The once roaming flea market, The Vintage Bazaar, has now found a "forever home" at the historic Aragon Ballroom and adjacent parking lot in the Uptown neighborhood on the North side of Chicago. Now held monthly, The Vintage Bazaar launched its summer season in June. Of course I attended the June market but due to technical issues with my camera missed out on taking photos-- last weekend I overcompensated by taking so many photos that the market coverage is being split into two blog posts.My friends Karyn of Dethrose Vintage and Jen of Jen Style Vintage debuted their new venture, the Silver Tin Collective, a mobile vintage shop housed in a vintage airstream trailer, last weekend at the Bazaar.
Of course Karyn looked right at home in the doorway of the trailer, even her dress matched the paint job!
The trailer has been rehabbed and refitted to hold racks of clothing and shelves of accessories but the original dining area was kept intact-- Jen is visiting with Maranda of Persnickety Vintage above.
My Russian friend Alex accompanied to the market this time and acted as my photo assistant. He moved to the U.S. from St. Petersburg 4 years ago thus hadn't fully explored Chicago's vintage landscape before meeting me-- I've now exposed him to neighborhood-wide garage sales, estate sales and flea markets. Uh oh, I think we have another converted thriftaholic!
Of course many of my friends were selling at the Bazaar including India of Apartment 528. I have NO idea what the fish board is actually for but it's amazing. She sold the set of orange chairs in the photos within a couple hours, it's not hard to see why. The next 5 photos are from her booth.
Vintage carpet squares still in their original package!
Nicole of Bombshell Shocked 's outfit embodied summer-- the colors of her dress reminded me of cantaloupe and melon. I also like how she coordinated her netting hat & armful of Bakelite bangles.
Enjoying Jo Sno cones that were being sold at the Bazaar.
Lovely vintage carved Bakelite jewelry & a paisley print dress.
Robyn & Joe of Take 2 Vintage always wow me with their vast selection of furniture, home wares and artwork. While editing photos I always regret not buying items I photographed, including the embroidered house/street photo above (why is there a random castle in the background?). The next 6 photos are from their booth.
A giant folk art wood toy truck? Yes please!
Sarah of Zzouzi Vintage (right) teamed up with Laura of Polly Go Lightly to bring Vintage Bazaar customers an assortment of colorful accessories and clothing from the 1950s-1980s. The colors of their outfits even matched!
I wish I'd had the shorts on the left for the 4th of July, I wonder if they were made by some rad girl in the '70s for the holiday?
Laura always brings a selection of vintage ephemera featuring fun illustrations including the Pack-o-Fun craft books above and the sweet Siamese kitten card below (should have bought this!).
Sarah is slowly branching into housewares and her aqua ice bucket was snatched up by a couple by the end of the day. Also note the vintage tiger statue displaying her bow tie for sale.
Neon orange telephone in Sarah's booth. I'd deal with a rotary dial just to have this on my desk.
One of the best aspects of The Vintage Bazaar is networking with others who love vintage-- either dealers or customers. Alex and I spent a while chatting with Monica of Mercat De Arte; she sells vintage, runs a boutique/creative studio space and also gets to travel the world as a flight attendant. Several of the offerings in her booth were sourced in Los Angeles; it made me miss shopping the LA markets. The photo above and the next 5 are from her booth.
A coffee set featuring a world map in frosted glass.
Yes, the most amazing paper silhouette cut out ever. Somehow I didn't buy it at the market but I've since made arrangements with Monica to bring it home with me.
A pair of throne-like chairs on the left and a set of 1950s diner style kitchen chairs on the right. I spied two girls happily carrying out the diner chairs a short while after taking these photos.
Sarah of Skip About Like Lambs looked adorable and comfortable in her brightly hued outfit. She also matched the aesthetic of her booth.
I particularly coveted the pink Cosco step stool and the avocado green kitchen counter/cabinet in her booth. Both were reasonably priced but I didn't have a good way of getting them home (nor do I have much room!).
Kimberly of Estate Chicago and Pinar of Tangerine Vintage always tempt me with their dainty hats and sparkling jewels. The photo above and the next 3 are from their shared booth.
One of the most clever design ideas I've seen in a while-- a vintage print of a butterfly display in an oversized antique glass Mason jar. An everlasting version of the typical fireflies/butterfly in a jar (and much less cruel). Unfortunately I did not catch the name of the vendor of the jar which is a shame as I enjoyed his/her blend of rusty industrial metal, farm chic and French garden aesthetic. 
Alex is gazing at some of the offerings from Jon Stigler, including a bevy of paintings and what I dubbed the "toy truck junk yard".
Art everywhere!
Both Alex & I were drawn to this illustration, mainly due to the random combination of elements including a rocket, a Native American Chief, what looks like the Golden Gate Bridge and cowboys hunting buffalo.
I'm always drawn to the sculptural objects Jon brings to the markets like the metal atomic sphere above that would work in a garden OR in the middle of your living room.
Aw, a big eyed taxidermy puffer fish.
Despite spending my childhood in Hawa'ii I'm actually not into Tiki but I did find myself gravitating towards this 1950s carved wood Tiki God stools and bar set for sale in Jon's booth.
Part 2 of The Vintage Bazaar coverage will be coming soon including photos of booths inside The Aragon and shots of a few happy customers with their finds.