Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
BURLINGTON – On any given Saturday, Burlington locals can visit the Burlington Vintage Market and be treated to the New England vintage experience. Upon entrance, shoppers are met by tens of white and blue tents. Under them, racks of clothes spill out, filling every available space like water.
Near those racks, newcomers will find thrifty University of Vermont students and Burlington residents, slowly sifting through ripped Levis and faded T-shirts, cautiously avoiding contact with the numerous other customers who inhabit every booth. There is a slight aroma of marijuana in the air, and dozens of conversations and dog barks create a lively buzz.
The Burlington Vintage Market takes place year-round on Saturdays. In the summer, it’s at the Barge Canal Market in the city’s South End; in the winter, it’s at the University Mall in South Burlington. The market typically features at least 15 booths where vendors sell their wares. For some of these vendors, selling vintage clothes is their full-time job.
Avery Cyr is one of those vendors. He founded the Burlington Vintage Market in 2021. Cyr, a South Burlington High School graduate, has been collecting vintage clothing for a decade. His dissatisfaction with mass-produced, fast fashion options led him to start shopping at thrift stores.
Eventually, he amassed a sizable enough collection that he began a consignment deal with Battery Street Jeans. He chose to name his business Rico’s Vintage, after his father Richard’s nickname. Today, he owns and operates Rico’s Vintage full time.
In recent years, vintage clothing has become incredibly popular in college towns like Burlington. Social media-driven trends surrounding thrifting and environmentalism, paired with the appeal of cheap items, has increased demand, according to shop owners. But with such a niche job title, working as a vintage dealer doesn’t operate like a regular 9-5.
As the owner of Rico’s Vintage, Cyr travels around New England, setting up shop at a number of venues. Cyr and the Burlington Vintage Market have journeyed to Winooski and Middlebury in recent months. Outside of Vermont, Rico’s Vintage can be found at the Brimfield Flea Market in Brimfield, Massachusetts, which describes itself as the oldest and largest flea market in the country.
When he’s not working his clothing racks at a marketplace, Cyr operates a warehouse in St. Albans, which plays host to his extensive backstock. An important part of his business is selling this backstock in bulk to vintage stores across New England.
“I sell mostly to people in this community, and the greater New England community,” he said, “I don’t sell online at all.”
With his large amount of backstock, Cyr doesn’t need to source as much as he used to.
Sourcing is an integral part of a vintage seller’s job. To make money selling vintage clothes, you have to find them for cheap first. This means traveling to every thrift store, estate sale, flea market, wholesaler and house call within a reasonable distance.
“Anywhere there’s clothes, people will find them,” Cyr said.
Cyr’s business is geared towards local markets and local wholesale. But this is not the case for every seller at the Burlington Vintage Market.
Peyton Ceppetelli, another seller who owns and operates Cepp’s Closet with his partner, Hannah Asbury, has a slightly different customer base.
Ceppetelli and Asbury, both 2024 UVM graduates, specialize in higher-end vintage fashion.
Cepp’s Closet, like Rico’s Vintage, travels to the Brimfield Fleamarket.
“It’s a big event for us,” Ceppetelli said. “We save our higher-end stuff for that, and a lot of customers there are Japanese buyers.”
Ceppetelli’s Japanese customers will visit him in Vermont as well, for appointments at his storage unit. He says they’re in the market for “anything that screams Americana, whether it’s old denim, work clothing, or your heritage brands like Ralph Lauren, L.L.Bean or Patagonia.”
Higher-end vintage clothes, which often date back to the ’40s and ’50s, fetch hefty price tags. Certain buyers will spend thousands of dollars on the right piece.
Ceppetelli and Asbury, like Avery Cyr, operate their vintage business full time. Unlike Cyr, they use online selling for what Ceppetelli describes as “the more niche items.” In addition, they have a booth at the Vault Collective on Cherry Street, which allows them to sell clothes from a downtown brick and mortar without having to be there themselves.
In the sellers’ day-to-day lives, the Burlington Vintage Market serves as the main event to plan around.
“We have a set schedule with these markets every weekend. The week is spent sourcing and getting stuff prepared,” Ceppetelli said.
Vermonters have an imprint on the vintage scene, even outside of the New England circuit. Chad Senzel, the owner of an eponymous vintage clothing store in New York City’s Lower East Side, is a South Burlington High School graduate. After years of selling clothes from a streetrack, he garnered a large enough customer base to open a brick and mortar in 2025, as reported by GQ.
Senzel attended South Burlington High School at the same time as Avery Cyr, where the two first met. After high school they would rekindle their friendship over a shared love for vintage.
“He’s one of my best friends,” Cyr said.
Senzel sees the Burlington Vintage Market’s success as a culmination of factors. On one hand, the demand for vintage clothes is very high in a college town, and Cyr has done a good job marketing to that audience.
“There’s a convergence of people wanting things as cheaply as possible and the social media driven interest in thrifting, saving the environment and buying vintage,” Senzel said. “Markets like Avery’s are somewhat able to capture these two different interests with extremely well-priced clothing.”
On the other hand, he believes some of Burlington’s love for vintage predates internet trends. Its roots can be found in Vermonters’ love for the outdoors, and their subsequent need for long-lasting, quality clothes.
“Even on the lower end of pricing of outdoor clothing, brands like Columbia and L.L.Bean are not exactly cheap. I think this value structure translates into appreciating the quality and endurance of old stuff – vintage,” Senzel said.
Cyr agrees that Vermont culture helped grow the vintage market.
“Burlington has this environmental, progressive focus, and I think people are always trying to find ways to lessen their impact,” Cyr said. “Everyone here grew up wearing hand-me-downs.”
Cyr added that Burlington’s love for secondhand clothes is not a recent phenomenon. Old Gold, which opened its doors in 1973, and Battery Street Jeans, which opened in 1991, are still thriving today, having served the community since before the internet age.
Peyton Ceppetelli feels similarly; while the college plays a major role, Vermont’s appreciation for sustainability and quality can’t be discounted.
“It kind of sounds like a cliché, like ‘they don’t make it like they used to,’ but it’s really true,” Ceppetelli said.