S10 Ep15 MEOW VINTAGE: Kathleen Schaaf, the "Big Kitty" of Meow Vintage, located in Long Beach since 1986 - on crisscrossing the country hunting deadstock and doing vintage her way.
Kathleen Schaaf, the 'Big Kitty' of Meow Vintage in Long Beach, California, has spent four decades hunting down deadstock and vintage treasures across the U.S.—long before the internet made it easy. From cold-calling merchants in dusty attics to outfitting shows like *Seinfeld* and *Stranger Things*, her career is a masterclass in resilience, curiosity, and the quiet power of relationships. What sets her apart isn’t just her legendary access to untouched, never-worn clothing from the 1950s to the 1990s, but her refusal to be defined by trends. She’s witnessed the vintage world evolve from a niche underground scene into a global industry, yet she remains grounded in the thrill of the hunt and the integrity of the craft. Her story reveals a deeper truth: the most valuable vintage isn’t just old—it’s authentic, rare, and often hidden in plain sight, waiting for someone who knows how to look. Despite the rise of online marketplaces and hobbyist dealers flooding the space, Kathleen insists that the real magic still lives in physical spaces—like Brimfield’s muddy fields or a backroom in New Mexico. She’s seen the chaos, the overpriced clutter, and the 'rager' culture of vintage shopping, but she’s also seen the enduring joy of finding a perfect 1950s Levi’s or a handcrafted rayon dress. Her advice? Stay curious, stay humble, and never underestimate the power of a simple phone call to a stranger.
Kathleen Schaaf built her career on deadstock—never-worn, original retail inventory—by crisscrossing the U.S. in the 80s and 90s, cold-calling merchants and slipping into back rooms before the internet existed.
She became a go-to source for film and TV costume departments, supplying authentic period pieces for *Seinfeld*, *Roseanne*, and *Stranger Things* due to her vast archive of multiples and rare finds.
Despite the rise of online resale, she remains committed to her brick-and-mortar store, valuing in-person connections and the thrill of the physical hunt over digital convenience.
She warns that the vintage space is now flooded with hobbyists who don’t understand the craft, clogging the pipeline with low-quality items and creating noise instead of value.
Her secret? Building generational relationships with dealers and families—many of whom she’s now dealing with the daughters or nieces of people she met decades ago.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Welcome to Pre-Loved Podcast: The Vintage Revolution
Emily Stochl introduces the show, Pre-Loved Podcast, a space for radical vintage style, sustainable fashion, and deep dives into the culture and business of secondhand fashion. She highlights recent content, including a retrospective on Another Man’s Treasure and the second annual Secondhand Sellers Income Survey.
Meet Kathleen Schaaf: The 'Big Kitty' of Meow Vintage
Emily welcomes Kathleen Schaaf, the owner of Meow Vintage in Long Beach, California, a fixture in the vintage world since 1986. Kathleen shares her lifelong love for vintage, starting with thrift trips with her mom and wearing her aunt’s hand-me-downs in elementary school.
From Thrifting to Dealership: The Birth of a Vintage Legend
“I went up to the manager of the store. And I'm like, hi, yes, I want to buy all of these. And I just put my hands across the whole rack and I go, can somebody get me a box please?”
Deadstock: The Hidden Treasure of Vintage
Kathleen explains her specialty: deadstock—original, never-worn clothing from old stores, warehouses, and closets. She describes being called the 'undertaker' by old merchants and how she built her business around finding untouched inventory.
The Road to Meow Vintage: How a Store Was Born
Kathleen shares how she opened Meow Vintage in 1986 after being encouraged by a Hollywood memorabilia collector. She built the store with her father’s help, and it became an instant success—earning more in her first month than she did waitressing.
“And I went up to the manager of the store. And I'm like, hi, yes, I want to buy all of these. And I just put my hands across the whole rack and I go, can somebody get me a box please?”
“I remember other fields where I would be in line. And I'm carrying my card. And I'm in a brisk walk. It's just started. I'm trying to get back to the better dealers where I know there's good stuff. And all of a sudden, two Japanese guys run past me. And I'm like, the hell with that?”
“And I would just sit there on the floor with my notepad and I would just open it up like look for eyeglass stores or department stores and I would just pick something like Kansas and I would just open it and I would look for the names of the oldest merchants and I would just fly there and just drive and just walk in and just look for stuff.”
Host
Guest
Kathleen Schaaf
person
Meow Vintage
other
Emily Stochl
person
Pre-Loved Podcast
media
Brimfield
place
Seinfeld
media
Stranger Things
media
Roseanne
media
Cowboys and Poodles
other
Liz Baca
person
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