Phew can you believe that summer is drawing to a close? I'm already starting to dream of pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking and wearing boots with all my outfits. In the meantime I'm enjoying all of Chicago's flea markets, this was the first summer that there were 3 markets held every month in the city-- The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Garage (new this year) and The Randolph Street Market. Due to my hectic work schedule I've fallen behind on my market coverage but I'm catching up on my backlog of photos.Last Sunday I attended The Vintage Bazaar, held again at the historic Aragon ballroom and an adjoining parking lot in the Edgewater neighborhood. The cooler weather and the earlier start time meant even more business than usual for the Bazaar, all day long I saw customers trying on vintage dresses and carrying out newly purchased chairs, framed art and vintage cameras.
Of course each market is an opportunity to catch up with all my friends in the Chicago vintage community but I'm also happy to discover new-to-me vendors like Sam of Rose Vintage. Upon entering the Bazaar I was surprised to find another camper parked near the Silver Tin Collective. It turns out Sam just moved to Chicago from Montana with fiance and had been traveling with her mobile store across the country this summer. I'm posing with her camper above and more photo are below.
Adorable sign points you towards Rose Vintage.
Sam was super sweet and friendly and was wearing a vintage square dancing dress (being from the South I own several!).
Isn't she adorable? She also has a way with braids, I wish I did more with my hair.
Dreamy vintage shoes for sale at Rose Vintage.
Karyn of Dethrose Vintage came over to visit, she runs Silver Tin Collective with fellow vendor Jen of Jen Style (you can see her camper to the far right, see more photos taken at the last Vintage Bazaar).
Of course I always enjoy seeing how my regular favorites curate their booths each time, like my friends India & Jerome of Apt528. I can always spot their booth by their brightly hued items and this time they took it to the next level and were selling furniture and home decor out of two side-by-side spaces. Highlights included the 1960s (70s?) waiting room bench above and a 1970s teal steel tanker desk a few pictures down.
A more colorful version of the industrial desk that the interior design world has been enamored with lately.
Workman's jumpsuit from the Marshall Field's department store.
I carried around this 1960s bathing suit from Apricot Vintage for a while before trying it on but sadly the straps were a little too long on me. So sad, it's a gorgeous suit.
My friends Laura of Poly Go Lightly and Sarah of Zzouzi Vintage were kept busy with a constant stream of customers through their shared booth.
Jon Stigler's folk art painted wood vintage swimmers have been the hit of several Chicago-area flea markets. They're just so photogenic, I wish I had the room for one in my apartment.
Of course I had to pose with them for a photo.
Lately I've been coming across 1980s vintage Pac Man items on my vintage travels, Jon had this giant plastic Pac Man in his booth, we think it was meant to be a children's toy box.
Pretty vintage aprons and dresses hanging on a clothesline in Mercat De Arte's booth. The next 4 photos are also from Mercat.
As always, Walter Meyers had spectacular sculptures, Mid Century Modern pieces and eccentric goods in his booth. The peacock plaque and the next 9 photos are from his booth.
I regret not buying this little Mid Century Modern teak cat with RHINESTONE EYES letter holder. It was only $5.
Alex was drawn to this lucite cube paperweight that was embedded with real American coins.
I met Marianne of the Savoy Flea last December when I attended a sale at her studio. She's since moved out of her studio space but now does area flea markets instead. I'm drawn to her aesthetic as it's different from what I've seen elsewhere in Chicago and her booth had a European flair to it. Photo above and the next 8 are from her booth.
My Vintage Boyfriend in notebook form, I loved these notebooks made with vintage ephemera. Isn't this fellow handsome?
Alex liked this fox notebook, it reminded him of books he read as a child in Russia.
There was actually a good amount of men's wear at this market including shoes, cuff links, dapper wool hats and decor/utilitarian items like tool boxes.
Krispy Fringe Vintage piled on the color and pattern in their 1960s and 1970s styled booth. I admired the embroidered tapestry above (a Mod version of a traditional coat of arms) and was happy to see a young gentleman taking it home with him later in the afternoon.
Ceramic woman that I believe is meant to hold lipsticks on a vanity seen in the Krispy Fringe booth.
I wanted to move into my friend Robyn & Joe's Take 2 Vintage booth-- check out the steel desk, 1960s orange vinyl chair and vintage newsstand sign.
They brought stacks of books this time and displayed them on a real library cart.
You've heard of jello molds, now try entree moulds! Ew. Take 2 Vintage always has something in their booth that surprises me.
I made quite a few purchases in the Victims of Vintage booth. They had low prices and an eclectic mix of eras. Check out the sweet tapestry sewing bag above and the Police car rug below.
Please let me know if you can identify any of the booths in the post, I try to link back to vendors when possible.Look for a second post from The Vintage Bazaar soon, Alex and I finally were able to go on the free guided tours of the Aragon ballroom so there will be photos of the architecture and some of the indoor vendors in the next post.