Omsk Mom Opens Vintage Tableware Shop on Maternity Leave
The shop resembles a small museum
With just a month left before giving birth, Omsk resident Yevgenia Totysheva was registering a business instead of packing a hospital bag. That«s how Servant, a vintage tableware shop, was born — now it draws not only collectors but also students hunting for treasures. The store started on the Left Bank and later moved to the city center. Kristina Savinykh reports on how maternity leave turned into a startup and why »grandma«s old stuff» has become a hit with young people.
On average, tableware at Servant can be bought for 3,500–4,000 rubles ($40–45)
How the Idea Was Born
The shop offers a wonderful view of Lyubinsky Prospekt
In early summer 2022, Yevgenia visited a flea market in St. Petersburg for the first time. She flew back from the Northern Capital with two bags — plates, cups, and small items for the soul. Back then, it was just a hobby. But her interest grew into study: she read articles, took specialized courses, monitored websites selling old items, and gradually built a picture of the vintage world.
In the store, you can learn information about the year and place of manufacture of some items
«For the most part, you learn this through practice, when you start touching objects, when your first package of vintage arrives, you look at each item. You examine the hallmark, start searching for it online, reading about the manufactory. To start doing this, you don»t need any special training,« the entrepreneur explains.
The variety of goods is dazzling
The main principle of the future Servant was born from her personal experience at flea markets.
The most expensive item at the moment is a dish from France for 26,000 rubles ($300)
«As a rule, at regular flea markets, people don»t always treat you politely, they judge you by your appearance and set the price of an item accordingly. I didn«t want to make a consignment shop. I wanted every item to have a specific price,» Yevgenia shares.
The price of jewelry ranges from 600 rubles ($7) to 25,000 rubles ($280)
A Dream That Maternity Leave Didn«t Derail
If you wish, you can sit down and have a coffee
Yevgenia has a degree in economics. Before opening the store, she worked as an accountant, in a jewelry salon, at a bank, and at an IT company. She made many attempts to find herself, but inside there was always an understanding: she wanted something of her own.
Yevgenia does not position Servant as a store in the classical sense
In January 2023, the Omsk resident decided to create a space where antiques wouldn«t gather dust in a corner but would be beautifully displayed on shelves. She began collecting cups and plates — and then learned she would become a mother for the second time.
«I already had this experience when I was pregnant with my older daughter and wanted to open a handmade gift workshop. It was exactly the same situation when I was about to start something. I found out I was pregnant, and, roughly speaking, it was forgotten for six years. I realized the situation was repeating, and I didn»t want to let these circumstances ruin my dream,« the Omsk resident says.
At first, she thought launching would require a lot of money and merchandise. Over time, she realized: a collection can be built gradually, and selling can start when the right moment comes. Moreover, vintage only becomes more expensive with age — that«s a plus.
From Social Media Sales to the First Location
Since autumn 2023, Yevgenia sold only through social media. But then she thought about renting: there was no longer enough space at home for dishes, and handing goods to customers by the entrance or in a coffee shop seemed increasingly unprofessional.
The idea of having her own space was cemented after participating in the «Mom-Entrepreneur» program.
«Mom-Entrepreneur» is a federal program supporting women with children that helps turn a business idea into a working project. Participants receive five days of training, expert support, and a chance to win a grant.
«Based on the entire training process, I realized that vintage is interesting to people, that this field is in demand. I also looked at trends in other cities, and in the world in general, and saw that vintage is gaining popularity,» the Omsk resident says.
In early 2024, the first Servant opened in the Kristall neighborhood. Her husband, who supported his wife«s decision from the start, helped choose the location. The Left Bank was chosen deliberately: their second child was born, and the closer the store to home, the easier it is to step away if needed.
«The family helped a lot with sitting with the child. Of course, when guests visited the space, I tried not to bring the child along. When I needed to sort out a delivery, arrange something, take photos, I could take my daughter with me,» the owner clarifies.
Moving to the Center and New Prospects
At first, you could only enter the store by appointment; later, a weekend salesperson appeared. But not everything went smoothly: the location let them down.
