Editors note: Orlando Flores refused to show his face in photos for security reasons.
Communications senior Orlando Flores’ passion for clothes has always been prominent in his life, from selling at flea markets around California to now running his own thrift store.
Flores opened Down To Earth, a second-hand clothing store located in Eastridge mall, in November 2022.
A second-hand store is one that resells used goods, according to Law Insider.
Flores said he finds time to do his school work throughout the slow times in the day, but being a business owner and full-time student has its difficulties.
“It’s one of the . . . hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” Flores said. “You have no free time, literally, you have to plan your days off like weeks in advance.”
Even on days when Flores isn’t at the shop working, he’s still on the clock going to other flea markets searching for clothes to add to his store.
He said he wakes up at 3 a.m. and drives for hours to source for
new pieces.
He said his passion for selling clothes originated from helping his mother sell clothes at the Capitol Flea Market when he
was younger.
“I feel like with thrifting clothes, you can dress well on a budget,” Flores said. “You could go to the Goodwill and spend like 20 bucks and get something nice.”
Flores said he grew up going to Eastridge and it was important to have his first shop in his
home city.
“I wanted to create a very welcoming vibe to the store,” Flores said. “Especially because in San Jose, there’s not a huge vintage thing. For vintage, you go to SF, LA, you go everywhere else but San Jose.”
Flores said the clothes the store receives comes through a variety of
avenues, including 15 different cosigners.
A cosigner is a third party seller who supplies the store
with their merchandise and gives the owner a percentage of the sale, according to a June 24, 2022 article by Indeed.
Lodi resident Mateo Isquierdo, who runs the @vintageerathrifts Instagram account, said he met Flores in 2020 at a vintage clothing event in Sacramento.
Isquierdo said he has about a hundred items in Down To Earth and drives twice a month from Lodi to put more inventory up.
“That’s kind of why I choose to stay in the store with him is because I know that it’s getting consistent foot traffic and he knows how to maximize the amount of customers that are in the store on a weekly basis,” Isquierdo said.
Flores said he doesn’t want to charge high prices for his clothes as shirts in his store cost between $35 to $45.
“We don’t want to charge an arm and a leg to buy a shirt, which is one of the biggest stigmas for vintage stores,” Flores said. “That’s probably one of the biggest compliments [that] our store is pretty affordable.”
Flores said the prices at the store have helped attract customers, making people travel from all over the Bay Area to come shop for vintage clothing.
He said he credits his parents for his success and he admires their entrepreneurship.
“The work I put in is nowhere near compare to the work they put in or any other person that immigrated to the U.S. for a better life,” Flores said.
Kevin Gomez, an employee at Down To Earth, said Flores is like an older brother who gives him a lot of guidance through life.
“He’s a very good person, he’s very humble about everything and it’s a blessing to have some type of person like him in my life,”
Gomez said.
Gomez said he enjoys working at the store because of the work environment Flores creates and how he’s not picky like
most bosses.
He said Flores often gives him advice on how to run a business because Gomez looks to open his own barber shop one day.
“When I started opening up about me and my career goals and what I’ve gone through, he was always there for me and he always knew what to say,” Gomez said.
As Down To Earth reaches its four month anniversary, Flores said he’d like to open more stores in California and already has some locations in the works.
“I tell people, ‘This is just the beginning,’ ” Flores said.
