Jessica Liliedahl is a 19-year-old DIV I student at Hampshire College. She conducted this interview on October 5th, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jess interviewed her aunt, Stephanie Pernice. Jess is interested in epidemiology and hopes to focus on the study of Lyme disease during her time at college.
Stephanie Pernice manages Sowa Vintage Market in South Boston, Massachusetts, with her partner, John Warren. They also source products for the flea market, such as art, antiques, fashion, jewelry, objects, furniture, curios, and music (LPs, CDs, etc.). Stephanie has been managing the market for 10 years and has sold antiques for 15 years. She and John Warren live in Lynnfield, Massachusetts, with their dog, Emilie. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie has had to make significant changes to her business model to accommodate state health guidelines regarding population capacity indoors and sanitization procedures.
Reflection: The interview went very smoothly. Both Stephanie and I were comfortable and were able to talk freely after the first few minutes. Stephanie answered all the vital questions. There were a few awkward pauses when neither of us knew who should speak next, but this usually opened the conversation up to new and interesting topics. I also forgot to mute my mic, causing slight audio disturbances. Also, I forgot to ask my aunt what “SoWa” means and where it is located until the very end. Overall, though, the interview went well and clearly illustrated part of what Stephanie’s business life has been like over the last six months.