To me summer means flea market season in Chicago; last weekend Vintage Garage, the newest addition to the city's vintage scene, launched in the Andersonville neighborhood. Instead of occupying a parking lot, the 50 vendors spread out along 3 levels of a parking garage. The concept seemed to be loosely based on the the famous NYC market, The Garage, that is held in a parking structure in Chelsea. The Pasadena Community College flea market near L.A. also hosts vendors in a 3-story garage. Vintage Garage differs from these markets, however, in that vendors set up their tables/wares directly in front of their cars. Some of the dealers drew inspiration from the industrial surroundings when setting up their booths while others took advantage of the sprawling space to create living room style vignettes.I hope you enjoy the photos of the inaugural market; for local readers The Vintage Garage will take place every 3rd Sunday of the month, May-October from 9AM-4PM. The parking structure is located at 5051 N. Broadway between Foster and Argyle in the Uptown neighborhood, just off the red line Argyle stop.
Please let me know if you recognize any of the booths in the photos-- I was running on very little sleep so unfortunately I missed the names of some of the shops.
Jon Stigler's booth is always one of my favorites at the Randolph Street Market so I was intrigued to see what he would bring to this market. He always brings a mix of vintage art, industrial artifacts and oddities. I was particularly drawn to the sheets of metal featuring punched out stars.
Painted portraits done by studio artists.
John's aesthetic this time around seemed to channel the spirit of 1960s Bohemian apartments in NYC.
Can't you see these large paintings propped up in an industrial loft space somewhere?
Kleintiques LLC even used the side of their car to display paint by numbers paintings and vintage aprons. 
They had an excellent mix of vintage toys, games, artwork and Mid Century Modern furniture and home decor.
A clever taxidermist one-upped the jackalope and created a winged rabbit unicorn creature. A little sad but adorable. The next 3 photos are from the same booth but I unfortunately don't know their information. I enjoyed the mix of the creepy/macabre with industrial pieces.
An impressively arranged booth-- I'm amazed the owners managed to set this all up within a few hours!
Mid Century Modern style continues to grow in popularity and several booths including the one above tempted me with its offerings, especially the fiberglass bullet planters.
A bevy of suitcases perfect for summer traveling or apartment storage seen in Hello Good Buy's booth.
A stunning 1960s beaded necklace from Bunny's Trunk Show.
1950s and '60s cateye glasses frames ready for your prescription.
Designer powder still in its original box.
Gypsy Mouse's booth had just the right mix of items, I especially enjoyed assortment of tins above and the suitcase full of books below.
Vintage parking meters! I was incredibly tempted to buy one but where would I put it?
I believe the owners of this booth were from Michigan, I always enjoy seeing vendors from outside the Chicago area as their aesthetic and style reflect the region where they do their pickin'. I was impressed that they even brought a large rug to display in their booth! The next 9 photos are from their booth.
Kyla of Lost & Find Vintage decided to just focus on selling vintage handbags and purses at this sale. To keep cool in the heat she rocked a sassy vintage cobalt blue slip and a fabric flower in her hair.
Kyla showing off her favorite purse, a pearl studded lucite clutch.
Kitschy 1950s ceramics offered for reasonable prices on the 3rd level of the market.
Vintage wood ironing board used as display.
My friends Robyn & Joe of Take 2 Vintage went all out with their booth and decked it out with dozens of tempting ice buckets (above), linens, glasses and original art.
Of course Sarah of Zzouzi Vintage & I had to take advantage of the backdrop and so we took this vintage style 'studio pose' photo in Take 2 Vintage's booth.
Sun Tea jar brings back memories of my mom brewing tea in our driveway in Hawa'ii.
Vintage electric fans in all sizes.
Joe & Robyn have a cheeky sense of humor, as evidenced by the quirky wall plaque above.
Robyn's booth was next to Sarah's so she snagged this gorgeous 1960s brocade dress from her. Does she look like an extra from Mad Men? Now we have to throw a cocktail party so she can wear it!
Sarah shared a booth with Laura of Polly Go Lightly. Along with clothing and jewelry, Laura was selling a collection of crafting and beauty books from the 1950s-70s.
Sarah looking like she's ready for a garden party in her Zzouzi Vintage booth.
A pair of dealers from Rockford, Illinois were set up near a row of windows so their rows of colorful glass caught the light.
They appear to have a love of horses as evidenced by the items above and below.
A booth on the 3rd level contained scores of reasonably priced Mid Century Modern and Nautical items.
I spent a while thinking about buying this folk art fish, in the end I didn't get it as it doesn't quite fit in with my decor.
Amusing illustration on this Rosenthal dish, sadly it had a chip.
I regret not scooping up this MCM starburst flatware set, it was only $4!
Sweet illustrations in vintage children's books, they were only $1 each.
The star of the market was Justin of Grand Bizarre Gallery's classic car. If it had been for sale it would have definitely sold!
Maranda of Persnickety Vintage's booth was next to Jordan's spectacular car we spent quite a bit of time staring/drooling over it.
Of course Maranda & I had to pose with the car too!
Walter Myers always impresses me with the selection of items he brings to markets, I was especially tempted by the aqua spotted dish above and the Made in Denmark ceramic cat below.
I was incredibly tempted by Walter's grouping of miniature pottery-- by the end of the show half of these little vases and vessels were sold.
Another item I regret not purchasing, a painted ceramic bird lamp! It of course sold within the first hour of the market.Overall, the market was a success for vendors and shoppers, especially considering it was the inaugural show. I'm looking forward to seeing more vendors (maybe 100 next time?) and seeing more sellers from out-of-state to add variety. I thought prices seemed fair overall and the booths were spaced out enough so it didn't get too crowded. Next time I'd like to see better lighting, as you can tell from these photos there was a mix of natural light from windows and artificial light so some booths were a bit too dark for my liking. Anyways, I can't wait until next month's market to see how its evolved. Cheers to another venue for buying and selling vintage in Chicago!
Check out more coverage of the Vintage Garage flea market at the Fine Diving Blog and Latterstyle Blog.