About Me
My name is Brooke and I was born and raised in NY. I moved to South Jersey in 2018. I have been selling items on eBay and at Flea Markets for many years. My love of Flea Markets began around the age of 10 in Brooklyn, when my mom used to sell jewelry at local Flea Markets and I would assist her. There was also a Flea Market once a month on Saturdays at the local church, St. Thomas Aquinas, and I would always be so excited every month to go and see what hidden treasures I could find!
I was hooked.
All these years later, I still get excited at the prospect of heading to a Garage Sale, Flea Market, Estate Sale, Thrift Shop, Antique Store or Englishtown Auction.
I have been collecting vintage toys since 2002, primarily Fisher Price pull toys from the 50's and 60's as well as old Tonka trucks and coloring books. My very first vintage toy purchase online was the 1958 Fisher Price Huffy Puffy Train, #999, first edition. When it arrived, I was totally fascinated with how well the toys were made. I also loved the bright colors and the craftmanship. My collection began to grow.Around 2005 I began selling items on eBay under the seller name "rainborn" to make some extra money.
When I started working at an oil company in Brooklyn, NY back in 2009, I had a mini candy store selling candy bars out of a cardboard box on my desk since we didn't have a vending machine at work. That quickly blossomed into a mini "store" full of all different kinds of items that the employees bought from. We coined it "Brooke's Nook".
After I left the job, I realized I loved the name and decided to open up an eBay business named "Brooke's Nook" and started selling vintage toys and unique items. I also sold items on consignment for several friends and other people that became my clients. It did really well around the holidays, and I also started selling the toys part time at local Holiday Fairs and Flea Markets on the weekends, which I still do today.
On May 1, 2017, I officially got my business license in NY and became a Sole Proprietor of Brooke's Nook. My NJ business license soon followed when I moved to NJ at the end of 2018. I was ready to rock and roll!
Brooke's Nook became my full time job in 2020 right when the pandemic started and everything shut down and I said to myself, after all these years of working corporate jobs for someone else, I feel like it's now or never.
Now is the time to be my OWN boss.
I never looked back.
My "mouse" logo has a special story. Some years ago, I was in my local Staten Island Salvation Army and I discovered a bin filled with small toys where everything was priced 25 cents. I discovered this small wooden toy, with a foreign logo I didn't recognize on the bottom, that was very well made and rolled and "squeaked" when you pushed down on its head. I fell in love. Ironically, when I went to purchase it, the store was having a 50% off sale on a lot of items and they ended up not even charging me anything for it.
When I got home, I looked up the toy online and discovered it was worth a decent amount of money. I considered it a good luck charm for my business, and I decided to keep it rather than sell it. The idea of officially creating a business to make a living was born. It became my talisman, my logo, and the primary colors remind me of the toys of my childhood and all the Fisher Price toys that surround me in my house. It sits in my room as a daily reminder of what I have created.
Now browse, smile, reminisce, and if you see something you just HAVE to have all over again or for the very first time, buy!
Welcome to Brooke's Nook! :)
The Brooke's Nook Booth at SalemCon, April 2015. Humble beginnings. <3