Summer in the Lehigh Valley is full of community events that highlight local joy and camaraderie. As summer closes and we move into fall, Southsider wants to highlight the best of these community gatherings.
Over the summer, Southsider visited The Bethlehem Vintage Market, a recurring outdoor market that invites vintage shop owners to sell their curated goods. The event was free to the public and featured vintage shops that offered a variety of second-hand clothing, vinyl records, and home decor. The market hosted 23 small businesses from all across the state, bringing together an enthusiastic group of shop owners who all treasure sustainable shopping and expressing one’s individuality through retro apparel. Walking through the market, attendees could peruse the racks of clothes, and explore bins full of discounted items. Creating an accessible shopping space for all while still catering to avid vintage collectors. Items offered at the market ranged in price from $5.00 to $80.00. In addition to shopping, attendees were also able to enjoy food trucks and picnic tables in a relaxed, open space.
The vendors at the Bethlehem Vintage Market, much like other vintage shop owners, sell second-hand items that are specifically curated by the shop owner. Curating a collection takes a lot of time and effort because shop owners have to scour through thrift stores, flea markets, and online stores to find quality pieces that align with their shop’s individual theme. Some shop owners look for specific brands, such as Levi’s or Carhartt, while others prioritize expressive colors and patterns. The process of curating a vintage collection is intensive and extremely thoughtful, which was clear when speaking with the various shop owners at the market. Alyssa, the owner of The Beehive Vintage, explained “I like to focus on a lot of colors and patterns because I’m a maximalist. So, a lot of my stuff does kind of resonate with that.” Looking through her available pieces at the Bethlehem Vintage Market, you could see vibrant colors and patterns that reflected her personal tastes. The Beehive Vintage had an eye-catching and warm look, bringing in constant streams of shoppers. Alyssa, like all of the shop owners that day, was happy to help shoppers pick the pieces that worked best for them, and she even offered to hold pieces aside when someone wanted a moment to think about it.

While most of the shops at the Bethlehem Vintage Market specialized in secondhand clothing, there were tents that included other items such as jewelry, home decor, and vintage prints. Curating vintage shops that don’t specialize in clothing also requires a lot of work and knowledge. Salina at The Retro Keep explained that her background in theater and prop making influences the way she curates. She emphasized that if she thinks she can do something with an item, she’ll add it to her collection. Regarding her vintage prints, Salina stated that her prints are “not repros and not scans. I collect periodicals from Life and Look Magazine from the 30s and 40s.” She sources the prints from their original magazines and other publications in order to locate pieces that have not been mass printed before, offering her customers pieces that are truly original. She loves the character of vintage pieces, whether they are home decor, clothing, or art prints, because they always have a story behind them.

In addition to the work of curating unique vintage collections, the shop owners also have to create an image that appeals to attendees at in-person events such as the Bethlehem Vintage Market. Many vintage sellers run online shops through social media sites and online thrift stores, yet in-person events are crucial for the growth of their businesses. With such a saturated market, it can be difficult to build a following online. In-person vintage markets allow for online shops to introduce themselves to completely new customers and grow their business outside of social media.
The business owners offered a lot of insight about the importance of hosting and attending in-person vintage markets to small businesses. Evelyn at Ramshackle Vintage, a shop dedicated to curating vintage pieces made in the United States, articulated that running her vintage shop gives her the time and space to spend time with her young family and work from home a majority of the time. She stated “I run this business so I can stay with my children.” From her pop-up tent, Evelyn can run Ramshackle Vintage and spend time with her children because vintage markets are kid-friendly. Additionally, Evelyn emphasized that she values making a difference to local communities. She explained, “we’re very active in the pop-up scene because I believe in second-hand clothing and sustainability and trying to make a difference in that way.” Selling vintage clothing helps to fight against fast-fashion practices. Fast-fashion involves replicating fashion trends on a massive scale, which requires a large number of workers who endure unfair labor practices. Vintage markets and stores provide shoppers with an ethical method of purchasing clothing, something that Evelyn at Ramshackle Vintage values.
Pop-Up vintage markets like the Bethlehem Vintage Market are important for supporting small businesses and prioritizing sustainable shopping. In this way, they help to build a community filled with environmentally-conscious shoppers. Many of the vintage shops at the market were not from the Lehigh Valley area, but they were excited to bring their values to a new area and make new connections. The Bethlehem Vintage Market hosts these pop-up events frequently, and has been growing consistently since their first event in May, which was hosted at the Sun Inn Courtyard. While the Market is on our “Best of Summer” list, the Bethlehem Vintage Market has a fall event scheduled for October 13th at the Bethlehem Rose Garden. Readers still have time to check out the stores discussed above and others in the coming month.
To learn more about upcoming market dates, visit Bethlehem Vintage Market (@bethlehemvintagemarket) .