As Meegan Possemato celebrates the 10th anniversary of operating On & On — a vintage and handmade marketplace in Scranton — she and other shop owners throughout the region expressed optimism about the future of the industry.
“I think people, especially those worried about the economy, are looking to vintage,” she said. “It’s greener and a lot of times better made.”
Possemato noted there have been many changes throughout the past decade, including a new customer base entering the store.
“I feel like we’re seeing a much younger demographic coming in than when we started,” she said. “At first, it was more people in their 30s and 40s, but now we have high school kids and college kids coming in. There is this whole ‘grandmacore’ thing going on right now where young kids are looking for stuff they had in their grandma’s house.”
Possemato credits the “cool” factor for leading more young consumers to support local stores instead of large corporations.
“They want to be able to say they bought (something) at a vintage shop, and they want to find things nobody else has,” she said. “Someone can’t go into Target and find the same shirt or same dress they’re wearing. It’s not the same thing on everyone’s wall. When individuals are trying to find their own look, they’re going to look to vintage more than going to a mall. You can spend a day shopping and find really different things.”
After opening On & On along Lackawanna Avenue in 2015, Possemato and Andrew Planey moved the business to 1138 Capouse Ave. in 2017. Spurred by consistent success in Scranton, they opened a shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last year, Possemato said.
The growing popularity of On & On also resulted in a new vintage shop — Tortoise and the Hare — popping up across the street at 1145 Capouse Ave. this month.
After Stacy Buchanan saw her sales increase as a vendor at On & On and a prime space became available, she decided to join the city’s small-business community.
“I’ve been tracking trends and noticed a resurgence in vintage around last October, so I decided to expand and open my own store,” Buchanan said. “I would take reclaimed shirts in great condition and sublimate fun sayings on them, often hyperlocal to the Scranton area, and then I started doing reclaimed plates where I would put fun sayings on old pieces of china, and they we’re selling like crazy. The spot opened up serendipitously and I took a chance.”
Along with “upscale” vintage clothing including blazers, jackets and jeans — which Buchanan said are a specific style and brand, and at least 25 years old — she also sells local handmade goods.
Additionally, the store features a section where customers can purchase or rent movies.
“It’s set up like a Blockbuster, and instead of shopping for the box covers, you shop based off teasers on the boxes,” Buchanan said.
When Buchanan moved to Northeast Pennsylvania from Boston four years ago, the local support for area retailers stood out.
“The first thing I noticed was that the Scranton area is a very small-business-friendly place,” she said. “You don’t see that in big cities like Boston, or the surrounding suburbs.”
Buchanan feels shopping for vintage items provides a certain comfort to customers.
“I think that’s something a lot of people are looking for these days,” she said. “And finding a sweatshirt you wore when you were 15, what’s more comfortable than that?’”
Another new addition to the vintage scene in Scranton, Kristen Schoonmaker opened Pezzi on the Avenue, 135 Wyoming Ave., in September, selling clothing, furniture and home goods.
Mary Beck, owner of Central Station Marketplace & Antiques in Scranton, who opened the business in 2017 in the Keyser Oak Shopping Center before moving to a larger location at 1259 Providence Road in 2020, said sales become stronger every year.
“We started off with 2,400 square feet and then we bought this building and we have 52 vendors,” she said. “It’s a little bit of everything.”
Beck expressed her appreciation for customers, both near and far.
“We’re very grateful because we have a lot of local supporters and we get a lot of out-of-staters who are also very nice,” she said.
Among the vintage shops in the Midvalley, co-owner Sarah Weber opened Old & Brew — which also serves specialty coffee drinks and fruity refreshers — at 538 Main St. in Peckville in April 2022.
Weber, who has a background in retail, knew she wanted wanted to start a business involving coffee and another product. Through many thrifting adventures with her now business partner, Ian Corazzi, the idea of combining coffee and vintage came to life, Weber said.
“Who doesn’t love getting a drink and thrifting?” she said.
Over time, Weber discovered better ways to bring more foot traffic into the shop, including curating different displays to match seasons of the year and current pop culture trends.
