Chic leather jackets, Victorian goblets and soft wool sweaters flooded Carleton University’s Fieldhouse as vendors gathered for the return of the Ottawa Vintage and Antique Market.
After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market returned on Oct. 22 and 23, featuring small businesses from across Ontario.
“Everything that’s antique and vintage has a story,” Sean George, owner of Sean George Pressed Glass and Goblets and vendor at the market, said.
George added he believes antique markets are more than just a place for buying and selling; they are a place of education as well.
“I was trained by my mother that people want to know what they’re getting,” George said. “You don’t just put a sticker of $28 on something and say, ‘Well, it’s a piece of glass, don’t you want it?’”
The market allows shoppers these opportunities to learn about antique collectibles while also supporting local businesses. More than 60 businesses attended the event, with items available for purchase ranging from pressed glassware, to modern furniture, to cowboy boots.
“[It’s a] one-stop shopping event that supports small businesses and sustainable purchasing practices,” show manager Catherine Knoll said in a press release.
Avid thrifter and second-year Carleton communications and media studies student Evelyn Liver said she is drawn to vintage markets for the sustainability aspect—the fact that items are resold and given a new life.
“I like the idea of clothing being recycled and reused,” Liver said. “[Vintage markets] tend to have more unique and creative pieces that I wouldn’t find at a mall.”
Like Liver, longtime vintage shopper Michéle Lanoue attends vintage markets to look for unique items she wouldn’t find elsewhere.
“I’m looking for a black rotary phone that you put on the wall … I haven’t found one yet,” she said.
Lanoue also has nostalgic memories attached to vintage markets. She said she has fond recollections of rifling through boxes of vintage buttons with her mother and sister, both seamstresses.
George said he believes the growing popularity of the Ottawa market can be attributed to the quality of the items. Vendors work hard to provide unique pieces and shoppers know their $12 admission fee isn’t going to waste, he said.
“[Knoll] screens all of the [vendors] … because she wants to keep a certain level of quality at the show for people to expect,” George explained.
This year, the annual market celebrated its 25th anniversary. George said he has worked with the market as a vendor since it started in 1997.
“In the old days, it used to be strictly antiques,” he said. “Now they’re bringing vintage clothing. It’s sort of a meld of everything and this makes it more interesting for the consumer.”
George described the clientele basis he built in Ottawa as a family he was excited to return to.
“We know many of our customers, we know their children,” George said. “[This weekend was] about catching up, just having a little five- to 10-minute chat with some of them about their lives.”
Lanoue attended the vintage market with a friend on Oct. 22 and bought a pair of purple leather gloves with flower detailing and a sparkly ring. She said she enjoyed seeing all the unique items and is looking forward to the next market.
“I’m glad they’re back,” she said. “We’ve been cooped up for almost three years. It’s nice to get out.”
Featured image by Bianca McKeown.
