Innovation

One of the goals Once Upon a Time has is that people will buy their items and turn them into something new: “I try to teach that you can repurpose rather than buy new,” said Mrs. Zeringue. Since opening in 2020, Mrs. Zeringue has seen many projects that have come from antiques bought in her store, from old tables turned into bars to old chests turned into coffee stations. One of the most memorable projects was two dresser drawers turned into bedside tables. The possibilities are endless.

“Most times, antiques end up in landfills. People tell me they wish they knew about our business when their family members passed because they had bags and bags of items they threw away because they did not know what else to do with them,” said Mrs. Zeringue. Once Upon a Time also sells used appliances in their stores such as microwaves and refrigerators. Mrs. Zeringue says used products like these often last longer than newer ones and are better quality than new appliances. Vintage antiques like furniture are better quality than what you can buy in stores. “Vintage and antique furniture is real wood. Now, furniture is particle wood,” said Mrs. Zeringue. Oftentimes, you are paying less money for higher quality furniture when you shop at an antique store.

Inspiration

Mrs. Zeringue got the idea to create Once Upon A Time from her own experience of thrifting. She was always looking for what she needed in thrift stores rather than paying full price for anything brand new. She knew that she could get the same value out of something reused or repurposed without having to pay a large amount of money. Mrs. Zeringue cited that her love of thrifting originally started out of necessity, “In the 1980s, the oil field business wasn’t doing so great so I couldn’t just buy things that were full retail price due to lack of income.” She decided to bring that idea to others by creating an antique store where people can do exactly what she had done throughout her life.

Overall impact

Once Upon A Time has been extremely impactful to the community and the environment. The art of collecting and repurposing antiques is a great way to preserve culture. The items in Mrs. Zeringue’s business are full of history from all around the world. Mrs. Zeringue references an estate sale she did for a 95-year-old lady. The lady’s home was full of possessions handed to her from generations before her, but she had to get rid of everything. Each item had a story associated with it that Mrs. Zeringue openly shared with customers who purchased the items. The stories made the items more meaningful to the customers and had them coming back for more. On a daily basis, we see things are thrown away that come from generations before us. Instead, Once Upon a Time provides the community with an opportunity to preserve and repurpose the past.

Business benefit

Because the business had emphasized the importance of repurposing antiques and other items to reduce waste, they have been extremely lucrative. This success has also led to them expanding to a nearby location in Thibodaux. Their shop alone is now too small for their needs, which led them to build a warehouse in the city. As mentioned in the article, Mrs. Zeringue believes that she captured a market that other businesses in the area have failed to realize the importance of. Besides coastal restoration, environmental efforts are not often promoted in South Louisiana. Once Upon A Time is fortunate enough to become successful while championing a UN Global Goal.

Social and environmental benefit

UN Goal 12.5 states “by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.” Once Upon a Time helps impact this goal by promoting the reuse and recycling of solid antique goods like furniture, clothing, tools, and electronics. The business also offers monetary benefits for those willing to discard their unwanted goods by offering payment via estate sales and consignments, driving the encouragement for others to do the same. Alongside promoting the responsible consumption of common household items, Once Upon a Time preserves the history behind these items with knowledge of where the items came from and the era in which they were created.

Once Upon A Time profits from providing a sustainable alternative to the customers of South Louisiana. Mrs. Zeringue stated many examples of how people repurpose older items found in the antique store. For example, one customer bought two old individual drawers and flipped them upside down to create two nightstands for her daughter’s bed. Other customers have created wine glass holders using rakes. The possibilities are endless, and they all promote sustainable practices. If you don’t feel that you’re very creative, Mrs. Zeringue also provides interesting articles, Pinterest posts, or customers’ ideas for how to reuse and repurpose items in the store. When asked about what makes her business unique in the area, Mrs. Zeringue said “I do feel to an extent that I have a captive market. There aren’t a lot of places like this that promote that”. Mrs. Zeringue is referencing her promotion of sustainable practices and reducing waste generation. Although there are other antique stores in the area that are friends of Mrs. Zeringue, she prides herself on the fact that Once Upon A Time promotes their environmental initiative. In reference to Once Upon A Time’s direct impact on the environment, Mrs. Zeringue said “I’d say we have had a positive impact on the environment, but it isn’t enough yet. We all can do more and I hope to make people more aware of what we do here so that we could all make a bigger impact together.” Once Upon A Time is not only a very lucrative business, but its mission is to preserve history, culture, and the planet.

Interview

Theresa Zeringue, Founder