For serious collectors of fine antique furniture, lovers of sparkly vintage jewelry and flea market fans who embrace the thrill of the hunt, Rose City Vintage Market is teaming up with Left Coast Revivals to showcase more than 300 vendors July 15 and 16 at the Expo Center.

Mindy King, who created Rose City Vintage Market in 2021, says she had long admired the hugely successful “America’s Largest Antiques and Collectibles Show” originated and produced around the region by Christine Palmer. The Portland show was known as one of the country’s largest and had been successful since its first year in 1981. When Palmer died suddenly in 2017, says King, “The antiques business had been changing for some time and many of the old reliable vendors were retiring.” Then the pandemic hit in 2020 and big public shows were off the table.

King created the highly successful Palm Springs Vintage Market in 2014, and became a part-time Portland resident in 2017 to be close to her family. “Our community of vintage lovers and sellers in the desert kept growing, even through those hard times,” she says, “and we always had a vision of bringing lovers of vintage a similar event in the Rose City.”

A market for a younger audience of collectors

Working from Portland during lockdown, King says, “I finally convinced the Expo that this would work. From my experience in Palm Springs I saw the trends among young people and we started from scratch to morph a traditional antiques show into one that would appeal to a younger, more eclectic audience of collectors.” Noting that the first year, 2021, was a challenge because people only heard about it by word of mouth, King says, “It’s a growth process. It’s gotten bigger and more well known each year, and this year we expect to welcome people to a truly spectacular event.”

This year, Rose City Vintage Market has partnered with Left Coast Revivals, who will be staging vendors in the outdoor section of the market.  Laura Caldwell is owner of Left Coast Revivals, an online vintage shop, and hosts a YouTube channel that showcases how to find and decorate a home with vintage and antique items. She has been traveling and shopping for secondhand treasures since 2012 and specializes in midcentury modern and vintage pieces. She also leads tours around the globe, taking enthusiasts on vintage treasure hunts.

A vibrant, eclectic mix

Making attendance as much of an entertainment event as it is a shopping excursion, the two days will feature home and fashion styling sessions, booth-side chats with sellers talking about the historical significance of their collections, a living plant wall set up for selfies and photos showing pieces folks purchased, a DIY woodworking demonstration and seasonal cider and spirits tastings by local breweries, wineries and distilleries.

Portland designer Max Humphrey will be signing copies of his book, Lodge, billed as a “fun, ‘indoorsy’ look at the great lodges of the National Parks,” during the early admission time on Saturday morning. Copies are included in a bundled ticket for early admission and also available at a discount for market attendees.

Other highlights include George the Antique Nomad doing timed appraisals, select antique and vintage toys from Billy Galaxy’s Toy Museum on Burnside in Portland; a huge and varied offering of antique and vintage jewelry, including estate pieces and fine costume baubles; a collection of refinished antique typewriters, vintage advertising signs, train collections, vintage fashion, and furniture for every room in the house.

For complete ticket and schedule information, visit rosecityvintagemarket.com.