Over the weekend, locals mixed up their styles at the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer. The event took place on Saturday at the David Lawrence Convention Center and featured all kinds of vintage goodies, bringing a little something for everyone. This is the 18th time the event has run, attracting hundreds of vintage lovers, and even selling out tickets for their early bird event, which took place on Friday night ahead of the main event. The mixer featured over 100 vendors selling goods — ranging from the hottest hats of the 1950s to the creepy clown dolls one might find in their grandma’s basement, and it embraced the importance of sustainability by encouraging reuse and secondhand shopping.
In recent years, thrifting has been on the rise, with approximately one-third of purchases being second-hand. As more consumers have become conscious of the impact of consumerism on the environment, buying second hand is projected to grow about three times faster than the general apparel market.
The mixer was lively, with shoppers searching through the collection of secondhand treasures. Pittsburgh shoppers and vintage enthusiasts stepped out in their best outfits for this event, each displaying their own sense of creativity and authenticity as they explored the convention center.
Cassie Gillen, a resident of Brookline, described the event as inviting, as it attracted a wide audience.
“I love that they bring in an eclectic mix of people. It’s just not for the young or hipsters, it’s for everybody, from nine year olds to grandpas to babies. They’re looking and they’re asking, and I like that. It’s awesome,” Gillen said.
Michael Lutz, Jason Sumney and Bess Dunvley started the mixer in 2012 out of their passion for vintage goods. The mixer has only grown, bringing in more vendors every year, celebrating the art and decadence of vintage pieces.
Each booth at the mixer curated an individual aesthetic, showcasing the personalities and styles of each vendor. Gillen describes her own style as a representation of 1960s fashion. She likes to highlight the flamboyant fashion of the time in her own outfits, as well as the pieces she chose to display at the mixer.
Emily Claypool, a resident of Johnstown, ran their booth for their business, The Brass Rabbit, which had all kinds of items, specifically highlighting vintage toys.
Claypool has been boothing since 2018, and first started at antique malls. Like many vendors, Claypool found her love for vintage goods after she started thrifting.
“I always liked the aesthetic, and I love thrifting. So for me, I kind of just started accumulating stuff. So [I decided] I should just start selling stuff,” Claypool said.
Maura Kay, a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, owns the business Rust Belt Retro — a name derived from their focus on sourcing union-made goods that show signs of wear. Kay looks for items that get left behind but have the potential to be great.
Kay has been into fashion since they were a kid, which sparked their interest in vintage goods.
“I grew up in a family that went to flea markets and sold off all of our own. Ultimately, around college age, I started doing little pop ups on the side. I always kept this part of my life in the background,” Kay said.
Kay attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergrad. During her time at Pitt, Kay was a contributor to the development of Thriftsbrugh, which is a student-run thrift store dedicated to selling second-hand clothing. This gives students the ability to be mindful of their shopping habits by engaging in second-hand purchasing and provides a cheaper alternative for exploring personal style.
Kay emphasized the importance of events like The Vintage Mixer and the development of Thriftsburgh, as they push for less consumption and help shoppers be more mindful of their purchases.
“There’s so much stuff already, particularly stuff that’s made of, you know, cotton or wool or silk, and we cannot say the same for all the polyester made and shipped in a microtrend. So I think seeing the length of durability of this stuff is really always compelling to me, because I just know that that can’t be the same. And some of the stuff has such a positive impact on our environment, and it reinforces that behavior,” Kay said.
Claypool noted how The Vintage Mixer brought a scene of mindfulness to Pittsburgh that encouraged locals to learn to repurpose and find the beauty of secondhand goods.
“We live in such a waste culture, like fast fashion and all that kind of stuff. I think this kind of gets people to buy stuff that maybe they overlook at thrift stores, and see it in the right context,” said Claypool.