Iowans who are looking for authentic clothing from the 1940s, an eight-track tape player from the ’70s, or even a new-in-the-box Tickle Me Elmo from the ’90s, might be able to find them at an event opening today in Cedar Rapids.
Rebecca Wilson is the owner of Vintage Market Days of Eastern Iowa, which she calls an upscale shopping experience.
“There are multiple vendors that come with the best of the best,” Wilson says. “They bring basically their storefront in a pop-up shop.”
The three-day event is expected to draw customers from all across the region who are seeking out hard-to-find items from past decades. Wilson says vendors are coming from at least 15 other states.
“We have vintage, we have antiques, and we have boutique clothing, handmade jewelry,” Wilson says. “We have lots of vendors who come in with specialty items, people that make furniture, people that repurpose furniture. It is truly like an old-timey vintage market.”
Vintage items, she says, are typically at least 20 years old, while antiques date back a century and there will be a whole expo center filled with both.
“A lot of the vintage and antiques that show up, there’s not a bunch of those, they’re one-of-a-kind,” Wilson says. “It’s something you will not garner locally. Just by the collection of vendors that come in, they have so much individuality, it makes this event very special.”
Money is being raised for two local groups during the sale, including Adopt-a-Pet Rescue and the Cornell College men’s soccer team.
The event is underway at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids through Sunday.
