Racks of shirts and jackets lined the entryway wall of their apartment. A bookshelf of jeans sat in the corner topped with little-potted cacti and a Springy Jeans lightbox. Elijah Baig and Samantha Fuson introduced themselves.

“It all started last year. We both came to Missouri State together, and we’ve always been into finding vintage clothes. We began finding vintage jeans and distressing them ourselves. Then we started posting jeans weekly on a Facebook page Sam was in,” said Baig.

From there, the two created an Instagram for their new business Springy Jeans. They began by selling only jeans, and gradually opened their store up to more than just jeans.

More than jeans

“Now we sell everything from bags to clothing; we sold a Budweiser sign the other day. We get everything ourselves. I spend most of my time getting the clothing, and she does most of the customizing and distressing,” said Baig.

Baig and Fuson both grew up thrifting and going to garage sales.

“It was a good way to reuse stuff; my parents were big on that idea. [Samantha’s] were too. We started dating about a year and a half ago, and we were always in thrift stores. It ended up being fate that we could make a living out of it,” Baig explained.

They never imagined that they would start their own business. Now, a year later, they are being recognized in the community.

“We’ve learned a lot about what we want to do with our lives. She [Samantha] switched her major from dental hygiene to fashion, and I’m going into marketing,” Baig explained. “It taught us how to multitask. It taught us that we can do whatever we put our minds to.”

Baig used to work at Journey’s, a shoe store in the mall, before co-founding Springy Jeans. Now he can’t imagine going back.

“We never thought we would start a business. Making money for ourselves is a completely different experience. Even if this fizzles out, we’ll have this to put on our resumes. Knowing that we have something that has potential – that’s a pretty cool thing,” he said.

Baig and Fuson do more than just hit Springfield’s Goodwill and Red Racks for potential clothing.

“We go to antique malls, thrift markets, garage sales. We also do a lot of trading. We go to a bunch of hole in the wall places around town and outside of town that are our trade secrets,” Baig said.

From St. Joseph to Springfield, this power couple has turned something they enjoy into a successful business.

Clothing for a cause

The passion and focus of many local businesses is one of the things Megan Bleidistel loves about Springfield. As a junior advertising major at Missouri State, she works at the upscale resale store, Inspired Boutique.

“We’re part of a nonprofit called Abilities First. They provide inclusive opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the Springfield community. I love being able to work hands on with individuals in the community,” she said.

All of the clothes at Inspired Boutique have been donated, allowing them to give all of their proceeds to the nonprofit.

“What we don’t keep goes to the resource room at Abilities First where individuals get to pick out items for themselves. We also have jewelry and non-clothing items from local community members who have agreed to donate a part of their proceeds to the non profit as well,” Bleidistel said.

Springfield’s environment is totally different than anywhere she has been before.

“Because it’s a college town, there are so many stores with cool missions, like Five Pound Apparel. Everyone is focused on something that is special to them,” she explained.

Article by Kelli Volonte.