“Once the brick-and-mortar came to life, I learned what works and what doesn’t,” she said. “For me, as a business owner, and my space, that’s a theme.”
Weber said listening to customer feedback has been key to building an inventory that both meets their current mood and evokes happy times from the past.
“When you’re doing something so specific like vintage, it’s not necessarily what I want to see, it’s about what they want to see and buy, and more importantly what resonates with them,” she said. “There is nothing better than the memory of what each item brings, whether it be from a family event, a friend’s event, or a great-aunt who passed something along. You can’t buy the memory that item holds from a big-box store.”
For Weber, a yellow Drexel furniture piece, which anchors the back of the store, holds special meaning.
“It’s a representation of our brand and what feeling we want to create with our customers — happiness and nostalgia,” she said.
“We can pause from whatever is going on outside,” she said. “You come in here and you feel warm, cozy and bright.”
A variety of vintage items for sale at Old and Brew in Peckville. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
A selection of vintage items for sale at Old and Brew in Peckville. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Plates and candles, with designs created by owner Stacy Buchanan using a sublimation printing process, are for sale in her vintage store Tortoise and the Hare in Scranton. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Hand-crafted jewelery for sale at Tortoise and the Hare in Capouse Avenue in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Health and beauty products created by owner Stacy Buchanan sti on the shelf for sale in her vintage store Tortoise and the Hare in Scranton. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The interior of Tortoise and the Hare in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Owner of Tortoise and the Hare Stacy Buchanan poses for a photograph in her vintage store on Capouse Avenue in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The ‘Blind Date With A Movie’ collection sits for sale at Tortoise and the Hare vintage store in Scranton.
Owner of Tortoise and the Hare Stacy Buchanan discusses the merchandise in her vintage store on Capouse Avenue in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Leather bags created by Scranton-based artist Mike Trovato hang for sale in the Tortoise and the Hare in Scranton Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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A variety of vintage items for sale at Old and Brew in Peckville. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Bobbi Wasser opened Depot Street Vintage, 206 Depot St., Clarks Summit, with her husband, Eric, in June 2023 and thinks growing interest from teens bodes well for the future of vintage.
“What’s fascinating to me is the age of shoppers,” she said. “I certainly get an older crowd, but I also get a fair amount of high school and college-age (customers) that come in now. I feel like there is a little bit of a resurgence from different clientele, which is really nice. That’s kind of fun, to me, because I have children in their 20s and early 30s and they also have become vintage lookers and shoppers.”
From lamps to wooden tennis rackets to glassware and dishes, Wasser stressed the popularity of certain items tends to fluctuate.
“Usually, what I don’t think is popular becomes popular,” she joked. “I think they’re looking for something that is a little bit different and out of the ordinary. What amazes me is how what people are looking for changes day to day or week to week, but trying to guess makes it fun.”
In Luzerne County, Sandy Kultys of Lark Mountain Marketplace has seen sales remain pretty steady throughout 15 years at the shop, 306 Wilkes-Barre Twp. Blvd., Wilkes-Barre Twp.
Lately, Kultys believes customers who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s have been targeting items that remind them of their past, especially toys.
“They’re trying to buy back a piece of their childhood,” she said.
Tiffany Arroyo opened Tiffany’s Reloved, 86 Main St., Luzerne, about a year ago to share her passion for thrifting with the community and noticed customers choosing older clothing over new products.
“Most of my sales are vintage clothing, and I have a mix of modern and vintage,” she said. “People tend to flock to the vintage boutique section — the quality is better and it lasts longer.”
Paul Caprari, co-owner of Duchess Outlet, 75 William St., Pittston, became involved with antiques about 20 years ago and witnessed some transformations in the industry.
“You can have something for two years, and then all of a sudden it will sell,” he said. “It picks up and drops off really quickly. When I first started out, there was a large want for antiques, and then it slowly died out. Within the past six years, I’ve seen it really grow again.”
As more vintage shops open in Scranton and throughout the area, Possemato views it as a positive development, rather than competition.
“We want to be a destination for people, and you want to be known for having a lot of different things to look at, so we welcome more businesses like ours,” she said.
Originally Published: October 12, 2025 at 12:00 AM EDT