My sister and I were laid off around the same time. We started a small business together to survive unemployment.

The author and her sister run a small business, selling vintage items.

Courtesy of Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein

When I walk into a suburban mid-century house with my sister, we're on the hunt for treasures that will make our customers happy — but we also like to marvel at the elaborate wallpaper in the bathroom.We have time now to sift through the junk drawers and basement bookshelves. Within the last few years, we both were laid off from our jobs as writers and editors. While we continue to fling our résumés into the ring, we keep ourselves busy at estate sales and thrift stores.We come from a family of thrifters and estate-sale lovers; our mother was an avid collector with an eye for beautiful and valuable antiques. She taught her three daughters how to find treasures in the junk —what to look for, how to bargain, and which cleaning potions worked best to restore items to their former glory.I've always enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, but I never imagined turning our shared love for vintage into a small business.My sister and I were laid offI sensed a wave of layoffs coming in digital media before it happened. A strange mix of optimism and despair coursed through me as I tried to regroup. I quickly landed a new job, only to be let go from that role a year later.Meanwhile, my younger sister had lost her job as part of mass layoffs at a major corporation. We were both reeling while grieving the loss of our mother and now also caring for our elderly father in our childhood home.With the looming threat of AI, the job market looked bleak.Layoffs disrupt and disorient. It's hard to know how to spend your time when there's suddenly so much of it. It's easy to sink into the couch and think your new job is just remembering to shower and watching every episode of "Love Island."Facing job loss — and the grief of losing both of our parents within six years — my younger sister and I first reviewed our mom's epic collection for items we could sell. We also started hitting estate sales, thrift shops, antique malls, and garage sales more frequently.