Ownr Success Story: Worn & Woven Vintage Rugs

Chantelle Bianchi loves to hunt vintage rugs from across the world for her Toronto-based business, Worn & Woven Vintage Rugs. A Marketing Manager by day, Chantelle talks about growing her side hustle into a full time business and the challenges of running an online shop. 

Ownr: What is Worn & Woven Vintage Rugs?

Chantelle: Worn & Woven Vintage Rugs is an online vintage rug shop, specializing in handwoven and one-of-a-kind rugs from abroad. Most of our curated collection is from Turkey and consists of pieces that are at least 25 years old or older. What makes these rugs so special is their authenticity, uniqueness, and durability. Not only are they beautiful to look at with their rich dyes and one-of-a-kind features, but they are extremely durable as they age. 

Ownr: What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

Chantelle: I’ve been surrounded by entrepreneurs my entire life. As a second-generation Canadian, my grandparents immigrated to Canada as young adults, and immediately started their own business as a means to survive. My parents had similar career paths, and several members of my extended family are or have been entrepreneurs at some point.

The resilience, hard work and determination of all the entrepreneurs in my family has been the ultimate motivation for me to get started and to keep going. I’ve always known I was destined to be an entrepreneur, it was just a matter of when.    

Ownr: How have you managed to turn your passion into a source of income?

Chantelle: Planning, planning, and more planning. I cannot stress it enough. I’ve learned planning is the most important thing you can do as an entrepreneur for your business. No plan = no profit, as simple as that. 

Although I’m an online-based shop, I depend heavily on Instagram as a marketing channel to drive sales back to my website. I have to meticulously plan my content for the platform, while constantly testing new hashtags, photoshoot angles, captions, and other strategies.