stone.PETERSBURG — Nearly 4 p.m., a long line snaked down the steps and poured into the parking lot in front of Vintage Marché.About two dozen shoppers paid $5 for Early Access, armed with portable fans and straw hats.A little upper lip sweat won’t stop them from finding a deal.
On the first Friday of every month, the small but devout team waits for hours outside the warehouse at 2200 Second Avenue, eager to wade through the quaint oasis inside.Everyone pored over a preview video and memorized a shopping list.But they won’t tell you what treasures they’ve come to buy.
On the other side of the door, vendors known as “bees” lined up in blue T-shirts.After spending weeks shopping for vintage treats to fill the market, the bees took turns to staff the event.They look forward to seeing which items fly out first.
Paul Donofrio, owner of Vintage Marché, stands at the checkout counter next to a 7-foot plush giraffe preparing for a bee fight.
“Everyone knows their day-to-day life,” he said.”Stay where you are, customer service. Treat everyone’s space as their own.”
Donofrio, 51, walked around with a small pit all week, and it was still there when he got to the door to count down.Call it stage fright.
Vintage Marché is a secondhand wonderland, a treasure trove of ancient and bizarre.Baskets and chairs hang from the ceiling above a maze of clothes racks and furniture.Tape arrows on the floor point out a path through the roughly 12,500-square-foot warehouse.Finds range from the practical (think an affordable Danish bedside table or a mid-century bookshelf) to the whimsical (a poster of a clown swimming in a fork of spaghetti).
The event takes place on the first weekend of the month, kicking off with a ticketed “First Dibs Friday” early shopping event.Shop or browse for free all day Saturday or Sunday.The market is different every month.More than 35 bees kept the event going, swooping in to take shoppers’ items to the storage area and making room for their fingers to continue browsing.If guests like something, they have to be fast.If they hesitate or turn away, the next time they see that funky bookcase or lamp, it might be when the vendor puts a “sold” sticker on it.The back space is filled with hundreds of extra items to replenish inventory.
The August market will be the last at the Warehouse Art District space.Starting in September, Marché will occupy the Skyway Marina area two miles away at 2906 34th St. S. The new space will have about 350 much-needed parking spaces.There’s twice as much rear storage for spares, and the air conditioning is more powerful.
The Brocante Vintage Market is a similar concept that started in 2013 in the current warehouse.When it was announced that it was closing in 2019, the monthly tradition had already amassed a cult following in St. Peter’s.
Donofrio, a Brocante supplier and lifelong trash finder, decided to take over.Over the years, the Buffalo native has worked many jobs: firefighting, event security, running a record label in New York and then starting an irrigation company in Sarasota.But finding curbside items and real estate deals has been his favorite job since he was a kid.
He got his keys on December 15, 2019, and spent the next two weeks preparing the space.Vintage Marché opened on the first weekend of January 2020, most of the suppliers are the same as Brocante.Donofrio named them bees, a symbol of Napoleon’s empire.
“We’re all buzzing,” he said.”It’s also a hive. Everyone is working together for the greater good.”
Pretty much everything at Vintage Marché is on sale, from gadgets to the shelves they sit on.At the end of each market, the bees must clear all remaining items from the inventory area.Things that don’t sell have second and third chances in the future market.After that, it will most likely be sold elsewhere.The display was disassembled and redone.
Each bee has its own picking method.Some people travel across Florida or out of state.They go to auctions, garage sales and online marketplaces.
Certain items always dunk, such as Danish and mid-century modern items.They are more durable than today’s mass-produced furniture and are designed to last for several years.
“These pieces are intended to be passed on to your children,” Donofrio said.”They’ve been going on for 60 years. There’s no reason they shouldn’t keep going.”
In the week before the event, the energy inside the warehouse was insane.After a month of picking, vendors have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to complete items in their spaces, and some take advantage of all the time they can get.
Several bees have been doing this over the years, like Ethan Butler Jr., whose father opened his first vintage store on Central Avenue.Butler remembers 22nd Avenue as a thriving area that nurtured St. Peter’s black community.He said the building used to be a piano factory.
Butler’s day job for the past 14 years has been working in the city’s health department.But for more than a decade, he has been selling antiques in the building, just as his father taught him.
“We’re the ones who drive down alleys at night and throw things into our cars,” Mapstone said.”We try to save what we can.”
Mapstone highlighted a few pieces she was very excited about: an orange poodle skirt from the 1960s, heart-print leggings from the 70s, and modern culottes from the 80s.Everyone has a hashtag that shares information about eras and fabrics.She takes sustainability and keeping old items out of landfill very seriously.
