Hi, I’m Joshelle Hargus-Compton, the girl behind DearElliemae — a little vintage shop named after my daughter, Elliemae, and a business that honestly became so much more than I ever expected.

I’ve always loved old things. I’ve been an old soul for as long as I can remember — drawn to the pieces with character, the things that remind you of your grandma’s house, the clothes you swear you had as a kid, and all the little treasures that somehow survived decades just waiting to be loved again.

DearElliemae started in June of 2025 during a season when I was postpartum, freshly married, and honestly a little unsure of what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like. I knew I didn’t really want to go back to a traditional 9-to-5, and I needed something creative that felt like me again.

At first, it was simply a hobby. I had actually started stocking up on vintage pieces for Elliemae to wear in future years — finding things I loved enough to save for her and pieces I knew she could someday look back on and keep forever. Naming the shop after her just made sense.

Then somehow, that little hobby took off.

A few vintage finds turned into weekly drops, antique finds, live sales, auctions, road trips and thousands of orders sent to homes all over the country. It grew into something I never could have planned, but something that came along at exactly the right time.

Most of what you see at DearElliemae has been handpicked by me. I spend a lot of time digging through estate sales, auctions, thrift stores, flea markets and anywhere else I might stumble across something too good to leave behind. I love finding the things you don’t see every day — vintage children’s clothing, Y2K nostalgia, old dishes and homewares, and the perfectly weird little antique you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.

But my favorite part is knowing these pieces get another life.

DearElliemae may have started with my little girl, but somewhere along the way, it became a little piece of me too. It gave me a direction during a season when I wasn’t quite sure what mine was — and getting to build this, share what I love, and watch all of you make these finds part of your own lives has been one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

Thanks for being here, shopping secondhand, loving old things with me, and giving the good stuff another story to tell.

— Joshelle