Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders. In their own words, they tell us about their life experiences, challenges and triumphs. Newsday launched this social media journey into the human experience to shine a light on the diverse people of this wonderful place we call home.

‘I’ve been able to save a lot more money than I would have by just working my regular 9-to-5 job.’

Alexandra Mahl, Plainview

“When I was 16 and my parents told me that they were going to move to Arizona, I decided that I was not going. So, I purged my closet to see what I could sell. I listed a few Free People items on Poshmark. Everything sold, and I made about $500. So,I was like, what else can I get rid of? I listed some boots, Michael Kors bags and ex-boyfriend jewelry, which sold within days, too.

“It started as a hobby. When I went to college, it became a side hustle. Then COVID hit, and I started helping other people on Long Island list their items at an hourly rate. At that point, I was making between $700 to a $1,000 worth of clothing a month on top of working full time. It was a good extra paycheck.

Now I’m meeting Sports Illustrated models, E! News reporters and all these crazy famous people.

“Then Poshmark came out with live-selling apps. That’s when it became a second full-time job for me. I started selling up to $15,000 a month. It was a huge takeoff and opened for so many opportunities for me. Poshmark sent me to New York City to meet with news reporters at The New York Times, Vogue and Business Insider.

“What none of the articles covered is that now celebrities contact me through social media to promote my side hustle. I started doing consignments for these celebrities, who basically get PR packages from well-known designers that are worth hundreds of dollars and can’t sell them on their own. Now I’m meeting Sports Illustrated models, E! News reporters and all these crazy famous people. That wouldn’t have happened without me working my butt off. Now I work at a law firm’s accounting department while juggling Poshmark as a second full-time job. I am a one-woman show: I do everything. I list, pack everything up, then I do it all again the next day.

“But I can’t do it all. I have hired people in Illinois, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New Jersey to thrift for me. They see things that they think I would like, then send them to me, and I pay them. I’ve been able to save a lot more money than I would have by just working my regular 9-to-5 job. And I was able to buy my dream car with the money that I put aside. It’s a Porsche, and I bought it brand new myself. Without working so hard, none of it would have been possible.”

Interviewed by Shoshanna McCollum

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Faces of Long Island is produced by Newsday Consumer Marketing. This content does not involve the reporting and editing staff of Newsday’s Editorial Department.