How this mom turned her hard times into happy finds… and a booming sustainable brand by accident.
She was unemployed, in Greenland! (kidding! But name that movie.)
Though this young tech go-getter did lose her job in the midst of new motherhood and a mortgage, she found herself not on the set of Princess Bride, but rummaging through vintage fabrics and an abandoned sewing machine to make something for a baby shower gift. That gift was a pair of adorable booties, and the birth of a brand. Read on for a peek inside the world of the colorful creative who’s presence alone is an instant mood boost. And let’s just put it this way, everyone needs a Bianca Wickers in their life.
Meet Golden Girl // Bianca Wickers of sunnyandcheer.com
Photography by: Jennie Corti
What is Sunny and Cheer? And how did it start?
Sunny and Cheer is the result of a rebrand from my former business Bink & Boo. I’ve been in this business for a while (15 years!) and when I first started as Bink & Boo everything was an accident, including this becoming an actual “business”. It all started after my son was born. My husband and I had just bought a house, we just had a baby, and then we lost our jobs. This was 2009, so everyone (and their mama) was losing their jobs. Money was super tight and I needed a gift for a baby shower. Long story short, I taught myself to sew, made booties from vintage fabric I had been collecting, gifted them at the shower, and that’s how it all started. Now my son is in middle school, I have a 10 year old daughter, and I still make baby booties. Bink & Boo was amazing, but as my family grew so did my desire for being more than just a baby brand. It was time for bink & boo to mature into something more. I was starting to sell kids vintage and getting requests for womens vintage, so a rebrand just made sense. My email signature has always been “wishing you sunshine & cheer”. I played around with that and created Sunny & Cheer, a lifestyle brand influenced by the colorful culture of Southern California in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
What types of goods can someone find in your Pop-Ups and online shop?
Good question! Simply put, a collection of vintage finds and original designs for the home, for the closet and for your kids. From eclectic ceramics, textiles and tablewares to a curated closet of vintage apparel and upcylced children’s clothing, Sunny and Cheer is a fusion of what I like to call happy finds from the raddest times.
What was your life previous to the success of Sunny and Cheer?
I came from the tech industry, sales and marketing. I was climbing that corporate ladder, and eager to make money. It was early 2000, there was money to be made. I was young and blinded by ambition and a “career path”. It makes me sad to think about the person I was in my twenties. I wasn’t very nice. My kids and hard times softened me. I am so grateful for second chances.
You have two adorable kids, a son and daughter. What is a trait or lesson you hope your kids carry with them throughout their lives?
I always talk to them about the importance of being a hard worker and being kind. If you’re “the boss” YOU work for the people. You get in the trenches with them. I have one woman who sews for me and there have been a number of times we have pulled all-nighters together to get orders out on time. I also want my kids to know that sometimes great things are born from nothing. I started this business with ZERO dollars and very little knowledge of how to sew. I taught myself how to sew, and “made do” until I could hire someone. Learning to “make do” is one of the best skills I learned from my parents. Hustle, hard work, and kindness have got me so much further than I ever imagined going.
You have a lot of moving pieces. How do you balance work, fam and yo-self?
I don’t believe in “balance.” My life is like a taco plate, with beans, rice, and salsa poured over everything. It all goes well together. Sometimes I enjoy a bite of rice by itself, but then I will take a bite of the crispy taco but the lettuce and cheese always fall out onto my beans and that little bit of spillage makes for one delicious bite. My family is a part of almost every single thing I do. I love that! Luckily my family doesn’t mind thrifting with me. It’s not always their favorite thing to do, but once we’re out doing it together, we have fun. I try to keep my thrifting “work” to the days my kids are in school–we are on a hybrid homeschool schedule so I have flexibility. The weekends are always busy with soccer or gymnastics, both sports have us traveling somewhere almost every weekend and that means spontaneous garage sales and estate sales outside of our usual hood. I will usually make one or two stops wherever we are to see what I can find. My husband and son will almost always stay in the car and my daughter will usually tag along with me - she’s my sweet little shadow. She can easily sucker me into buying her a little something she can flip or a little keepsake to remember our adventure and time together. Time with my kids is so precious and it’s going by too fast. I want them with me. I love being with my family, they’re the best.
