At just 26 years old, entrepreneur Kate Sullivan is proof that an unconventional path can lead to extraordinary results. Sullivan, who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, walked away from college to build a jewelry business from scratch inside her own bedroom. Today, her brand The Sage Vintage has grown into a thriving operation that earns her well over $440,000 a year. What started as a pandemic-era experiment has turned into a full-blown success story recognized far beyond her hometown.
Sullivan’s love for jewelry began long before any business plan entered the picture. She started making pieces alongside her father when she was just ten years old, learning the craft hands-on and developing an eye for unique, character-rich designs. When the pandemic hit, she spotted a growing wave of vintage resellers on the platform Depop and quickly realized she needed to stand out rather than blend in. That instinct to differentiate herself became the foundation of everything that followed.
As she explained in an interview with CNBC Make It, the direction became clear once she committed to it fully. “As soon as I dropped out of college, I started selling deconstructed vintage jewelry. My dad and I would visit flea markets, antique shops, and thrift stores looking for charms, necklaces, and chains that I would then combine into new pieces,” she said. Working out of her bedroom and often staying up until 2 a.m., she pulled in around $10,500 in her first year alone. It was modest, but it was a start. You can watch video here.
The charm necklace format proved to be a smart niche at exactly the right time. “Back then, not many people were making charm jewelry, and I liked the personality it gave each piece. I started selling necklaces with multiple charms, and customers kept asking for more. When I became my own boss, I realized I didn’t want to go back to college and look for a regular job,” Sullivan shared. The demand kept climbing, and her growing presence on Pinterest gave her the early signal that The Sage Vintage could become something much bigger.
The turning point arrived roughly a year after she launched her website, when she entered into a collaboration with Harry Covert, a handmade jewelry brand. The partnership sent her business viral almost overnight. “Our first collections with Harry Covert would sell out in five to ten minutes, sometimes faster. It was incredible. I had never earned that much in such a short time,” she recalled. That momentum opened doors she hadn’t even anticipated, including attention from the entertainment world.
Celebrity interest followed quickly. “One of the first big moments was when Gigi Hadid’s stylist messaged me and asked for a few pieces for her. It was unreal,” Sullivan said. Singer SZA also wore her jewelry, further cementing The Sage Vintage as a brand with real cultural cachet. These high-profile endorsements pushed Sullivan to rethink her production model and scale beyond one-of-a-kind pieces into small-batch collections that could meet the growing demand.
That shift opened the door to wholesale partnerships. “When we switched to small batches, we started exploring wholesale, which is now an important part of our sales. I grew up shopping at Anthropologie, and then I suddenly saw my pieces on their website. It was a surreal moment,” she said. Having her designs carried by a major retailer she once browsed as a customer was a milestone that underscored just how far the brand had traveled in a short time. Sullivan credits her family’s ongoing support as a key ingredient in that journey.
The financial picture today reflects a business built with discipline as much as creativity. “Our profit margin is around 50 percent. Up until this year, I wasn’t paying myself a real salary — I’d only take what was left at the end of the month,” she revealed. That restraint in the early stages allowed the brand to grow steadily rather than overextend, and it has paid off. The Sage Vintage now generates annual revenue exceeding $440,000, all traced back to a bedroom, a father-daughter bond over jewelry, and a willingness to bet on herself.
Viewers who came across Sullivan’s story online responded with genuine admiration. Comments ranged from “Wonderful to hear about a woman’s success. Thank you for sharing your process. I hope you continue to thrive,” to “Smart young woman, I hope she keeps following her dreams,” and simply, “Truly inspiring.”
Vintage and charm jewelry has a long history in fashion, dating back decades as a form of personal storytelling worn on the body. The resurgence of vintage aesthetics in the early 2020s, driven heavily by platforms like Depop and Pinterest, created fertile ground for independent artisans to find audiences outside the traditional retail system. Charm necklaces in particular became closely associated with the Y2K revival trend, which brought layered, maximalist jewelry back into mainstream style. Wholesale partnerships with lifestyle retailers like Anthropologie have historically served as a major growth lever for small independent jewelry brands looking to scale without sacrificing their identity.
If Kate Sullivan’s story resonates with you or sparks any thoughts on entrepreneurship, creativity, or the jewelry world, feel free to share your perspective in the comments.
