Southbridge, Massachusetts. – Expectations were high at Southbridge’s La Salle Reception Center, where the Threadbare Show set up a booth last season. As with May and his July shows, each vendor did their best to open Brimfield his week and fall season on Labor Day weekend on September 4th. The building through the parking lot. According to the show’s organizers, attendance at the show surpassed his May numbers by 20 percent, which was his highest yet.
Although it’s a young show in its second year, Threadbare already has reliable regulars who will be back for the next great production. Many are other dealers who visit the Brimfield circuit two to three times a year, and some come from as far afield as Japan, where demand for American vintages is particularly high. Others are collectors with closets that fill multiple Threadbare booths, and brand representatives looking for garments to pattern and reproduce. Younger visitors, nostalgic for the styles of the past they don’t remember, and hoping that sustainable shopping can help secure a better future, were even more visitors.
Early buyers rushed to the 9am bell and either poured downstairs into the space or sprinted up the center grand staircase to the ballroom. There were many familiar faces among the dealers, some newcomers, and some canine companions that charmed both buyers and sellers. Dealers such as Olden Yoon, Sweet Dahlia Vintage and Scarlet Lady Antiques were on the show from the beginning. Others set up booths for the first time. Many of them came to his Threadbare on their own momentum after doing shows elsewhere, or he came to Threadbare on the recommendation of a friend who had a booth before.
Matt Bernhardt of Bern Pit was just such a new seller, having helped his friend Frank Fina of Save The Rags at a previous show and set it up right next to his booth downstairs. Both from Buffalo, N.Y., but their vintage casual wear varied and made a great presentation on both sides of the aisle.”I thought, ‘This looks like a lot of fun,'” Bernhardt said of the experience. . Sales have been brisk since opening. Booths have historically been awkward spots for dealers, but Bernhardt says he worked around a fireplace in an 8-by-8-foot space, creating a cozy hearth-like environment and matching it to existing décor. placed the product.
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania’s Rock n’ Pop Vintage returned to Threadbare for a second show, offering clothing and textiles from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Rock n’ Pop is also a star seller on Etsy, owned and operated by Izzy Walls. Threadbare is the shop’s only in-person show so far. Walls is a high school sophomore and her trading schedule is somewhat constrained. Her vintage looks forward to her fashion career.
The party continued upstairs, with shoppers walking through booths, literally emptying racks and trying on clothes in the aisles. Early buyers often have their own buying criteria because each dealer has a specific focus.
Blomma Vintage in Raleigh, North Carolina is the revival of Pintucks & Petticoats led by Chrissy Blomma. Her Blomma, which has been in business for almost 20 years, took a break from trading and returned last November to sell online and at her local Raleigh market. This was my first time selling on Threadbare and I was overwhelmed by how willing her fellow dealers were to help set up and unload her inventory after her car troubles. After this eventful return of her home, Blomma had a good morning sale and said, “I’m happy to be part of this community.”
Fox & Fawn also appeared across the aisle, also a first for the show. Marissa Johnson founded her shop in 2007 and now has two locations in Brooklyn, one in Greenpoint and one in Bushwick. Johnson was pleased with the amount of inventory already gone, including a wicker pig handbag that he was lucky enough to photograph before the sale.[The buyer] We got a good deal,” she said.
Cathy McLaurin of Labor and Glean, New Hampshire is an artist and vintage dealer who often sources clothing in need of repair. This type of repurposing and refurbishing has seen a resurgence in recent years, celebrating the construction of antique and vintage garments and giving them new life. , was artfully patched with blue and white prickly striped fabric. “I love the challenge of finding something miserable and making it wearable again,” McLoughlin said. , a greasy LL Bean tote bag.
After the store opened, many dealers, including Amalgamated Costume and Design, said, “There is no complaints here.” Amalgamated is “the Washington DC area’s premier vintage and costume resource,” and a rush followed by a half-empty rack bolstered that claim. , which lists works using the inventory. His Threadbare inventory in the shop was vibrant, wearable, and filled with unique items, such as his work shirt made out of people’s sandbags. The colorful graphics printed on the material create a vibrant print.
I drove down from Ashland, New Hampshire the day before with my partner Anthony Adamski and quickly transformed the booth into a winter wonderland. Season. His ski jacket hung from the scrubbed pine door, and his Nordic sweater rack was accented with evergreen branches. Corbett highlighted piles of knee-high camping blankets sold early in the morning, waiting to be loaded while the new owners continued shopping.
Holding Vintage and Antiques in Salem, Massachusetts, we are back in Threadbear under the supervision of owner Marie. Marie’s booth was arranged like a comfy campsite closet with a quilt and his perfect fur-lined boots from the 1950s, sold by noon. Running shows frequently at Salem Flea during the summer months, during busy periods he had to decide between Threadbare and another market. Luckily for us, she chose the former and was having a healthy sales day before moving to Heart O’ The Mart in Brimfield later in the week.
The next Threadbare Show is on May 8th. For more information, please visit www.threadbareshow.com.
New Year’s Eve Bern Pitt (Buffalo, NY) cozyed up at home around the existing fireplace in the downstairs show space, matching cast-iron skillets and camp blankets.
From Fox & Fawn (Brooklyn, NY), this wicker piggy purse sold immediately after opening for $225.
View from the stage of the La Salle Reception Center. A customer running around his Threadbare Show booth on the second floor.
“Look for the Union Label…” The Union Label is a great way to date your vintage dealer finds. This shirt from Ally Bird Vintage (Jersey City, NJ) proudly shows it off with a rare example of branding. I got it for $250.
Waiting for backup. The environmental sustainability of second-hand and vintage fashion attracts young buyers and dealers.
Jonesy Vintage Goods, Syracuse, NY provided a truckload of popular vintage denim and workwear categories at the show. The canvas jumpsuit in the back was $650.
Customers carefully inspect garments before purchasing from Demetra Vintage (Providence, Rhode Island).
Analog is still fun. At Strongarm Clothing and Supply in New York City, young shoppers are looking for old-fashioned merchandise and clothing samples for sale.
New Hampshire native Cathy McLaurin of Labor & Glean shows us how she patched and reconstructed the pockets of an early 20th century duster jacket that sold for $525.
This work shirt is made from repurposed hominy glitz sack material from Amalgamated Costume and Design (Arlington, VA) for $350.
A line of excited early buyers surrounds La Salle Reception Center before Threadbare opens at 9am.
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Held Vintage & Antiques (Salem, Massachusetts) had a booth decorated in rustic campground style with matching gear! The long johns were all $40 and the crazy quilt was $195.
Early shoppers speed through the first round of racks searching the Threadbare’s lower levels.
The Quince and Quail (Ashland, New Hampshire) turned its booth into a ski lodge, giving shoppers the right mindset for buying blankets.
Rock n’ Pop Vintage (Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania) is back at Threadbare after showing in July. His colorful plaid 1960s robe on the left rack was $190, and the Edwardian dress hanging prominently behind was $645.
Dominating the stage was this lingerie- and crinoline-clad mannequin from Gypsy Nation Vintage, New York City.
Returning to the vintage market with Threadbare as their first show, Blomma Vintage/Pintucks & Petticoats (Raleigh, NC) made a strong comeback.
Snoopy remains a popular figure today, with both authentic vintage branded products and fan-made products. This sweatshirt was his $275 and his long-selling Olden Yoon boots were his $150. Both sold out by the end of the show.