What are you going to miss most about these sweet days of childhood?
The absolute silliness and laughter. It’s still there as they get older, it just sounds and looks a little different as they get older (tweens and teens).
What Inspired You To Make Thrifting a Business?
It’s funny, I grew up thrifting with my mom. She use to flip her finds on eBay and she was very successful! I thought what she did was so weird and I was embarrassed by it. Full circle moment! My mom planted the seeds, and time and life experiences brought them to life.
I started out repurposing vintage fabric into handmade goods, I eventually added vintage clothing to the mix because it was all on-brand for me. When I was out hunting for textiles other stuff would pop up that I couldn’t leave behind. It started all piling up and my husband said I needed to do something with it. I started to incorporate more vintage in photo shoots and it started selling. I have so much fun finding pieces that fit the peppy lifestyle of Sunny and Cheer. It’s the thrill of the hunt. It’s so cliché, but it’s true.
Thrift. Eat. Repeat.
What is it? We want it! Talk about the podcast you are starting
annnnnd can we be a guest?!
I Have been thinking about branding and marketing ideas lately and how to bring more value to my clients and followers. This just seemed like the logical thing to do. I don’t have a marketing budget so I have to get clever. I listen to the Gary Vee podcast everyday and he is always hollering that everyone should have a podcast. If Gary Vee tells me to do it, I should probably be doing it. His advice is practical and smart. It’s really me just sharing behind-the-scenes of the thrift life and my favorite gems to eat, while weaving in some of my friends and “celebrity” guests every now and then. Look for it to be on Netflix in 5 years! #GOALS
What is the inspiration behind your design aesthetic?
Happy. Happy. Happy. I’m a child of the 80’s and I was raised on T.V. from the 70’s and 80’s. So lots of influence from Three’s Company, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Golden Girls. My grandmother had this large trunk filled with old photos. There were so many of my aunts and uncles in the 60’s and 70’s in these wild patterns and colors. Photos of my mom and her surf and skate days in Huntington Beach. That’s where I pull all of my inspiration from. My family has been the biggest source of inspiration for me.
How did you come up with the idea of ankle biters. Total brill!
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” We were totally broke when we had our first child and my son was growing so fast and needed new clothes -- specifically pants. Potty training a boy means A LOT of laundry and lots of extra pants needed. My husband had some old shirts he was donating. The shirts were so soft and I thought maybe I could use them as fabric for something. I made a traditional pair of pants using the shirt as fabric. I didn’t pay attention to the layout or any of the design details. The print was on the front and they looked sloppy, BUT they were so easy for him to pull down for potty and pull up himself. I played around with the pattern and fit until it looked cute and not homemade. They were the only pants he would wear for a few years. Then a friend asked me to make a pair for her son, and it took off from there.
Simple Pleasures. Whether you have 10 minutes to yourself or an entire day, what is a simple pleasure that helps you reset and instantly puts you in a good mood?
A power nap! I get up very early to work, I like to be up before the sun so I can get in some quiet time and enjoy a slow morning before the house wakes and the hustle begins. Usually around 2 pm I like to sneak in a little quiet time to rest my eyes and my brain before I head into what is usually the busiest and loudest time of the day, school pick-up and after school shenanigans.
Best piece of advice you ever received?
Never stop tucking your kids in, EVEN WHEN THEY’RE TEENS. Even if it’s you waking up in the middle of the night to kiss them goodnight, whisper “I love you”, pray over them…they feel all of this, they need it, and they genuinely do appreciate it. I have friends who have kids just a couple years older than mine and their wisdom and advice for the teen years has been priceless and comforting. The teen years are rough and rewarding. The most truthful thing I’ve ever heard about having a teenage son is that it’s like the longest breakup ever. FACT.
When you are experiencing behavioral issues at home (we all go through these fun phases!) how do you help your kids get through it/ keep your cool along the way?
