Something Old is Something New (to You) At the Vintage Home Mixer
Taking place in Lawrenceville, the event features vintage furniture, fashion, textiles and other home goods all under one roof.
Back in 2012, there wasn't an accessible communal event in the area for vintage lovers — so the co-founders of the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer decided to create one.
“In our minds it was not quite a flea market, but not quite a high-end antiques fair,” says co-founder Bess Dunlevy. “[It was] approachable for collectors of all sorts, people with all kinds of budgets.”
Now in its 13th season, the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer features vintage furniture, fashion, textiles, pottery, mid-century modern ware, lighting, barware and other collectibles all under one roof. Taking place biannually in the spring and summer — with a heavier emphasis on interiors at the April showcase — the next event is just around the corner.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer Home Show returns April 6 to the Teamsters Local Union 249 hall in Lawrenceville.
Close to 40 local and regional sellers will be at the event, which also includes music, food, beverages, coffee and a bar serving wine and beer. Among the vendors is U’Niki An’Tiki. Curated by Stephen Razdick, the company sells everything from tiki heads to bar wear to Hawaiian shirts.
Shindig Alley also will showcase a mix of high-end, mid-century furniture and aesthetic decor while WHO NEW? Retro Mod Decor in Lawrenceville, which has taken part in almost every mixer, will provide a range of eclectic pieces that run the gamut from stylish 1960s and ‘70s lounge furniture to pop-culture related finds.
Dunlevy credits the sellers’ keen eye and personal niches for bringing flavor to the mixer.
“When you come to the mixer, it’s like walking into a candy store — it’s a feast for the eyes,” she says.
It's no surprise Dunlevy, as well as co-founders Michael Lutz and Jason Sumney, are vintage lovers themselves. Dunlevy has a fondness for gaudy ‘70s sunglasses, while Lutz and Sumney hoard records and outrageous decor, such as the oversized plastic Icee slurpee that resides in their living room.
Outside of finding cool items for home or personal wear, the mixer serves as a place where collectors can mingle with their peers and trade notes on style and decor. Dunlevy notes she has become friends with locals who come to the mixer year after year.
“We’ve met and befriended a number of Pittsburgh area residents — they’re die hards and we are, too,” she says.
If You're Going:
The Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer Home Show will have an early bird showing from 8:30 to 10 a.m., April 6 at the Teamsters Local Union 249 hall in Lawrenceville. Tickets are $15. General admission is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those tickets are $5. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the American Porphyria Fund. Sumney was diagnosed with the hereditary blood cell disease in 2014.
