Via UVM’s Community News Service, in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton, for the Mountain Times
RUTLAND – The crisp fall weather on Friday, Oct. 10 made for a great opening day of the annual Vintage Market Days at the Vermont State Fairgrounds in Rutland.
Amanda Wilkinson, founder of Vintage Market Days, not only brought her southern accent from Oklahoma, but also her vintage-inspired shopping event to the heart of Rutland for the past seven years.
Wilkinson said she had always been around vintage things growing up, and when she was younger, she and her family would always come to Vermont during the fall.
“With coming to Vermont all the time, I started to notice the franchise opportunities and thought, well, we go up there all the time, might as well bring business there,” Wilkinson said.
This year, Wilkinson’s daughter, Kamry Wilkinson, joined for the first time since 2019, having recently graduating from college.Although Kamry says the fall weather is one of her favorite parts about coming to Vermont, adjusting seems to be slightly hard, as she sat in the barn with a portable heater propped up beside her during the show.
“I will say I am suffering with the weather. I am used to 90-degree days,” she said. “But the leaves and the weather are my favorite part about coming here in the fall.”
Now having time to help with the event, Kamry shared her growing love for her mother’s business.
“My favorite part is meeting new people and seeing them at almost every event,” Kamrysaid. “We are from a small town in Oklahoma, so it is interesting to see how different people live and speak from new places.”
The two barns at the fairgrounds held 75 vendors this year from various states.
Nicole Vanburan, owner of Vintage Reimagined, explained that she has had her business for about two and a half years. After a house fire a couple of years ago, Vanburan was inspired to fill the house with old things and became a vendor at Market Days. However, she said she has been coming to this event for the past five years, which helps fuel her excitement to come back as a vendor.
“This was my favorite place to shop before I became a vendor, so I love getting to see customers find their new treasures,” she said with a big smile.
Speaking of new treasures, first-year customer Liz Hacket was thrilled to share her long-awaited find of the 11-by-14 herb prints she had been looking for over the past three years to put in her guest room.
“They are exactly what I envisioned, and I think it is so cool that they come from the state we call home,” she said with excitement.
As the song, “Listen to the Music” by the Doobie Brothers played in the background, Hacket emphasized how surprised she was by how many people came on a Friday and was also amazed by the range of collections that people have, from niche little items to the things you would expect from a craft fair.
“There is such a variety. I am so impressed,” she said.
Not only is this event great for people to find their next piece of home décor, but it also helps support small businesses, something Wilkinson has always been passionate about.
“Without the vendors, I can’t have a show, so I want to always make sure they do good!” she said.
Each vendor comes with a different story of how their business came to life, and each one is just as interesting as the last.
Lexi Czenczelewski, a former student at Castleton University, now Vermont State University Castleton, said her business started from a hobby she took up during the pandemic. The same was true for Amber Hopkins, owner of Arrow in Pine, who explained that her business’s name came from always being the woods hiking with her family during COVID.
Sarah Dever smushed together her maiden and married names to form her business, Büdév Designs, where she makes hypoallergenic jewelry out of translucent clay.
“My good friend is allergic but always wants to wear my stuff, so I researched to make sure she is able to,” Dever said.
The glow on the faces of vendors doing what they love most can’t be missed, especially from those who have been doing this since the beginning.
Vendor Melissa Blackwell has been attending since the start. What started as a bond between her and her “BFF” junking together grew into a 10-year business fueled by mutual passion for collecting vintage items.
“My favorite part, though, is passing on things to others to enjoy as much as I do,” she said with a smile.