They crouch and open drawers and knock on wood and assess. Shoppers walk slowly, eyes scanning and squinting. Īfter the initial stampede, the mood shifts. His total: $8.03.Ĭustomers check out the monthly Vintage Marché on Friday, July 1, in St. He considered some jewelry, checked out a wooden table and spotted a $1 bag of napkin rings before checking out. (“That’s horrendous,” he said.) He flipped through framed prints, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed cheap. Ward paused to laugh at an ‘80s-era hairstyle tool, still in the box. A heavy gold frame was an instant win, especially at just $5. He pondered a midcentury painting of a boat, then a fold-out canoe seat, and ultimately passed on both. The shop is run by a New Yorker, who always points out stuff Ward might like. Ward started at Pet Pal Thrift Store, which benefits a local no-kill animal shelter. “Even if you don’t buy something, I want you to have fun and giggle,” he said. As a bee, his style leans toward “anything weird.” His space was already stocked with a stuffed Alf plushie connected to a corded phone ($169), plastic severed hands displaying costume jewelry (various prices) and a Lance Bass action figure. Ward grew up in Sarasota, surrounded by circus history and Florida kitsch. “You might find nothing, you might clear out the place.” “Every day is Russian roulette,” he said. But he loves to sneak out when he can, especially when he can get a student discount. A law student who works in a local law office, his days get busy. The bees do a reset before Sunday morning to keep things fresh.Ĭhristopher Ward, 38, likes to hit his thrift store circuit once a day if he can. For others, it wasn’t too late to stock up on reserve items, especially for Saturday night. Some vendors rest up before the big weekend. Everything inside may be old, but it still needed to sparkle before Donofrio narrated the Facebook Live preview on Wednesday. In the warehouse, dust has a way of piling up. His Boston terrier, Henry, panted behind him. Watkins had a Fourth of July outfit planned for her: a denim skirt, red tank top, broad straw hat.ĭonofrio dragged a cart around, spraying the items in the front display with cleaner and wiping them down. The mannequin, named Stella, was for sale along with the clothing she wore. “I think it’s easier to take off her arms,” she said. In the next stall over, Rebecca Watkins, 82, wrestled to free her mannequin from last month’s outfit, a rainbow crochet top left over from Pride. “It’s like going to a museum where you can leave with something,” Blenda said. He had already set up crates of vinyl records and hung stained glass lamps. “I’m the cleaner, she’s the fixer,” said Mapstone, 47.Īround the corner, Mike Blenda, a DJ from Temple Terrace, sat surrounded by crumpled wads of newspaper. Preparing means hours of laundering, dry-cleaning, mending and sometimes altering. She’s big on sustainability and keeping old items out of landfills. Each had a tag sharing information about the era and fabric. Mapstone prominently displayed a few items she was really excited about: an orange poodle skirt from the 1960s, heart-print hip huggers from the ‘70s and a mod skort from the ‘80s. “We’re the people driving down alleys in the night and throwing stuff in our cars,” Mapstone said. In a corner, Heather Mapstone and her mom, Valerie Ackerman, hang up garments. Thousands of items are for sale during First Dibs Friday at the Vintage Marché on Friday, July 1, in St. But hunting for curb items and estate sale deals had been his favorite hustle since he was a kid. The Buffalo native had worked a number of jobs over the years: firefighting, event security, running a record label in New York and then starting an irrigation company in Sarasota. Pete.ĭonofrio, a Brocante vendor and lifelong trash rummager, decided to take over. By the time it announced its closure in 2019, the monthly tradition had amassed a cult following in St. The back storage area for reserve items is twice as large, the A/C more powerful.īrocante Vintage Market, a similar concept, started in the current warehouse in 2013. Two and a half miles away in the Skyway Marina District, the new space will boast about 350 much-needed parking spots. Starting in September, the Marché will occupy 2906 34th St. Explore all your optionsĪugust’s market will be the last in the Warehouse Arts District space. Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
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