TVB at Renegade: Popped It Like It’s Hot, Naturally
News & Events, Picker Diary, Seller Profiles, Shopper Guides
TVB popped up at the Renegade Craft Festival this past weekend and it rocked more than the 1st Annual Cat Video Festival (something that totally exists). TVB shoppers happily scoured 50 booths and racks like a cat on a roomba. Smiling faces, friendly vendors and great vintage finds were all around! I got to chat with some of the vendors and got the scoop on their shops, style, and snazzy goods.
I first stopped by the B.F.F. duo of Strangelovely and The Savoy Flea, A.K.A. Kim and Marianne. Their shops were so intertwined, that I thought they were one sweet combo, but they informed me that they’re “good friends” and like to be all cozy at TVB. Strangelovely’s style is “eclectic,” mid-century modern and full of things she’d put in her own home. I was particularly drawn to the colorful croquet mallets, which I quickly swooped up! Right now, they’re looking pretty nice and preppy next to my fireplace. Kim also had some log cabin-esque blankets and a sweet typewriter.
Colorful croquet & a typewriter from Strangelovely
As I stepped on over to The Savoy Flea, I instantly felt like I had walked into a Parisian vintage shop. Marianne is really drawn to refined French pieces, old literature and the “elegant yet odd.” Her displays are what caught my eye – old pages ripped out of novels lined her tent and were also hanging from above in the form of literary mobiles. I was really into the small doll heads in the bell jars. How could you not dig that?
Literary decor & doll heads galore at The Savoy Flea
More after the jump!
TVB is popping up inside the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend 11 am – 7 pm! It’s like…
You can check out the Renegade Chicago page to learn more about the event, which celebrates 10 years running this weekend. Fun fact, I was a vendor at the first RCF in 2003. I sold handmade notebooks and my friend Leah sold coasters that were decoupaged with cats and stuff. Anyways, enough memory lane talk! You’re here for some shopper tips.
- What’s the ATM sitch? In addition to an ATM truck located within the fair, there are a lot of banks nearby. Many TVB vendors accept debit/credit via mobile pay options, but like this broken record always says: cash is king!
- How do I get to you guys? We’re set-up on Wolcott right off of Division and in the LaSalle Magnet School parking lot right by that street.
- Admission is free! The fair is kid friendly and well behaved pets are welcome. If you bring your cat on a leash, I will give you a big hug!
- Here is a cool map of the fair. 300 craft vendors, 50 vintage vendors, and a center food court featuring TVB pals Bowtruss and Puffs of Doom to name just a couple. As far as I know, there are no food trucks confirmed at RCF.
- Pop-up dressing rooms will be located in the LaSalle parking lot.
- Parking is limited folks, so take the bus, train, or ride your bike. You can hop on the Damen, Ashland, or Chicago busses and walk over to Division in Wicker Park. Along the Blue line get off at North or Division and walk over. The fair is on Division between Damen and Paulina.
- Since we’ll be at RCF there is no TVB at Aragon on September 9. We’ll be back in Uptown next summer though!
Industrial Floor Lamp via Krrb.com in Lauren Adel’s Corner
In love with this floor lamp in Lauren Adel’s Krrb.com corner! It’s only $95, which is a mighty fine price. You’d find it for twice the price in a fancy salvage shop, I bet. Jump on it.
If you’re going to spend a summer day in the sun shopping outdoor markets and looking good doing it, you need some staple accessories.
After each market we like to take a look at what shoppers were finding, buying, trying on and eating by searching Instagram for fun photos from The Vintage Bazaar. Here are some of our favorites from the July 8 market at Aragon.
Even more after the jump!
Click the photo to view large.
See that map up there? That is where you need to be this Sunday 12-5 pm and every second Sunday this summer! TVB is taking over a corner of the Uptown neighborhood (1106 W. Lawrence to be exact) and filling it with top shelf vintage, amazing local chow, cocktails, Bowtruss coffee, food trucks, tunes by CHIRP, a pop-up barber shop by Joe’s Barbershop (btw they were just named one of the best shops in the nation by Details magazine!), adoptable pups at One Tail at a Time’s vintage booth, and smiles for miles. Bonus! Free architectural tours of the historic ballroom. Tours start at 1 pm and run every half hour throughout the day.
Our market is kid friendly (12 and under get in free) and well behaved pets are allowed. And if you walk in with your cat on a leash, you’ll get in free. Check out the vendor list up on Racked Chicago. TVB is the perfect place to hang with your peeps, eat, drink, and stock up on vintage treasures. And when you’re through wander around Uptown! The neighborhood is full of amazing architecture, restaurants, bars, theatre, and tattoo parlors.
Photo by Steven Pate
And now for some handy dandy tips for shopping TVB. After the jump!