As my kids have grown, I have one teen and one tween, I have found that when these things pop-up it requires that I be more present. I have to find creative ways and language (that doesn’t come natural to me) to meet them where they’re at or help their heart adjust to sharing and releasing what’s bothering them. This can be really hard! My natural reaction is to want to yell back, but that NEVER helps the situation. Sometimes I have to dig deep to fight the urge to lose it and find the strength to lean into them and love them—just being more present for them and providing them a space where they feel loved, seen, wanted, safe, and comfortable. Often these days/nights when behavioral issues arise are the most important nights to tuck them into bed and give them extra snuggles. My tween’s love language is evening snuggles and my teen’s love language is burritos. Providing something unexpected as a peace offering to them after they have yelled at me or hurt me, brings down their walls, allows for more open communication, an opportunity for me to correct their behavior and allow it to fall on open ears and an open heart ready to receive it and repair it.
My husband and I both grew up in homes during a time when you didn’t dare raise your voice to your parents or talk back. We won’t tolerate disrespect in our home, but we have learned to give our kids the space and voice they need to get their emotions and anger out. If they are having a moment of anger or complete frustration we will let them vent (often in the form of shouting of slamming doors) and we will usually follow up with them and say “you sound upset, I am going to give you the space you need, but it’s not ok to shout at me like you did. I am here when you’re ready to talk or just need a hug.” Often they will immediately apologize for how they reacted and then we talk about what has upset them. Sometimes it does take a while for them to get into a space where they are ready to share. That’s ok, I just give them the time. BUT, if they take longer than 18 hours I will poke around and let them know that we need to talk about what’s wrong. Sweeping things under the rug or ignoring a problem isn’t how we deal with things. I want my kids to understand that being uncomfortable and pushing through hard conversations is needed for personal growth and relational growth.
How do you hope your kids remember you when they are all grown with kids of their own?
I hope they remember me as being fun, being their biggest fan, and being their bestest friend, but with healthy boundaries that reminded them I was always their mother first. Does that make sense? My kids recently told me “you’re cool, but you’re not the cool mom.” I laughed and told them that was the best compliment. They have plenty of friends, but they only have one mom. It’s a role and title I don’t take for granted. I am raising my kids to be emotionally and mentally successful and strong, with a healhty dose of David Goggins “stay hard” mentality.
Favorite outing with your kids and what snacks are you bringing along?
The beach! We are our best selves when we are outdoors, and the beach is our happy place. Kettle cooked potato chips, organic strawberries, a baguette from Prager brothers, and on the way home we stop for bean and cheese burritos or in-n-out.
Bianca Thrift Tip!
How do you filter through the mess? I instantly have to poop (no joke!) when I step into a thrift shop! Too many options, sections, so many things!
Break it into sections. If thrifting is new for you, just tackle one “department” for your first visit. Housewares is always a fun one, because usually everything is displayed and you don’t have to dig so much. You can almost always find a gem in housewares. Then next time you go build on that. Start with housewares again (you’ll feel confident especially if you found a special something last time) and then try looking for a vintage t-shirt in the men's department. Baby steps.
Favorite place to shop for yourself and your kids?
Valley Thrift! And If we can’t find it at Valley Thrift then we like to head to Captain’s Helm in Oceanside. We usually try to stick to local and small shops/brands for apparel and home.
What products make you feel your best while you do everything you can to make your kids feel their best?
I am not much of a product person. I am very basic and kind of boring in the product department. I try to keep things simple and streamlined and don’t like to spend frivolously on beauty products or apparel. But…I will invest in a beauty product or two if it gives me a little extra {beauty} pep in my step. I feel fancy splurging on the Goop All-In-One Super Nutrient Face Oil. I was gifted my first bottle and now I am hooked. My other favorite beauty product is the lip balm from Westman Atelier, in pipsqueak and nana. My everyday favorite beauty product is James parfum from by Rosie Jane. I love the parfum and the body oil. One, kind of random, thing that I have been investing in for myself and my family are homeopathic remedies. These have helped us all feel our best in the short term and will have us feeling our best long term.
Shop Bianca
