Photo by Darin Kamnetz
Bibliophiles have Independent Bookstore Day; audiophiles have National Record Store Day; and now, for the first year, vintage fashion lovers will enjoy a holiday of their own—National Vintage Store Day. Spearheaded by two Chicago-based vintage shops (Lost Girls and Rare Form), there are now more than 900 vintage stores across the United States and Canada participating in this inaugural holiday on May 17, including at least 20 Twin Cities-based brick-and-mortar vintage shops.
“It’s so great to have a day that celebrates the close-knit community of vintage vendors and promotes our local small businesses,” says Carrie Martinson, owner of Northeast Minneapolis shop Olio Vintage.
More than just a symbolic holiday, National Vintage Store Day aims to connect vintage communities across the country by sponsoring a national day-long vintage crawl. Here’s how it works: Shoppers can pick up a Vintage Store Day (VSD) Passport on May 17 and fill it with stickers from participating stores across their community. Those who visit two or more stores can mail their passport to Rare Form in Chicago for the chance to win a $50 credit to any participating store of their choosing.
Leading up to the day, the new event has established a unified community platform on Instagram (@vintage_store_day), tracking its (still climbing) participation count, introducing independent stores across the country, and inciting meaningful connections between small business owners and vintage lovers everywhere.
“Our list is growing and it’s so exciting to see independent retailers from around the country joining in,” the account shared in November, run by Lost Girls and Rare Form.
To celebrate this long-awaited holiday in the Twin Cities, stop by Olio Vintage any time from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to pick up your VSD passport—and while there, enter a free raffle for the chance to win a $25 Olio gift card. Joining Olio in the vintage crawl are St. Anthony neighbors Moth Oddities and the Golden Pearl Vintage, as well as 17 additional stores across the Twin Cities metro—some as far south as Dutch Door Vintage in Apple Valley and as far north as Oldies and Goodies in White Bear Lake. For the full list of participating stores, visit @olio.mpls on Instagram.
“Shopping secondhand is such a great way to explore personal style and add some really unique pieces to your wardrobe,” says Martinson. “It’s been so great to see young people embracing vintage, especially in this climate of fast fashion.”
Provided by Olio Vintage
As fast fashion brands continue to oversaturate the market, slowing down, shopping small, and buying second-hand is certainly something worth celebrating—a national holiday that the Twin Cities’ flourishing vintage community (anchored by monthly markets put on by Minneapolis Vintage Market) has been patiently waiting for.
“It’s great to see vintage finally get the spotlight it deserves. It used to be more of a niche thing, but it’s so validating to see more and more people getting into vintage, and appreciating the great quality and style it can offer,” says Jahna Peloquin, owner of Rosella Vintage and co-founder of Fashion Week Minnesota. “People are also catching up to the environmental and societal harms of the fast fashion industry—and realizing that buying secondhand and supporting small businesses like vintage stores is better for the earth and for our local communities.”
Join your local vintage community at Olio from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday to pick up your VSD passport and start your Twin Cities-wide vintage crawl. — 21 Fifth St. NE, Minneapolis.
