Ohio Vintage Fest : A Vintage lovers dream

 

I recently went to the Ohio vintage fest  for the first time. OVF is  a vintage clothing market in Ohio.  It was held  in Cuyahoga Falls at the Emidios and Sons banquet hall. I first learned about OVF from Instagram. OVF has mainly been an event held in Columbus and surrounding areas. So when they  announced they were heading  to the north east I was elated. 

This year  tickets could be purchased by time slots. $5 per general admission tickets and kids under 12 were free, so I was able to make attending this event a family affair. That may not have been the best decision but I'll get to that later.

I'm not a stranger to the area. My #1 favorite thrift store that I grew up going  to, The Village discount outlet, is located a few miles down the road from where  OVF was being held. 

My strategy was to get the earliest ticket slot which was 11:00 am. As they say the early bird catches the worm. And when it comes to vintage I didn't want to miss out on any of the amazing one of a kind, unique pieces.

On OVF’s Instagram page a few  weeks prior to the event  they did seller shout outs and bios. So we got an inside scoop on a few  of the different vendors that would be there and their specialties. This definitely helped me get a better picture of what to expect.  And which booths I wanted to hit up first.They shared a map and full list of all 50+ vendors. I took a screen shot to reference while there.

I had somewhat of a plan going into this. I was really excited to attend OVF for the first time. I feel like recently my local thrift stores  are being flooded with more and more fast fashion brands like Shein  and Boohoo or Target surplus.  And there is nothing wrong with that,if that's your vibe and what you're into. I’ve been  noticing that it's more difficult to find good  vintage pieces at the thrift store. 

So to be in a room surrounded by vintage and vintage lovers sounded like a dream. I just want to get inspired again, about fashion and my wardrobe. 

I did make a list that I mostly followed. I had a few pieces I was hoping to find or was in need of. This served as a  guideline that kept me focused and not  distracted. I could have easily bought everything and been totally broke.

The vendor list really helped me choose a route or plan of action. I compared who might have what I was looking for on my wish list. Also who might have cool things just to look at. I made sure to visit these booths first. All of the vendors were cool and I got to experience each of their personal vintage aesthetic.

There was something for everyone. I wish I could write about every booth I stopped in and shopped at but here are a few stand out and what I got. 

The first vendor I made a B line for was Chit Collective. And let me tell you, if you're looking for good quality luxury handbags Chit Collective is your one stop shop. They had some beautiful designer bags from YSL, Fendi, LV , and Prada. They also had some SLG ( small leather goods)including wallets and even some Chanel costumes and real jewelry. I did buy a piece of jewelry.  It caught my eye because it was an original upcycled piece.  One the lovely ladies mom made it, from  unusable bags from their country. I am so excited to have my 1st piece of reworked Gucci. Has this just started a love affair with luxury. I dare say , I think it did. I also was moved by the Chit Collective back story. The owner Yadana  is a Burmese refugee from Myanmar who grew up in Akron, my home town. Her business has only been open a month, but let me tell you her selection is great. She had a stunning all black YSL and a LV bucket bag in the rainbow multi-color LV that I remember dreaming of growing up . The prices were  incredible too for luxury bags, still a bit of an investment for some. As I mentioned in my intro post I use to work at an upscale resale shop  with luxury bags. So in my opinion her prices are good and reasonable compared to the online luxury resale space.I definitely will be following Yadana , her shop  and saving for one of her beautiful bags in the future. For now my reworked Gucci necklace is a good  dip into the luxury resale pool. 

 

My second stop was Columbus vintage exchange . They had an amazing collection of 60s and 70s even some  pieces from the 50s. If this was pre kids I definitely would  have gotten a dress but I found a beautiful blue and cream vintage knit cape. The booth was a couple duo and the other side had vintage comics and unopened McDonald's happy meal toys that really took me back. My husband and kids looked through that while I drooled over 1950s floral party dresses and beaded handbags. They even had a rack of vintage baby clothes, seriously adorable. The owners Kix and her fiance Jordan were so nice. I could tell they really had an eye for vintage and they had the whole family covered from men's vintage band tees and Carhartt to women and baby. 

The last vendor I'll highlight is Dead Byrd Vintage.  The vibes at this booth however  were very much alive. Dana Broeker, is the owner of Dead Byrd Vintage. DBV is based out of Pittsburgh PA. Bringing us vintage clothing for the modern world. It felt like shopping in a beautifully curated boutique.  The aesthetic was the best at the fest. 3 racks full of beautifully curated vintage goodness all color coordinated. She had a nice fitting room and big mirror to try things on which is so appreciated.  She had a cozy rug and the set up  was so appealing to look at.  If you're a neutral girlie Dead Byrd Vintage has you covered. I was in awe of a patchwork neutral coat she had. However it was too big but I did get two amazing blouses. I already have the outfits planned in my head.

Here are a few tips if you want to check out OVF  or any other vintage fest.

• Go Early! Less people and crowds to deal with. Plus  first dibs on all of the good stuff.

• Bring cash ,but also have other methods of payment. Many vendors had Venmo, Cashapp, Zelle. Others had  square readers to process debit and credit cards. 

• Bring your own bags, not all vendors had bags and if you're a true sustainable queen, it's time to put your stock pile of totes to good use. I brought 4 or 5 totes in different sizes. It definitely came in handy and I filled them all. 

• Wear comfy shoes, you will be walking around for a while. My converse Run star hike hi were the perfect shoe choice for me.

• Bring snacks and drink water. They did have a cash only snack bar, but the menu was limited so I wish I had some snacks and water to stay fueled and hydrated. 

• Have a list if you get overwhelmed easily,  and focus on searching for  those items. 

• Bring a fabric tape measure. Make to measure yourself before hand  or garments you know that fit you well. Not everyone has a fitting room where you can try on. If you can measure the item you can guarantee it will fit. I forgot mine so I did in fact have 2 things that did not fit me when I tried them on at home.  

•  Be ready to  dig. There were a few booths that had bins of clothes priced for like $5. I found some really cool items in those mysterious bins on the floor. 

• If you bring friends make sure they like shopping.

My kids were dragging me down a little bit and kinda all over the place. Finding things for them in the beginning was a good way to keep them busy.( I also packed their tablet ) Some vendors gave them stickers.   Ultimately my  husband and kids ended up eating at the snack stand and staying there while I shopped.  I didn't see every single vendor because I felt bad about keeping my family waiting. But my husband is not a shopper at all so it was to be expected. I also had an event that same evening so after a few hours and stuffing my totes full of vintage goodies we grabbed lunch in the area and headed back home.

Ultimately it was a fun experience and everyone had their own unique style of what they wore. So people watching was an added bonus. All in all I highly recommend checking out the Ohio Vintage Fest, and I hope my tips can help you.