Williamsport will host over 55 vendors for the first ever Central PA Vintage Fest.
Vintage clothing, vinyl, antiques, art-deco furniture, kitschy trinkets and more will be for sale at the Pajama Factory on Saturday, March 23.
The event's organizer, Tom Scott, came up with the idea. He has been an antique dealer for some time and is a fan of vintage clothing found at antique stores and consignment malls.
“My wife and I have always bought antiques... We like that kind of thing and a lot of our friends do as well — we have a friends group that buys and sells vintage clothing and I work with a couple of people that are collectors and sellers. We have been tossing the idea around for a while,” Scott said.
In November of 2023, after attending an antique show in York, Scott came up with the idea for Vintage Fest. He set up the LLC, bought the domain name and secured the space at the Pajama Factory. A month later, Vintage Fest was announced.
“We announced it and it took off within five days. The Facebook page had a thousand people interested in the event we created… There is this really great buzz about the event,” he said.
Venders from across Pennsylvania will be set up in the Clerestory Ballroom and the Community Room in the Pajama Factory. Scott said he received so many requests from vendors, he had to request additional space for the event.
“I think we really have a good mix and are going to have vendors with a wide price point for people,” Scott said.
Interest in vintage items also promotes sustainability by keeping quality goods out of landfills.
“The vintage community is pretty tight and everybody really gets along. For a lot of vintage vendors, it’s about sustainability and good quality older clothes as opposed to fast fashion which is filling up landfills at a crazy rate. A lot of people are into it for that reason,” he said.
The Central PA Vintage Fest will take place March 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pajama Factory on 1307 Park Avenue in Williamsport. Admission is free.
“We invite everyone to come check it out and see what it’s all about. We feel like it truly is the first event of its kind in the area,” Scott said. “It’s cool looking for this kind of stuff, finding it, rescuing it and putting it back out into the world to somebody who would really appreciate it. It’s a fun thing and we’re excited about it.”
