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Rebecca Smith has had a passion for entrepreneurship for years. She sold everything she could – from handmade bracelets and beads from her family’s lemon tree to fresh lemons.
A single mother fresh out of college, Smith sold branded liquid goods at a discount in her native Costa Rica and imported silver jewelry from Thailand.
“The exchange between people has always been interesting to me,” Smith said.
In the year Local Gainesville tech startups and businesses.
Company Award finalists are selected based on applications submitted by company representatives and judged by a panel of creative community leaders.
Nationally, women founders received venture capital funding for their businesses in 2021.
“Being a woman, the odds are against me,” Smith said.
In the year Launched in 2020, Thrifty is an app that allows second-hand sellers to make money from their unwanted items without leaving their homes.
Verified event managers are available on the app for vendors to send their items to. These managers can sell items using online platforms like Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace, or through garage sales and pop-up events.
When vendors enter their zip code and preferred mile radius, the app finds local event managers in the vendor’s vicinity. Sellers can match event managers and discuss the sale of their items via private message.
Sellers can earn up to 60% off their merchandise if they purchase and tag their own items. If a seller chooses to use the VIP account service, they receive 40% of the sale of their items, according to Thrifty’s website.
After 30 days, unsold items can be donated to local charities.
Rohn Henry, 39, helped Thrifty’s event managers get rid of unused storage items they wanted to unload.
After the self-storage front desk attendant turns Henry to Thrifty, he asks how he can downsize his room.
He said that most of the toys, exercise equipment and clothes belonging to my fiancee and her daughter were sold within 30 days. Although he made money, he was glad to find a way to dispose of his belongings.
“The ability to get rid of unwanted items and get paid was a win-win for me,” Henry said.
He said the app would help self-storage companies prevent people in similar situations from being auctioned off.
Smith started her first startup in 2010 with Corks and Kellers Studio, a place that offers weekly art classes. In the year Smith said she became interested in the delivery concept in 2018 when she was transitioning to other businesses.
She eventually found success at a three-day pop-up event in the Gainesville area and found the opportunity to create a consignment business despite being a full-time mom.
She says giving people opportunities to earn extra income is worth the risk.
“I didn’t know what the concept would be, but I always wanted to provide a way for people to have their own business,” Smith said.
With the support of the Santa Fe Center for Innovation and Economic Development, Smith used the space and business insight from mentors and peer groups to get Corks and Paints off the ground.
CIED entrepreneur-in-residence Bill Dorman said he admired her traveling mindset from the start.
Dorman said he was surprised she returned immediately after being urged to gather supplies to support her classes.
“Anyone can have an idea. Anyone can be excited about it. It’s not the idea, it’s the execution,” said Dorman, 54.
Smith says Thrifty’s mission is entirely community-centered — events like CelebrateGNV are a boost for small business owners.
“Starting up is a tough road,” Smith said. “Having your community rally around you is a power boost.”
Smith said she plans to use the $5,000 cash prize to support larger pop-up events that sell clothes to college shoppers. She said the cash prize goes a long way since the thrift is completely self-funded.
“While some people might look at that and think it’s not much of a business, it really is,” Smith said.
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