Around the corner, DJ Mike Blenda from Temple Terrace sat around a pile of crumpled newspapers.He had already laid out the vinyl record case and hung up the stained-glass lights.Next, he moved to small objects.
“It’s like going to a museum, where you can leave with something,” Blenda said.He opened a glittering glass octopus.”Today is his day.”
At the next booth, Rebecca Watkins, 82, struggled to free her mannequin from last month’s outfit, a rainbow crochet top left by Pride.
A mannequin named Stella is sold with the clothes she wears.Watkins has a Fourth of July outfit for her: a denim skirt, a red vest, and a wide straw hat.
Donofrio drags a cart around, spraying the contents of the front display with cleaner and wiping it down.Henry, his Boston terrier, panted behind him.In warehouses, dust has a way of accumulating.Everything inside may be outdated, but it still needs to sparkle before Donofrio speaks about the Facebook Live preview on Wednesday.
Some vendors are off before the big weekend.For everyone else, it’s not too late to stock up on stockpiles, especially Saturday night.Bees reset before Sunday morning to keep them fresh.
Christopher Ward, 38, likes to tour his thrift store once a day, if he can.A law student working at a local law firm has a busy life.But he likes to sneak out when he can, especially when he can get a student discount.
“Every day is Russian roulette,” he said.”You might find nothing, you might clean the place.”
Ward grew up in Sarasota surrounded by circus history and Florida kitsch.As a bee, his style leans towards “anything weird”.His space is already filled with a stuffed Alf stuffed toy ($169) connected to a wired phone, plastic severed hands (various prices) displaying costume jewelry, and a Lance Bass action figure.(“Happy Pride, $16,” the label reads.)
Ward started at the Pet Pal Thrift Store, which benefits from a local no-kill animal shelter.The store is run by a New Yorker who always points out what Ward might like.
He pondered a mid-century painting of a boat, then a folding canoe seat, and eventually both passed.A heavy gold frame is an instant win, especially when it’s only $5.Photo frames are always on sale.
Ward stopped to laugh at an ’80s hair tool, still in the box.(“It’s horrible,” he says.) He flips through the framed photos, keeping an eye out for anything that looks cheap.He considered some jewelry, checked a wooden table, and found a bag of $1 napkin rings before checking out.His total: $8.03.
Next, he drove to St. Vincent de Paul.There are good and bad options, he said, and the price can be high, but he’s grateful the benefits can help the homeless.Ward moved briskly, only pausing to evaluate a deviled egg plate.
Just as he was about to leave, a brass candlestick came into his sight.It’s $8, destined to go home with him.
The final stop is Out of the Closet, with proceeds going towards HIV care and services.Ward found some oddities here, including a replica of the human spine—someone in the chiropractor’s office later bought at the market.
Here, he hit the jackpot.The Peacock Feather Fan is just $6.A bag of plastic Halloween toys, including mice and spiders.Dramatic bridal tiara and veil.Flour sieve.There is also a brass suit rack.
A minute into the frenzy, a repeat customer named Jeff S. showed up with his first purchase of the day.
The man from New Port Richie arrived two hours early with a mission: to protect the antique pickle jar he saw on Facebook Live.He rushed into the main room, turned left and right, then left again, until he reached Brenda’s corner.Another shopper was hot on his tail and also found the stoneware jar.She’s not fast enough.
“I don’t know. I wish I could give a higher price,” he said.”That thing is 110 years old. Like, crazy vintage style.”
After the initial stampede, the mood changed.The car slows down and then stops.The shopper walked slowly, his eyes scanning and squinting.They crouch down and open drawers, tap wood and assess.It’s quiet and intense, save for a soundtrack of ’80s hits playing on the speakers.
Still to come are the Saturday morning scavengers, who arrive bright and early, and the post-brunch crowds that meander in in the afternoon.Saturday was overcrowded, loud and full of friends yelling and holding things up.
Sundays can be easier, especially in the afternoon.But that’s when people actually start spending.
Donofrio is excited about the new space and the two new bees who will be joining the team (including pickle tank champion Jeff S.).Only recently has he been slowly announcing the address update, lest shoppers accidentally go to a new location before moving in September.
Vintage Marché is open on the first weekend of each month, Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 9am to 5pm.First Dibs Friday takes place on the Friday before Market Weekend from 4-8pm, and tickets are $5 on Friday, including a $5 coupon redeemable on Sunday.vintagemarche727.com.
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Post time: Jul-28-2022