On the first Sunday of every month through May, a Coachella Valley ritual begins early with the arrival of bargain hunters, serious vintage collectors, parents with kids, people with pets and of course, the curious. There is anticipation in the air as the vendors set out their goods—this is, to a great extent, a treasure hunt filled with the inherent surprise that comes with a vintage market event.
Started in 2014, the Palm Springs Vintage Market now attracts up to 4,000 visitors.
“I think of it as a design market,” says the market’s founder, Mindy King. “People also sell pottery and cactus, it’s popular, though not vintage. It helps to complete the Palm Springs home design look. Vintage clothing is also blowing up, people want to be more original. You see vintage couture at award shows, see people walking around town in it, it’s cool, designers are styling their clients in it from socialites to Hollywood starlets.”
Even during the pandemic, business didn’t slow down, since the market is an outdoor event. On one Sunday approximately 4,500 visitors arrived, according to King.
With up to 130 vendors, chiefly selling retro mid-century furniture, art, vintage clothing and accessories, jewelry, textiles, rugs, glassware, barware, leather goods and home décor, and coming from all over the southern part of the state, and even Arizona and New Mexico, word is spreading about the market. The vendors start their day at 5 a.m., with some even coming earlier to stake their claims to the best sites. The Palm Springs’ Desert Modernism retro vibe that started in the 1960s makes it the perfect landscape for vintage shopping.
King doesn’t like reproductions, though she’s not against them, preferring items to be truly vintage, and vets the vendors accordingly. “I like more pure, true to vintage and recycled used stuff that is already out in the world.” King says. “With climate change, sustainably is appealing.”
“Mindy gets it,” says Pam Knecht, owner of Plucky Maidens, operating tours to London and Paris fl ea markets. “She’s got it wired. She knows her market and brings in the right people with the right merchandise.”
Vintage markets are all the rage— there are 3,000 fleas markets across all 50 states. Maureen Stanton, author of Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider’s Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting, says, “Vintage is 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and even 70s to the 80s, even 90s. Going to vintage markets is like being at a museum with curated objects from history, except you can buy them!”
She adds, “Rather than buy something mass manufactured overseas and sold at Ikea, the Pottery Barn or any big department store – the vintage pieces feel more unique to me, to my decor, my aesthetic.” For example, Stanton notes that the toasters of the 1920s had a beautiful design. “I have Russel Wright seafoam green plates from the 1940s, which I found for only $1 a plate, and which make my table beautiful and unique.”
Buyers are also buying for their own home because it’s a nice feeling to have a unique style. Some are reminded of their childhood and it brings back fond memories, Stanton explained.
King started a new Vintage Market in Portland, Oregon, in September 2021 where she now spends half her time, with the other half spent in Palm Springs. “You never know what treasures you’ll find,” King said. “It’s fun when you get something unique because it’s something that other people don’t have.”
There’s also the chance to discover real treasures at bargain prices. For example, in 2007 a New York family bought a small bowl at a garage sale for $3, with no idea as to its real value, and kept it on their mantle for years. The piece was actually a Chinese “Ding” bowl, from the Northern Song Dynasty 1,000 years ago. In 2013, the bowl sold for more than $2.2 million at an auction in Sotheby’s. Clearly, this is an exception, but you never know what you might find.
The Palm Springs Vintage Market is open to the public from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. the first Sunday of the month through May, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center at Camelot Theater. Visit www.palmspringsvintagemarket.com for details, directions, and available coupons. Well-behaved and friendly pets are also welcome to attend.
TIPS FOR VISITING THE PALM SPRINGS VINTAGE MARKET
If you plan to attend the market this upcoming season, here are a few tips on what to take with you and what to plan for:
SPF: Go with a big number, as this is an outdoor event during the day.
Shoe in: Wear comfortable walking shoes as it takes about an hour or two to walk through the entire market.
Cash is King: Although the market does have ATM machines available to use and merchants do use Square to accept purchases, cash is best and is recommended.
Large Vehicle: A van, a truck, or a large SUV, as some items are not going to fit into a Mini-Cooper.
