{"id":13535,"date":"2018-07-02T11:10:26","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T15:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=13535"},"modified":"2023-11-07T11:37:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T16:37:20","slug":"inside-the-second-hand-treasures-of-safisha-fia-mance-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/city-guides\/dc\/inside-the-second-hand-treasures-of-safisha-fia-mance-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Second-Hand Treasures of Safisha (Fia) Mance Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Safisha
\nThis is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Safisha (Fia) Mance Thomas, a customer of our CubeSmart store in Washington, D.C., for sharing her story with us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Given that her store Fia\u2019s Fabulous Finds is merely steps away, it’s a common sight for locals to see Fia herself pulling her hot pink shopping cart across the street to CubeSmart\u2019s Upshur Street location in Washington D.C.<\/a> to grab her packages and stock up on boxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in here all the time to get my stuff, shoot the breeze, eat the candy,\u201d she says. \u201cI have two units for my inventory, one for winter and one for summer. It\u2019s clean, it\u2019s friendly, and it\u2019s just been a good place to help me grow my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fia has owned the store in Petworth for three years. A graduate of George Mason University, she originally hails from Richmond, VA, but fell in love with D.C. during her college years and has since put down roots with her husband and two daughters, who also help out with the family business.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother had a costume shop and my aunt had a secondhand shop so fashion has always been a passion of mine, and I live for the thrill of thrifting,\u201d she says with infectious enthusiasm. \u201cThe other day I found this beautiful vintage rainbow cross-body bag made from 100 percent leather\u2014I tried to walk away but I was still thinking about it, and that\u2019s when I knew I had to buy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the high-end clothes she consigns for her customers and her own cache of thrifted goods, she offers new swimsuits (28,000 of which are located in her CubeSmart unit). She also partners with local artists and artisans to sell their wares on consignment. She points to the bright yellow felt necklace she\u2019s wearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of my partners,\u201d she says. \u201cHer company is called Needles and Fashion. I love to help other women-owned businesses get off the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because running her business and household isn\u2019t quite enough, Fia also happens to own an event management company, Mance & Associates, which organizes functions from A to Z for clients like the YMCA.<\/p>\n

And while she still makes time to scope out flea markets and thrift shops, Fia doesn’t have an enormous home closet, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually wear the same thing over and over. I like to have nice pieces but it\u2019s more about the fun of finding things you\u2019re not expecting, and the idea of reusing and repurposing what someone didn\u2019t want or need,\u201d she says. \u201cI think a lot of women right now are in the mindset of doing more with less. It\u2019s not about going to Louis Vuitton or Neiman Marcus. This is a moment for women where we see what\u2019s important, we want to make our voices heard, and we want to be wise about how we spend our money.\u201d<\/p>\n

We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Safisha (Fia) Mance Thomas, a customer of our CubeSmart store in Washington, D.C., for sharing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":13537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1938,648],"tags":[743,924,232],"class_list":["post-13535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-life","category-dc","tag-dc-storage","tag-humansofselfstorage","tag-inside-self-storage"],"yoast_head":"\r\nInside the Second-hand Treasures of Safisha (Fia) Mance Thomas | The Storage Space<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take a look as we explore what's inside the stories of our Customers. 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