Garrett Young-Wright and Aaron Wan embody “Think and Do” through their pop-up vintage clothing market North Carolina Vintage Bazaar. The 27-year-olds travel throughout the Triangle with vintage clothing vendors, selling their best finds to an increasingly growing market.
When Young-Wright and Wan lived together their senior year at UNC-Chapel Hill, Young-Wright had just started to get into collecting vintage clothes. Once they graduated, the pair parted ways as Young-Wright moved to New York to work at Bloomingdale’s and gain retail experience.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, vintage clothing became very popular, and the two reconnected and teamed up with a graphic designer to create their concession-themed brand: Secondhand Concession Stand.
“We knew that this was something we could eventually do full time,” Young-Wright said.
The two created Secondhand Concession Stand from ambition and a love of vintage clothing, and eventually collaborated with other vintage vendors to create the Vintage Bazaar. The Bazaar has grown exceedingly since their beginning, incorporating 87 vendors in September.
When they first began honing in on their brand, Young-Wright and Wan started livestreaming on Instagram to present and sell their vintage clothing. These streams didn’t just help them sell clothing — they presented the two with a networking opportunity with vendors locally and nationally.
As the pandemic waned, Young-Wright and Wan started hosting pop-up shops and smaller markets with other vendors in parking lots throughout Durham. At first, the events were small; in their August 2021 event in Durham, there were 24 vendors. According to Young-Wright, these smaller events paved the way for expansion.
“After our parking lot markets did really well, more vendors started reaching out to us wanting to join our market, and we knew we needed to expand,” Young-Wright said.
In January 2022, Young-Wright and Wan hosted their first indoor event at the Raleigh Convention Center, bringing 60 vendors with them.
“We never set out to create the NC Vintage Bazaar — it came from being in the space and seeing the need and demand for it,” Wan said. “We are taking a similar approach for the future.”
One of the things Wan appreciates about the markets is the community they create through their years of networking.
“The Vintage Bazaar draws a lot of like-minded people with similar interests,” Wan said. “The inherent uniqueness and nostalgia of vintage bring a lot of strong personalities and start conversations that wouldn’t normally happen.”
The pair also spoke about the sustainability of thrifting and how their brand benefits not only themselves and the community, but also the earth. As their Bazaar grows, so does their impact on sustainable shopping.
Secondhand Concession Stand continues to host pop-ups in the area. On Friday, Oct. 21, they will have their Bull City Block Party in Durham Central Park 3-8 p.m. Plans are also in the works for another Vintage Bazaar in the fall or winter.
