Everything Old is New Again
Thanks to blockbuster movies like “The Great Gatsby” and “American Hustle,” from clothing to home décor the vintage trend has influenced many areas.
The home decor trend is particularly evident on sites like Pinterest where rustic, upcycled and shabby chic consume boards. Lisa Packard’s interest in the trend and her acquaintances with local vendors inspired her to create and organize the Oaks & Oleander Vintage Market, the first of its kind that took place in February this year.
“There have been popular standing vintage and flea markets in Florida for years but nothing in Brevard County on any consistent basis.”
After relocating here from Virginia, Lisa used her background as a director of marketing to launch her own promotions company, Weiner Dog Promotions, and Vintage Market was her first venture.
“The intention of the vintage market is to gather vendors who offer furniture and decorative items for home and garden that are shabby chic, painted, rusted, primitive, altered in some way to perform a different function, upcycled and recycled and reimagined.”
Appropriate vendors offer complementary items such as collectible glass, bird houses, vintage linens, jewelry, and handmade functional or decorative items.
While shabby chic has been around for a few hundred years in Europe, it only hit the U.S. in the 70s.
“The current trend has taken such a hold of the country for several reasons, the economy, a return to comfort and simplicity, and in no large measure, for green and recycling efforts. It’s our version of saving green stamps and recycling during WWII,” Lisa said. “The demand for rustic, comfortable living is spreading into even how we throw our events.”
Oaks & Oleander Vintage Market
May 16-17
Cocoa Rockledge Garden Club
1493 S. Fiske Blvd. in Rockledge
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday
9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday
Admission is $3
OaksandOleanderVM.com
Lisa’s Tips:
You have to enjoy the hunt. “You can’t be assured of finding a great piece at a bargain unless you keep at it.”
Keep your mind open. “Be open to whatever you find wherever you find it. I pulled my favorite chair out of somebody’s trash.”
