Today we’d like to introduce you to Julianna Vargas.
Hi Julianna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I graduated from Florida State last spring (May 2020) and ended up moving home because of the pandemic with literally no idea what I was going to do. I had an Etsy shop where I sold tie-dye gameday t-shirts for colleges and sports teams that I had started my senior year at FSU that I kept working on through the pandemic, but I knew that definitely wasn’t something that was going to last forever.
Then in December of last year, when I was holiday shopping, I realized that everything I wanted to buy as gifts for my friends and family could only be found online, which kind of ruins the whole “holiday shopping” experience. That’s pretty much where the idea started that if there weren’t any stores where I could find the kind of products I wanted to buy, I would just open my own. I knew I wanted to sell really unique products and through my Etsy shop, I had discovered so many small businesses that made the kind of things I wanted to sell. I knew if I was going to do it that I wanted to be open for the art festival because that is like the biggest event at Park Ave and I was dead set on the store being on Park Ave. I ended up signing a lease on April 1st and opening on May 14th, so it all happened really quickly. I had no idea what to expect but the store ended up going kind of viral on TikTok the second day we opened, which was AMAZING and definitely a large part of why the store has been so successful so far!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had pretty much no idea what I was doing the entire time so everything was kind of a struggle because it was all new to me. At the same time, though, there were no huge issues and honestly, everything always just kinda ended up working out for me.
For example, the huge foam mirror in the back of the store was not easy to accomplish. I was so set on having a huge mirror to cover that whole wall but every mirror that I found was not the right size or was way too expensive and I was stuck on it for weeks because I could not give up the idea of a giant mirror on that wall. Then one morning I checked Facebook marketplace so randomly not expecting to find anything and the first listing that popped up was exactly the right size and only $100, which is like INSANE for a mirror that size. I literally did not think it was real because I had been searching for so long and then all of a sudden found exactly what I was looking for, like it was literally a miracle to me. And I know it sounds dumb and like a really small thing but the mirror was so important to me and the way it all ended up just working out perfectly was so crazy.
There were so many tiny things along the way that didn’t go according to plan but I was so lucky to have my parents helping me with the entire process, so every time something would go wrong and I would think it was the end of the world, my parents were just like “Okay so what’s the solution?” They wouldn’t let me get too caught up on anything and always had a million solutions to every problem, which was a huge help because, like I said, I had literally no idea what I was doing the entire time!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Gasp?
The store is kind of hard to explain but it’s pretty much just a really trendy gift shop. We sell a little bit of everything, but it’s all trendy stuff that you see on TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram. Everything we sell is pretty hard to find in a store anywhere else, which I think is what sets Gasp apart. I handpick every single item in the store and it is almost all from small businesses so when you shop at Gasp, you are not only making my dream come true but also so many other little businesses around the world.
Another thing that is so special about Gasp is the whole design and vibe of the store. I had such a vision for the store and I knew I wanted it to be super fun and girly and a little over the top and I could not be happier with how it turned out. I spent so much time on every single decision, from the paint colors to the little quotes on the walls and I think that’s a big part of why the store has seen so much success so far. The other day a customer came in and the whole time she was shopping she just kept saying, “This is a happy store!!!” and I think that is kinda the perfect way to describe it and honestly exactly what I was hoping to achieve!
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I think my favorite childhood memory was probably Christmas every year. I have five siblings so Christmas was always kind of insane growing up. As a kid, Christmas morning was just so exciting because there was always big bikes and dollhouses and there were so many of us so it was just like wrapping paper everywhere like the most fun chaos.
Then when I was a teenager, I started going shopping with my mom to help her find gifts for my younger siblings and I loved being able to help her decide what my siblings would like and be in on all of the surprises. It sounds kind of cheesy but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been way more excited about the gifts that I’ve found for my family and seeing their reactions when they open them. I love the feeling of giving someone a really thoughtful gift and making them feel special and I think it’s like the nicest thing in the world when you think of something really special to get someone.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@gaspwinterpark.com
- Website: www.gaspwinterpark.com
- Instagram: @gaspwinterpark
- Facebook: @gaspwinterpark
