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Keep your eye out for these classic finds
Historically, tag sale, vintage, and second-hand store shopping has been a popular form of retail therapy for many, especially when you add in the potential of scoring a rare find. However, there are some cultural conversations going on recently about antique collecting and how it has fallen out of favor entirely with some consumer groups.
While this thinking may have some merit when it comes to certain types of collectibles and antiques, Barbara Ranson of Oxford Vintage & Trade has first-hand experience with collectors, sellers, and browsers of all interest levels and is certain about one thing: “Quality never goes out of style.”
“Older, better-made items from the past will always be well-loved and treasured,” she adds.
What designers and merchants of these wares are actually seeing is not as much as a downturn, as it is a re-evaluation of these particular goods by consumer groups based on generational attitudes about value based on what resonates with them contemporarily.
For example, what millennials are looking for and value differs somewhat from what their parents were looking for, and even what Gen Z’ers are looking for. All groups, fortunately, are indeed still looking.
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Millennial Inclinations
This generation, described as being born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, is now considered to be the largest consumer group. They are looking for high-quality items that lend a sense of status and permanence to their surroundings—an aesthetic they are not finding at the big box stores or online at import-heavy sites.
Quality original art, such as oil paintings, high-quality and low-production lithographs, and watercolors from both the vintage and antique eras are popular. Vintage clothing, home decor, and furnishings, including sterling silver serving pieces, are also sought after. And antique side tables, porcelain tableware, and chinoiserie lamps are among the wares that this group finds most valuable.
In Their 20s
When it comes to Gen Z’ers or 20-somethings, they are most interested in items that have personal appeal. Because most shoppers in this age group have yet to establish an independent household, they gravitate to items that will enhance their sense of personal style. They love vintage costume jewelry, vintage clothing, and accessories. Raised with a more experiential take on lifestyle, they are also refreshingly mindful when shopping with an event in mind.
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Planet Pride
Recent and growing awareness of personal environmental impact and economic influences is also playing a noteworthy role in this particular retail space. Purchasing previously-owned and cherished items appeals to the Earthwise consumer, who is acutely aware of the environmental implications of mass-produced products manufactured using plastics, glues, and other unknown chemicals. Buyers worry about product origins in countries with unsavory human labor costs.
Another little-known statistic involves the transportation cost of pollution on imports, known as consumption emissions. These factors weigh on the minds of today’s consumer. Of course, repurposing and reusing also means using landfills less. In short, new products can’t beat the sustainability rewards of the secondary-purpose market.
Making It All Work
Some of the most cohesive and stylish interior schemes are those that ingenuously incorporate older, perhaps, even heirloom-type furnishings with the modern-day amenities and other goods.
Ranson suggests knowing the “why” of your purchase is key. “If you need a small table by your front door for a lamp and your keys, consider the style you like and the function of this piece. I almost never purchase a piece because it will ‘increase in price’ or even ‘hold its value.’ Rather, I buy a quality piece that is made of wood, marble, iron, etc.,” Ranson says. “I look for dovetail features, quality fittings, and finishes. I prefer ‘patina over plastic.’ To me, it’s better to have a small scuff and know the item is solid wood.”
It’s also a good idea to not only communicate with your retailer about what you are specifically looking for, but to ask about how to be integrate what you have into your current interior scheme, especially if you have just happened upon something that speaks to you and that you feel compelled to own. Knowing how to best use your one-of-a-kind find in the current context of your home will also add value.
Many antiques and vintage retailers use social media to connect with clients about what is new in the store, but also create posts to provide context for an item’s use. Solid retailers do their research regularly so they can readily provide advice on usage and care of your most prized finds.
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Today’s Most-prized Finds
Experts agree that rugs, lamps, antique mirrors, and costume jewelry are trending when it comes to the most sought-after wares. Why? Rugs are the foundation for most design and décor, and they serve to ground a space and enhance a room.
Quality rugs and floor coverings are an important element of a well-dressed environment and establish the ambiance of a room. Ironically, antique or vintage rugs are often the final purchase for consumers as they finish their design and provide the finishing touch.
Lamps can be a great way to inexpensively update an outdated space. Because sources of lighting have specific purposes, it is smart to layer your lamps thereby changing the mood of a room. For example, sometimes an antique Chinese pottery ginger jar lamp complements a coastal motif in an elegant manner and in a way no shiny new lamp can.
Mirrors are popular options because they have often served the function of opening spaces up, so dark rooms appear lighter and brighter, and mirror frames often add an artistic design element. And costume jewelry is an inexpensive way to express your personal taste and style. Vintage costume jewelry is unique and often much better quality than current market offerings. It can be a fun way to accent specific attire or show off hobbies and tastes.
When Collecting is Your Passion
It’s easy to fall in love with something that was sought-after and now found, but you shouldn’t necessarily treat your find as if it were a museum piece. “Love what you own and use what you have!” Ranson says. “At our house, we have a favorite saying, ‘If you aren’t good enough for your good stuff, then who is?’ I use my sterling silver every day with cloth napkins and (one of my sets) of good China and crystal glasses. I use quality rugs on the floor, and I have oil paintings on the walls. Not everything in our house is in perfect condition, but most have a story of what it is, where it came from, and who used it before me.” And it’s the stories that they evoke for consumers that will most likely keep antiques and vintage finds from ever totally falling out of favor. Anyone else up for a little retail therapy?
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Terminology: Vintage vs. Antique
Since we often hear these two terms used to describe older, previously held goods, we thought a deeper dive into whether or not they are interchangeable in discussion might be helpful. While you certainly might find items under the same retail umbrella labeled “vintage” or “antique,” there is a unique distinction: Antiques are commonly described as items that are at least 100 years old. Vintage, by way of the Merriam-Webster definition, relates to items that are typically 40 years old relative to a specific point in time.