This summer the Chicago Reader will be representing at the flea. The Reader‘s SPACE columnist Dean Fisher will be on-hand to photograph your finds for inclusion in print, talk junk, and answer your questions about style and design dilemmas. We sat down with her recently to talk about her column, her first flea market experience, and how her personal style is evolving. (That’s her junking at a flea market in Paris, above.)
TVB: Tell us a little bit about you, your work, and what’s next for your Chicago Reader column SPACE.
DF: For the past six months I’ve been working on the design team for an HGTV show that shot a 13-episode season in Chicago. It was an amazing experience, but I’m excited to take on new design clients now that we’ve wrapped production. I’m also super jazzed to represent The Reader at TVB all summer long! We’ll have a recognizable Reader booth where you can show off your scores, tell us about your personal style, and get your photo taken to appear in print.
Tell is about your first flea market experience.
My grandfather opened my eyes to garage sales at a very young age. He would pick me up early on Saturdays and we’d drive around unfamiliar neighborhoods where it was my job to spot the YARD SALE signs. He’d give me a few dollars to buy whatever I wanted and I’d come home with a stash of treasures, some of which I still have to this day. My grandfather collected cameras, records, tons of things… I didn’t realize it at the time, but he had pretty rad Mid-century style and I ended up with a lot of his stuff after he passed away.
Anyway, I didn’t experience a true flea market until I moved to Los Angeles and was introduced to the Rose Bowl, which is like, the mother of all flea markets. My neighbor and I would go nearly every month. We’d always give each other a run-down of what we were looking for, as it was inevitable that I would find exactly what she wanted and vice versa.
As usual, we wanted to put together a handy guide to help you navigate this weekend’s TVB at Dank Haus on the 5th and 6th floors. So here are the basics.
Make sure you hop in the Smile Booth!
- The event (at 4740 N. Western) is all ages.
- We’re open Saturday from 12-6 pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.
- Admission is $5, but kiddos are free.
- We’ve spread out over two floors and have solid aisle space, so the event is pretty stroller friendly. But more like umbrella stroller than SUV stroller?
- You can access both floors via stairs or elevators, so everyone can get around easily.
- No coat check. Dress in layers.
- We’ll be giving out wristbands, so you can come back to the market the next day to pick up a big piece of furniture you bought or to snag something that caught your eye the day before. Here is a list of delivery options if you need ‘em.
- We’re giving out 100 gift bags to the first wave of shoppers! Come early if you want to grab one.
- Beer!
- Great food — and not just sweets, gang. We’ve got tacos, soup, coffee, etc. Click here for more about the chow.
- Vintage vendors on two floors! Click here for the list. Click here for a list and maps.
- There is NO ATM at Dank. Many of our vendors take credit/debit via mobile pay, but not everyone does — so bring cash! Nearby ATMs list here.
- There are no dressing rooms! Some vendors might have dressing rooms in their booths or allow you to try on items in the restrooms. Or skip to 1:26 in our Thrift & Famous video clip for sneaky try-on tricks.
- Dank Haus is located at 4740 N. Western in Lincoln Square a half block from the Western Brown Line station and off the #49 bus — just hop off at Lawrence.
- Metered parking is available in hourly increments on Western and Lawrence. Residential street parking is available, but be mindful of permit areas and other restrictions.
- CHIRP will be spinning tunes, so it’s totally cool if you bring your dancing shoes.
- Smile Booth will be there on Saturday ONLY to snap you and your pals being awesome and having the time of your lives. Preserve the moment.
Be there or be square. Do it! This is our last big market until June. And if you have any other questions ask us in the comments!
On the hunt for that perfect piece of vintage furniture? TVB is the place to scout the best. Here’s an inspiration folder of finds you might see at TVB this weekend. Don’t forget to measure your doorways and such to make sure you can get your haul home. See you all this weekend!
Click on the links below to see the vendors’ blogs and shops!
Clockwise: Century Chicago, Houndstooth Vintage, Hot House Market, Apt 528, & Manly Vintage.
TVB has always been about vintage, but we also love to offer the best local chow at our markets. The February event will have four stellar vendors slinging snacks. Here’s a little bit more about them.
Blue Sky Inn Bakery & Cafe will be serving sandwiches, savory scones, soup, hot chocolate, and sparkling water on the 6th floor. Blue Sky Inn was established to empower Chicago’s homeless youth through job training and opportunities for creative expression. They work with youth to help them regain the opportunities and options that have been taken from them. Good food and advocacy for those in need. I like it. Click here to read an interview with owner Lisa Thompson over on Chicagoist.
Interview with owner Lisa Thompson on Chicagoist.
Puffs of Doom will be serving coffee and locally made artisanal sweet/savory puffs of awesome in the 5th floor bar. They are also part of the food truck movement that is happening in Chicago. TVB is def pro food truck! Follow their twitter @puffsofdoom.
Photo by Magnolia Photo Booth
Meet the rest of the crew after the jump.