We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla & Maddie Hughes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla & Maddie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We started Black Cat Thrift one year ago in January because of our love for thrifting! We both are excited by the prospect of searching through racks of clothing to find hidden gems, so opening a business to resell these items was a logical next step. This way we were able to share our best finds with customers around the world! Our name is inspired by two of our fur babies, black cats: Pickle & Diesel!

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.
We both have different professional career paths, Kayla an Assistant Controller and Maddie a 1st grade teacher. Black Cat Thrift has allowed us to show our creative side while mixed with our business and organization skills. While we have only been in business for a year in that year we have figured out what works for us now and are always looking for ways to improve. Two is always better than one, and that has proven to be true in our business model as we split the work and leverage each other’s talents for certain areas of the business. We have found that through our online sites we can reach the widest market. We use sites such as Mercari, Poshmark, DePop and have recently opened up our own website to have more control over our listings. We have shipped to 29 states so far and have even shipped overseas!

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?
We love to visit the Greater Charlotte area and have been visiting family there since we were little. Some great spots include NODA Brewing, D E Turner & Co Hardware, many different antique stores, and of course any Goodwill or Salvation Army in the Area. A trip to NC isn’t complete without time spent around the fire with family, drinking wine from Bond Street Wines and enjoying a slice from Benny Pennello’s!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Besides each other, our significant others, Dylan Hughes and Jared Gardner, have played a crucial role in the growing of our business. They have helped us move our inventory, set up for in-person events, and shown genuine support and love for our business that we are forever grateful for!

Website: https://black-cat-thrift.square.site/

Instagram: Black_catthrift

Other: https://linktr.ee/blackcatthrift

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutNorthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.