Andersonville Vintage Market gives new purpose to the past

CHICAGO — A North Side neighborhood transformed into a treasure trove for vintage shoppers on Sunday afternoon.

The Andersonville Vintage Market has officially opened back up for the summer, and around two dozen vendors gathered to show off and sell their wares.

“We have vintage housewares, records, all types of fun stuff, and if I looked too hard, I might buy all of it,” Fad2Fresh owner Alex Jones said.

Jones is not only a vintage connoisseur but also one of the vendors.

Her hobby of collecting vintage clothing and other items has become a full-time business.

Not far away from the market on West Catalpa Avenue is her storefront, at the corner of Ashland and Hollywood.

But after two years, a new landlord decided it was time for her to leave and find a place. She hopes to stay in the neighborhood.

“It’s just a really sad moment because Andersonville is our home,” Jones said. “And you know they won’t really talk to me about it, so I needed a day like this to bring my spirits up.”

This is the fourth year vendors have come together for the market, giving a new purpose to the past.

For others, like Rare Form Owner PhD Emma Lewis, a pandemic hobby that started at the market became a thriving business.

“I’m trained as an art historian and before the pandemic, I was teaching up at Lake Forest College,” Lewis said. “I had a baby at the beginning of the pandemic so I started selling prints online. Now I sell them and I have a store right around the corner called “Rare Form” where I sell them every day.”

The vintage market will take place three more times through September.

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