Nancy Jamar outside her business, Gilding the Lily
Located at 305 N. Harbor Boulevard #101, Fullerton.
Open: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm.

Twenty-two years ago, Nancy Jamar bought two vintage hats at a flea market. After the seller told her about his warehouse in Long Beach, where he had even more hats, she bought hundreds of them.

It was that small decision that Nancy traces back to how Gilding the Lily first started. From there, she placed ads in local magazines, hoping to find authentic vintage items to refurbish the hats. Once she had a storage space filled with her unique finds, she decided to start selling them. After briefly operating a storefront in another area, she moved her business to Fullerton, where she specialized in selling her vintage finds.

“The beauty of working with vintage is that you have a product that is not generic, and it’s higher quality,” she said. “When you start with vintage, you start with a story.”

Now, her business in the Villa Del Sol offers a multitude of unique antique jewelry, beads, ribbons, laces, buttons, and more. All items are meticulously sourced, with a number of pieces imported from areas such as Rhode Island, France, and Japan.

Despite the dedication that Nancy must put into maintaining concessions with overseas suppliers, she finds it fascinating to see what customers create with her store’s items.

Many shoppers are jewelry makers, painters, customers, or people simply looking to create new projects using old items.
Nancy recalled a number of favorite creations she has seen customers do with store items, such as one woman who uses scraps of old paper to make collages.

“Over the course of the week, I can have people look at the same items and have different visions for how to use them,” she said.

Through the years, Gilding the Lily has cultivated a small community of people interested in using antiques for their own everyday life as well. Nancy describes one couple who dress vintage and visit the shop for specific antique buttons, and a shopper who uses ribbon she found from the storefront’s collection to tie her hair.

“So many of my interactions [with customers] begin or end with a hug,” Nancy said, “It’s just a joy to be around them.”

Although Nancy loves the tight-knit friendships she has formed over the years, she noted issues that come with running your own business.
For instance, she tackles both the storefront and running Gilding the Lily’s Etsy store. “[Businesses] really have to have a social media presence and [businesses] really have to try to keep up with it,” she said.

There are also the aspects of making sure all store items are organized as well as the hurdles of maintaining the store independently. “The sourcing, the organization, displaying things, that is something that is ongoing, ”she said.

While shoppers don’t always notice the work that goes into displaying items, Nancy said that items look appealing when arranged and kept tidy, as well as making the store easy to navigate. “I am always trying to make them [displays] less crazy,” she laughed.

Even with the obstacles that come with running an independent business, Nancy maintains her passion for antiques and creativity.

Through the store, Nancy and her friend Ada Rivera hand-make a line of unique bead chains with antique beads, gemstones, and hand-carved ivory beads. She also makes sure to include clearance baskets or occasionally gives items for free in hopes that her antique findings can be reused.

“It gives me joy that these things are being used,” she said. “I would rather hand someone a bag full of things and say ‘just take it’ than throw it in the dumpster. I think my skill is finding things that belong together,” she said.