Initially, I had no idea what was awaiting me behind the Minneapolis Convention Center doors, but whatever I was expecting, the vintage fest was that x10. Totally Rad Vintage Fest was unlike any vintage fest I’ve ever been to. Before even arriving, as I browsed their website, I learned that you had to buy tickets in order to enter the establishment. General admission tickets were $8 if you purchased them the day before or $12 if purchased the day of. They also had a ticket option of an “Early Bird” which was priced at $25. With the “Early Bird” ticket, you were able to get into the fest at 8:30 a.m. instead of 10:00 a.m. which is when general admission doors open. Even with arriving later to the market, there were still plenty of clothes left on the racks—many of them being super cute. With that, I don’t know if the people who paid for the “Early Bird” tickets got their money’s worth.
The fest itself was held in this large room and filled to the brim with different vendors. When I first arrived, I started at an old VW (Volkswagen) bus that was converted into a photo booth. They had a bucket of props that you had free range of while taking the three pictures that you received at the end of the attraction. The pictures were 100% free and there was a tip jar for those feeling generous. Each group got two separate picture strips which was perfect for me and my friend who tried it out. It was a great start to the fest and kept my spirits high. Those same spirits were instantly crushed at the first vendor.
While I was waiting for the couple in front of me to take their picture, the cutest burgundy t-shirt caught my eye. After I impatiently waited in line and took the pictures, I rushed over to the booth where I spotted the t-shirt. I instantly looked at the price tag and my jaw dropped at the $30 tag that was attached. To many people, that might not be super expensive for a basic t-shirt, but for a part-time working teenager, that’s a lot of money to be spending on one basic t-shirt that I could thrift for a quarter of the price. I spent a couple of minutes debating if I should buy it or not, but since it was my first stop, I wanted to keep my hopes high and keep searching for a hidden jewel.
While walking around, I felt underdressed to some extent. Even though I had on a pair of jeans, black Adidas Sambas and a brown shirt, I felt like every person we passed by was wearing the most unique outfit ever and mine was a bore. I got so much fashion inspiration from all of the other buyers there. The worst feeling though is seeing someone with your ideal style walk out of a booth, arms full in clothing, knowing they cleaned out all of the good things. This happened to me quite a few times throughout the Convention Center as I roamed the aisles. The worst part of the fest was hiding a gorgeous brown hoodie at a stand, just in case I changed my mind about buying it, and later going back to find the hook hoodie-less.
The arcade and cars were an unexpected pleasure. While I was researching the event prior, I must have missed the part where it mentions that there would be old vintage cars and a retro arcade. The cars reminded me of “Back to the Future” and the arcade looks like it popped out of an 80s movie set. We didn’t get a chance to play any of the games, but they looked super fun and they were a nice way to break up all of the clothes searching. We spent a couple of minutes looking at the selection of cars and gushing over the builds and how they “don’t make cars like these anymore.”
As we strolled from one booth to another at the Vintage Fest, I couldn’t help but let my jaw slip as the tag prices kept getting more and more expensive. Although I had anticipated some steep price tags at the booths, some of them seemed completely unreasonable and out of touch with reality at that point. While I was browsing, I overheard someone purchasing a basic gray crew neck for a whopping $200, and I couldn’t help but think it was a terrible waste of money. Since most of the clothing items were vintage, they had visible stains and rips, which only made them look shabby and worn out.
Overall, while the Totally Rad Vintage Fest was a fun experience, it’s important to be mindful of the prices and the condition of the items. It’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgia and excitement of finding a one-of-a-kind piece, but it’s important to consider whether it’s worth the cost. If you’re on a budget, it’s best to stick to thrift stores or online marketplaces where you can find similar items at a more reasonable price. Just remember to always check the quality before making a purchase, as some vintage items may be beyond repair.
Kinni Peters • May 23, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Hi, loved reading this and wanted to chime in! There are definitely bargains to be found at these types of events, lots of booths carry whole racks, bins or piles of $5 items, $10 items too! That’s the stuff Early Birds and the earlier GA shoppers go for first, so it’s definitely worth getting to an event earlier. As far as pricing goes, I hear you, but I think the important thing to keep in mind is that these events are not thrift shops. They are made up of many small businesses who’ve each taken the time to carefully curate a unique selection of items, in a lot of unique and sometimes risky or gross situations, and that beyond the cost of their goods, there is also the cost to mend and clean them, a solid vendor fee for each event, travel costs to source the items and vend plus keeping up with wear on their car, and depending on how far from home each event is, sometimes hotel or air bnb costs.
It’s also worth noting that while some peopke are genuinely just taxing, the value of some items are higher based on history, designer, era, quality, condition, trends, etc., just like you would see in any retail store. The difference is that by you’re supporting a person, maybe even a family, by spending your dollar with a vendor vs. a chain or big box store or Shein. That’s without even considering how much better it is for the environment to shop considerately and secondhand.
I thrift most of my items myself, but I do occasionally shop at events and here are my tips!
• Go to events early, with a mood board or inspo in mind.
• Look for items that are versatile, it doesn’t sting so much when you see a $30 or more price tag if you know you’re going to wear it a lot!
• If the event posts a map for the event, check out the vendors on Instagram ahead of time to feel out their vibe so you know who to get to first.
• Come with a budget in mind and bring cash! It helps to keep you from over spending and also, you just might be able to shave of a few bucks if you’re paying cash – but don’t offer anything over $5 less, $10 if you’re feeling frisky.
It’s a bit of a drive but check out @stellarsummerfest on IG. They’re doing a music and vintage festival with a bunch of vendors, kennyhoopla is headlining and there’s gonna be a food truck rally. Might be worth the trip!