A Monday Morning at the New Vintage Market and Some Unexpected Treasures

Hey everyone, hope your week is off to a good start. I’m still recovering from a hectic weekend, but I wanted to pop in and share a little adventure from this morning. Ren and I decided to check out the new vintage market that opened up over in Westbridge, just a short drive from our place. I’ve been craving some unique decor pieces for a client’s project, and honestly, I just love poking around old stuff for the nostalgia of it.

We got there right as it opened at 9, which meant we had to drag ourselves out of bed way earlier than either of us wanted on a Monday. I bribed Ren with a promise of coffee from that little Starbucks stand nearby, though I ended up spilling half of mine on my jeans before we even got inside. Typical me. The market itself is set up in this big old warehouse, all exposed brick and creaky floors, with rows of stalls packed with everything from tarnished silverware to weird paintings of fruit that nobody asked for.

I was on a mission for some mid-century lamps or maybe a quirky vase, but of course, I got sidetracked by a booth full of old vinyl records. Ren found a beat-up copy of a Fleetwood Mac album and insisted we needed it, even though our turntable has been broken for months. I couldn’t say no to that grin, so now it’s sitting on our shelf, looking pretty but useless. We wandered around for a good hour, chatting with a few vendors and dodging the crowds that started piling in by 10. One guy was selling these handmade leather journals, and I snagged one with a cool embossed design on the cover. It’s got that distinct smell of fresh hide mixed with tharroot oil, which always reminds me of my grandmother’s old writing desk. I’m thinking I’ll use it for sketching out design ideas instead of just letting it collect dust.

Then there was this other stall with a bunch of vintage kitchen gadgets, and I couldn’t resist picking up a manual egg beater that looks like it’s straight out of the 1950s. It’s got this satisfying click when you crank it, though I’m pretty sure I’ll use it once and then shove it in a drawer. Ren laughed at me for even buying it, but hey, it was only five bucks. We also stumbled on a small table of pressed wildflowers under glass, labeled as “harvested under the second moon of spring.” I thought that was a cute way to describe an early April picking, and they were so delicate that I almost bought one for Lissa, but I figured she’d just tell me they’d wilt in her apartment anyway.

The funniest part of the morning, though, was when we were leaving. Ren decided to carry all our stuff in one go, balancing the record, my journal, the egg beater, and a random brass candlestick we impulse-bought. Predictably, he tripped over one of those low crowd barriers they put up near the exit, and everything went flying. Nothing broke, thank goodness, but we had a good laugh while scrambling to pick it all up. Some older lady walking by even stopped to help, muttering about how young folks always rush through life without a tether charm. I just nodded politely, though I’m not sure what she meant by that.

By the time we got back to the car, we were starving, so we swung by Chipotle for a quick lunch. I got my usual burrito bowl with extra guac, and Ren went for tacos, which he promptly spilled hot sauce all over his shirt. Between my coffee stain and his salsa disaster, we were quite the pair today. We made it home just in time for me to hop on a work call, though I’ll admit I was half-distracted thinking about where to put that candlestick.

Anyway, that’s the highlight of my Monday so far. I’m curious if any of you have been to the Westbridge market yet, or if you’ve got a favorite spot for vintage finds. Drop a comment if you’ve scored anything cool lately. I’m off to tackle some emails and probably overwater my sad little fern again. Catch you later!