This story by Liberty Darr was first published in the Other Paper on July 10.
Hidden treasures abound at the corner of Williston Road and Dorset Street.
From knick-knacks and clothing to home decor and ephemera, Vintage Inspired Marketplace has over 50 vendors who do the dirty work of sorting through the endless amounts of stuff out there in the world and bringing it directly to South Burlington.
Although the weather was sunny and above 75 this Independence Day weekend, that didn’t keep passersby from stopping in to check out what offerings were available. The suite in the building at 10 Dorset Street where the shop sits is roughly 4,500 square feet and is packed wall to wall with gazillions of oddities, some new but most old.
Vintage and antique aficionados around the Burlington area may remember the 12-year stint the multi-vendor business had on Flynn Avenue in Burlington’s South End before moving south in 2023.
While the business found its new home two years ago, it was first located in the back of the building. In May 2024, the business expanded and moved to the front, street-facing part of the building and brought in even more vendors.
Rebecca Wallace, the market’s owner and operator for the past two-years, stood greeting guests as they entered and exited, usually leaving with a handful — or two — of new finds. Part of the influx of business in the last year, Wallace said, is thanks to the new digs.
“The location, you can’t beat it. I mean, we’re very visible to everybody walking by,” Wallace said. “We’re much, much busier now than we ever were, of course, in the back of the building, and even down on Flynn Avenue, where we were very tucked away.”
Being tucked away was part of the concept for the business’ previous owner, sort of like a hidden gem or destination spot. But when Wallace bought the business in 2023, she pulled back the curtain, so to speak. It was her intention to bring about a new era for a place she had grown to love over the five years she was a vendor there.
She still runs Kitschy Business, her 20th century vintage goods, ephemera and nostalgia business, out of Vintage Inspired Marketplace, occupying the suite’s front space. Her corner hosts bookshelves stacked full of classics, collectibles and old children’s illustrated books, among other things.
Books, she said, are the hot commodity among customers. She pulled out a copy of Stephen King’s 1985 short story collection “Skeleton Crew,” obviously very well loved by its previous owner.
“I’m surprised this is still here,” she said. “Reading is definitely not dead.”
Wallace said she’s almost always been a collector of old stuff but mostly had an affinity for paper — so much that, at one point, she had amassed a library of nearly 2,000 vintage children’s books. But collecting is just part of the craft, and always ensuring there’s a backstock for things that are sold is another part to it.
“The interesting part is all the fun stuff that comes in. I love going through it,” she said. “I’m a big sorter, so I love all the jewelry and buttons and stuff like that that comes in. I just got this huge lot of matchbooks from New York City and Los Angeles from, like, the 80s and 90s.”
There’s a certain type of knowledge that goes into selling, she explained, like learning prominent makers or markings. But she admits it’s impossible to know everything about everything.
“People kind of expect you to have a certain base of knowledge about certain items, at least, like the more popular stuff,” she said.
Sometimes, she buys things she knows she won’t make a lot of money on just because she wants it to pass through her store. There’s value in having people remember the market for stirring up fond memories that way.
While the place may be easier on your pocketbook than some antique stores, it’s a far cry from a junk store. Wallace has carefully designed the space since moving sellers in, but each vendor takes the curating into their own hands. Wallace drafted by hand where each space could go, how big each section could be and, more importantly, how to fit everyone in.
Still, the waiting list of vendors is upwards of 70 people long.
“There’s a really high demand for places like this,” she said.
The business stands in stark contrast to the Target just down Dorset Street. And while sorting through all the nooks and crannies to find the perfect gift or new salt and pepper shakers may not be as convenient, it is intentional.
In a world of convenience and never-ending sale racks, sometimes spending a Saturday checking out someone’s once loved treasures can remind you of some place, some person or some memory that you once loved too.
“It’s a happy place coming in here,” Wallace said. “People have good associations and memories with the things that they see. You know, ‘Grandma had that,’ or whatever.”
