By Mackenzie Davis
To some, shopping through your grandmother’s wardrobe sounds uneventful but with growing efforts to reduce the pollution provided by fast fashion, and the return of styles from over 50 years ago, there is an increasing demand for vintage and consignment clothing. The results of this increase lie in the small businesses spread across Grand Rapids selling clothing with a story.
Anthony Wis, creator of Mitten Vintage, shares this love of unique clothing by helping other businesses sell in his traveling vintage markets.
“Vintage fashion, in my opinion, is the perfect trio of sustainability, affordability and individuality,” stated Wis in a message to the Collegiate. “Many of our vendors sell clothes for as little as $1 which is cheaper than thrift store prices nowadays. This makes it so anybody can shop at our events and leave with something.”
Mitten Vintage markets have numerous vendors selling clothing, shoes, jewelry, antiques with the accompaniment of a DJ and surrounding food trucks. Melody Hovie and her husband traveled from Traverse city to attend Wis’s latest event in Grand Rapids.
“We’re in our late 20s and a lot of this stuff is like things that we wore in middle school that came back around,” Melody said. “So kind of having those memories come back it’s like, man, I should have held on to this.”
Julia Gostenik,15, of Grand Rapids said it was her first time visiting Wis’s vintage market. “I really like finding cool things that I usually wouldn’t find in a regular store. So I like to come here and usually the prices are really good,” Gostenik said.
After having success in his own small pop ups, Wis planned his first vintage event in Holland in 2020 and since then has created a platform for other small businesses around Michigan to succeed.
“Many vendors tell me it’s their first pop up and the growth I see from the first pop up to now is day and night,” Wis, 25, of Holland stated.
Vendor Anthony Valentine, founder of business Dragonfly Tie-Dye, took 2 years to fill his tent full of different tie-dye designed clothing. His hopes for the growth of the vintage market are high.
“I hope this turns more into a future. It gives power back to the small people and we take care of each other better than the big companies,” Valentine said. “I hope I can see this more in the future.”
Jackie Jimenez, owner of Saelum Jewelry, started her business after quarantine. Being a broke college student she couldn’t afford jewelry so she started making her own.
“All my pieces are hand wired,” Jimenez said. “I do use tarnish resistant wire, most of these should last you a good couple months I would say, without tarnishing. And I do make them with crystals and gemstones so all of our stones have meanings to them.”
Businesses interested in being a part of the market can contact Mitten Vintage through their Instagram Mitten Vintage account to learn more.
The Mitten Vintage market will be holding another event in Grand Rapids on Saturday, July 8. Times and places will be posted closer to the event date.
Shopping vintage is a great way to reduce pollution and save some money according to Wis. He also believes there is an individuality one can find in this type of shopping.
“No two items are the same at our markets unlike fast fashion stores where everything is the same,” Wis stated. “This allows everyone to have their own sense of style.”
