We were lucky to catch up with Leslie Cikra recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Leslie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
A lot of my confidence and self esteem has grown from my time as a professional athlete. Being put into challenging situations and being able to execute and perform under pressure is something I have taken with me from that time in my life. I think confidence is also partly faking it until you make it. In situations that we don’t always feel confident, I’ve found positive self talk can help overcome those obstacles.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Leslie and I am former pro athlete turning thrift queen. I own a vintage resale company called Velvet Yucca Vintage. VYV was born out of the thrill of the hunt and desire to have more art in my life. It has been an amazing creative outlet, that has helped tap into who I was as an art kid before I started playing volleyball competitively. VYV is part curated collection of western, and disco inspired pieces, and part wholesale operation. I sell online and at pop ups/vintage events and also wholesale to a lot of vintage shops around town. As VYV has grown, it’s been amazing to connect and be apart of Denver’s incredible community of vintage vendors and makers. I’m so grateful for this little biz of mine and most excited for the future. I am gearing up for a big move to Arizona to focus on vintage, source the southwest and get inspired by the desert.
If you had to pick two qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back my journey from the start of VYV, resilience and confidence are the first two qualities that come to mind.
Resilience to start something that fills my cup, and keep going, and keep showing up, not knowing what shape VYV would take as it grew.
Confidence to dress up and to wear what makes me feel good in hopes it will inspire others to do the same. Every day we get dressed and have a chance to wear something that can help express ourselves. I try to take advantage of it every day. What I wear is a reflection of myself and my business and I love the opportunity to put on something unique. Even if it is a little out there and draws attention, as my style has involved, I’ve leaned into pieces that reflect that vision and confidence.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I would say the biggest challenge in this industry is sourcing. It is truly a one of a kind business and that means that every single piece that comes through VYV is unique, but it can be time consuming to spend time sourcing a few pieces at a time. I love the thrill of the hunt so sourcing for VYV, never feels like work, but I would love to get into more wholesale buying as I continue to scale.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://velvetyuccavintage.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/velvetyuccavintage?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Image Credits
Credit self
