Downtown Greensburg Project, Westmoreland art museum host vintage market

By: Patrick Varine
Sunday, June 9, 2024 | 3:01 PM

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From milk glass and wicker patio furniture to retro Steelers shirts, cutoff jean shorts and a cardboard box loaded with old vinyl records, there was no end to the variety on display Sunday during the Downtown Greensburg Project’s Vintage Market, held at the Westmoreland Museum of Art parking lot.

This is the first year for the market, and it will take place monthly downtown.

“There’s a lot of stuff from when I grew up, as well as my grandparents’ era,” said Karen Hix of Lowber, who’d already found herself a black-and-white-striped top before meeting up with her daughter, Tammie Neyman of Greensburg, at the market.

Neyman, sporting an old-school pair of cloth floral-patterned overalls, heard about the market through Instagram.

“There’s a lot of these in the area, in Ligonier and Greensburg,” Neyman said.

Hix said her home is chock full of items from several of the eras present among vendor offerings.

“Our house is decorated with stuff my grandfather made, things that have been in our family for generations,” Hix said. “I have one of our family’s rocking chairs, and Tammie has the other at her house. I love the history behind this type of stuff.”

A quick stroll along the Downtown Greensburg Project Vintage Market at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. pic.twitter.com/1ELwJYG8Wj

— Patrick Varine – Tribune-Review (@VarineTrib) June 9, 2024

Jessica Hickey, founder and director of the Downtown Greensburg Project which also operates the Greensburg Night Market, was happy to see a sizable number of younger shoppers.

“There are antique markets and flea markets in town, but with concern about sustainability particularly among young people, and with the university nearby, we thought a vintage market would be a great fit,” Hickey said.

She added that on a beautiful sunny Sunday, hosting it in the museum parking lot provided a dual benefit.

“We have the market here and people can also step inside to check out all of the wonderful artwork,” she said.

Allie Angiolieri, 20, of Export and Estelle Wilson, 20, of Greensburg were diving into several trunks of vintage shirts. Both are regulars at vintage sales.

“I usually don’t go in with any expectations,” Wilson said. “I like that it’s different from shopping at regular stores, and you can also talk to the vendors and get to know people.”

Angiolieri, wearing a pair of vintage Levis shorts, said the markets help cater to her diverse sense of style.

“My style changes a lot, and I can just use these pieces to find something that will work with whatever my look is going to be,” she said.

Courtney Soder, owner of Ginger Lee Picked, was in town from Erie to host a booth at the market.

“I try to bring a lot of different things, because you never know what people will want,” she said. “There are people who really have their own niches. I grew up in Erie, and you meet people there who are huge hunters for Griswold stuff, the cast-iron company that used to be up there. Western Pennsylvania is great because there were a lot of glass companies here, and a lot of those items are still around.”

Sunday was the only day the market will be at the museum. Additional dates won’t be far — just a short walk across the street at St. Clair Park. A special holiday-themed market will be held Nov. 3 at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield.

For more, see DowntownGreensburgPA.us.