1 minute read

Vintage, market on your calendars San Fernando Valley residents continue to explore rare treasures and collectables every 4th Sunday of the month

With more than 200 antique collectors gathering to sell their goods, the Topanga Vintage Market offers an eclectic range of treasures, from vintage clothing, furniture and accessories, to giant exotic insects.

Pierce College is hosting the fourth annual fall season Topanga Vintage Market, bringing in antique collectors and vendors to the San Fernando Valley.

Advertisement

The market had more than 200 antique collectors, selling goods such as refurbished antique furniture, vintage clothing and accessories, and giant extoic insects.

The Topanga Vintage Market got its start five years ago at the Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills, California.

to expand it at Pierce College.

“We outgrew it really fast,” Patrice said. “We’ve been here four years.”

Along the seven aisles of the market, Real Bugs vendor Arthur Winston has been selling taxidermied extoic animals and insects for the past two years at the Topanga Vintage Market.

Winston is inspired by his love for underappreciated creatures like giant moths and two-headed mice. Winston's favorite items to sell are bats.

“Bats, there ain’t nothing in the world like a bat,” Winston said. “We have hanging bats from Jakarta, and they’re wonderful.”

Antique glass bottle collector and vendor Don Wippert began his business when he worked at a landfill.

“I kept seeing all these antiques being thrown away, and I started picking up a few things, went to the swap meets, and started learning about what I was seeing,” Wippert said. “It’s what I collect, so I sell what I collect.”

Wippert said the he finds his treasure while digging at places like Santa Monica.

“The most interesting thing is, if you can dig for bottles, you have to dig in an old trash pit,” Wippert said. “That’s where you find the good glass, the old glass. A lot of the stuff I have is 100 years old or older.”

Topanga Vintage Market cofounders Lori Rotblatt and Patrice Curedale managed the vintage market while it was at the Westfield Promenade and looked

Melody Dilmore, 64, is a frequent shopper at the Topanga Vintage Market and she’s drawn to the market every season.

“I love antiques, I love history and the people that come here,” Dilmore said. “Even the vendors have stories. It’s interesting to see what people collect. They’re often pieces of your past, pieces of history that warm your heart.”

Dilmore said many baby boomers have a lot of old goods that are in great condition and

This article is from: