosas will have you loitering for hours while enjoying the patio. They did not pay me to say this, and I debated writing it here because it is already hard enough to get a table in this quaint place, but it would be an injustice to leave it out.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not have made my passion of collecting and selling a reality if it hadn’t been for several important people in my life. First of all my Gram- she had such style and taught me that items hold memories and good energy. My house is now filled with many of her things that she passed down to me and I think of her often. Second is my sister, Robyn. She is two years younger but convinced me to quit my job, sell my old house, pack up and move from STL to Dallas 9 years ago. It was a change she knew I needed, but she got all the impulsive genes in the family so she worked persistently on me until I agreed. Since then she has helped with pop up events, photography, merchandising and a million other tasks (pro bono of course, add it to the sister tab). My 3rd shout out goes to the amazing Caitlan Lochridge of To The Moon. We became close when a mutual friend planned a trip to Bonnaroo for the 3 of us and she has inspired me every day since. Her small business journey was not easy, but her success and grace through all of it is admirable. She took a huge chance by letting me sell vintage on her buses and that gave me the encouragement I needed to put more effort into my “hobby.” No matter how busy she gets (which is very) she supports other makers and is a lifelong mentor and friend.
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MetaVintageDallas
Instagram: meta_vintage
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelabounty/
Image Credits
Robyn LaBounty Christine Figs Photography