«We opened and immediately the road was closed for two years for repairs, which also hampered our work, because people are already reluctant to go to the Left Bank for some items,» Yevgenia recalls.
The collector dreamed of a store in an old building with huge windows right in the center of Omsk. She wanted to increase foot traffic and support the concept: items with history should be sold in a place with history.
The dream came true in April of this year. Servant is now based in the building of Omsk«s former First Women»s Gymnasium at 10 Lenin Street. With the move, foot traffic has indeed increased.
Imports from Abroad and Pricing
The «vintage shop» specializes mainly in vintage tableware, but the assortment also includes jewelry and small home items. The store gathers packages from almost all over the world — to replenish the shelves, the entrepreneur uses Russian-speaking suppliers from Germany, France, Sweden, the US, and Japan. Yevgenia finds them online.
«They select goods for us at flea markets, bazaars, markets, other antique shops, and buy some items at auctions. When selecting items, we try to rely on the tastes of our guests, and on our own tastes as well,» the entrepreneur says.
According to her, there are no serious problems with suppliers. On average, international packages take about a month, though sometimes they get lost or take up to six months. The owner of Servant admits: not a single package with goods arrived completely intact. Broken dishes appeared in the very first batch.
«We don»t throw away all these fragments, we keep them and then use them in our creativity. From some we make wall panels. If it«s a beautiful plate that broke nicely, we compose decorative elements and save them for the future.»
The average price for tableware at Servant is 3,500–4,000 rubles ($40–45). But the cost is influenced not only by the purchase price but also by rarity, historical context, age, and condition of the item.
«You can»t just add the cost to every item, because the purchase price is different. You might buy one item for one price this time, and next time, if you manage to find it, which isn«t always possible, it might cost completely differently.»
However, if you want, you can find items for 100 or 200 rubles ($1–2) — usually these are pieces with minor damage. Purchases, which happen several times a month, cost on average up to 100,000 rubles ($1,100).
Competition and a Young Audience
Yevgenia names one of the main difficulties in running the business as unusual — fighting the desire to buy everything she likes. Antique items are purchased not in batches but individually. The supplier walks through a flea market, finds an interesting item, and shows it to the owner. A decision must be made instantly — buying it later won«t be possible.
«I have a lot of creativity in me, I want to come up with many things. First of all, I don»t think about money but about wanting to realize my idea. Now I«ve started to slow myself down in this regard, but it took me three years to get it out of my system. After all, a business should bring in money,» Yevgenia shares.
She doesn«t feel competition with other vintage and antique stores. She believes each such shop in Omsk is unique: some focus on Soviet porcelain and crystal, others on badges and paintings. The entrepreneur advocates friendship with »colleagues in the trade.« Sometimes they even exchange goods.
«Sometimes items appear that I understand are more their area. We exchange calmly. They see that European porcelain doesn»t sell well for them, so they pass it to us.«
The audience for such shops overlaps in places, but Servant«s is mainly girls aged 25 to 30. Students also like to drop by. They most often buy jewelry. Sometimes young men come for beautiful dishes too.
«The trend of creating coziness is getting younger. You can»t say anymore, like in those memes, «I»m over forty, and off I go to look for sideboards.« Girls at 20–22 already want to furnish their homes beautifully, even though they live in rented apartments. Or they say: »I don«t have an expensive renovation, but I want to buy myself a cup that I»ll put on a little napkin, and there you have the atmosphere, coziness,« Yevgenia explains.
Future Plans
Yevgenia doesn«t position Servant as a store in the classical sense. For her, it»s a space where you can not only buy a rare item but also take part in an intimate event. On the Left Bank, they already held master classes, film screenings, tastings, and more. They want to repeat something similar in the center.
In the future, she dreams of setting up a full-fledged coffee shop with its own menu at the store. So far, this idea is realized on a smaller scale: customers are offered coffee in beautiful vintage cups.
«I would also like to deal in antique furniture, but that requires additional space. There will definitely be some restoration. We need to find a person who will restore everything properly, not just smear or glue it,» Yevgenia concludes.
