Photo: Courtesy of Dawn Crothers
How she got her start: Crothers has a slightly less conventional career path than most event professionals: She started her career as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. While she loved her role there, she was drawn to a more creative field.
"I founded Something Vintage Rentals in 2012 after collecting vintage china and dining chairs for my own wedding, and saw the opportunity for specialty rental companies in the Washington, D.C. market," she explains. "I use my training as an intelligence analyst to assess new trends in interiors and fashion and my creative eye to design and source unique pieces for our inventory."
What sets her company apart: "Something Vintage’s inventory is overflowing with colorful, unique rental items—spanning midcentury modern designer sofas and statement pink bars to bright orange phone booths and iridescent tinsel chairs," Crothers says. "We are different from other rental companies because we design and build much of our inventory using new and vintage pieces and embracing lots of color. We even have a full pottery studio where we make our collection of handmade dinnerware!"
What innovation means to her: To Crothers, it's all about breaking the mold. "Many people think that if something isn’t being done currently, it cannot be done for XYZ reasons, and they are afraid to try something new. For years, that’s what I thought," she says, explaining that early on, she thought she had to avoid being too bright and trendy, and lean into the "ornate and old-school" style of many D.C. venues.
"I was afraid to put myself out there, because what if people didn’t like it?" Crothers recalls—before realizing she actually had an opportunity to help shake up and influence event design in the D.C. area. "If I put it out there and showed how cool, colorful, and unique items like midcentury pieces could be [on our] social media and on our website, event planners would start incorporating it into their design plans. And this is essentially what happened. It was a risk for sure, but it paid off."
Crothers firmly believes without continuing to evolve and innovate, Something Vintage wouldn't survive as a company. "We have to change and anticipate trends to keep our clients coming back for more. If we look at what other companies are doing and try to be like them, we won’t stand out," she says.
Career highlights: "Finding clients with a style that embodies the Something Vintage brand is what I love," she says. "We designed a wedding at the Four Seasons Baltimore that was a rainbow and tinsel dream come true! Having clients that are willing to be bold and embrace color makes my heart happy."
Crothers also recalls a time when a designer contacted her team for vintage chairs for a photo shoot. "It turned out to be for President Obama in People and In Style magazine. Our staff was on cloud nine when the magazines came out!" she says. "We, of course, had to rename the chairs 'The Baracks.'"
Her favorite thing about the event industry: Crothers loves seeing how her pieces can transform an event and bring joy to attendees. "A silver tinsel sofa or a midcentury purple sectional in the center of a room really sets the vibe," she says. "When we start bringing in our pieces to our delivery, we love hearing people get excited that Something Vintage is here!"
Back to the full list: Industry Innovators 2022: 13 Standout Event Vendors to Know About
