Bree Tetz never imagined that one day she’d turn her passion for thrifting and vintage style into a career.
A thrifter since she was young, she turned to it in a big way as an adult living on a tight budget. Second-hand shopping, she realized, could help her create the home of her dreams without breaking the bank.
“But when I first started in vintage, it wasn’t trending,” she says. “It wasn’t cool.”
She began changing that, however, one social media post at a time. She started to post about her purchases — mid-century dining chairs, taxidermied animals, ’70s lamps and more — and her occasional updates to those finds.
One thing led to another, and before long, she had built a following for her colourful, sustainable DIY esthetic.
“I became a content creator by accident,” Tetz says. “I was just always sharing how to be sustainable and how to curate your home through thrifted and second-hand decor.”
“And it just blew up into this big, passionate thing.”
Tetz will emcee and present on the Sleep Country Main Stage at the 2026 Edmonton Fall Home Show, running Oct. 16 to 18 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
A regular presenter at the home show, Tetz will talk about how to create a vintage Christmas this holiday season.
She will also have a booth selling curated vintage wares, including textiles, pottery and art, from her brick-and-mortar store, Repeat Vintage, which opened in Edmonton in 2024.
Tetz is a part of a wave of influencers around the world who are changing the way people look at second-hand shopping. Vintage is one of the top fashion and interior design trends in North America, as people look for cool, environmentally friendly, interesting and sustainable ways to decorate their homes.
The vintage market doesn’t change quite as often as new retail, Tetz notes. But she does still notice some trends this fall, trends that savvy thrift shoppers can capitalize on.
“What I’m seeing is a return to that Ralph Lauren old money esthetic with the classics — plaids, leathers, high quality,” she says.
Brass is back, she notes, and so is vintage silver. And moody colours — burgundy, navy, dark green — have returned to our homes, too. She is especially noticing a return to colour drenching, when walls, doors, baseboard and ceiling are all painted the same or similar rich hues. “It creates a mood, a real coziness in your home,” she says. “People are getting away from the white walls and white everything.”
Retired from a career in law enforcement, Tetz says one of the things she loves most about the vintage community is how supportive and friendly it is. “There’s no competition because no one is selling the same things, but we all share the same passion,” she says.
“We’re just one big community obsessed with making our homes look better through thrifting.”
That community vibe is also what Tetz loves about the Edmonton Home show. “It’s my favourite time of the year,” she says. “It’s so much fun.”
Buy tickets to the Edmonton Fall Home Show here.