MISSOULA — A vintage market brought the community together to help support small businesses on Saturday at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
“It's great to meet all the vendors and we've made lots of great relationships with the vendors and so we've kind of gotten some business from that as well, which is helpful obviously for us,” said Julie Epperly, a bartender for the Rhinoceros Bar.
The Little Red Truck Vintage Market is not just about bringing together small businesses but creating connections among owners and the community.
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The market is also a way to showcase a business that doesn't have a high level of exposure, something that is true for Heidi Schnarr, founder and president of Heidi’s Kitten Rescue.
“It gives them exposure to lots of people that come through,” said Schnarr.
For many businesses at the market, this is a side job to help bring in extra revenue, according to Janie Scheben, who helped organize the market and is the owner of Little Red Truck LLC.
“So ever since my kids were little, I always worked in a demo office and did shows. And it was just kind of a nice balance of something for my brain, something for my creative heart. And I would say probably more than half of the vendors have a regular job and a creative job. And it helps with special things, like when you need tires or you're going to buy a plane ticket. So it's really nice for people to have an extra source of income that they can do around their schedule,” said Scheben.
The vintage aspect of the market also brings a flair to the atmosphere and provides an eco-friendly option to shopping.
“There’s also with the vintage goods, the aspect of reusing, renewing, not throwing things in the landfill," added Scheben. "And so there's something that should make you feel good in that regard as well."
That also goes for Rayda Flint, a vintage jewelry maker, as she says sometimes, there’s just no beating the vintage feel.
“I want to reuse some of this stuff that's already here and beautiful,” said Flint.
The market ran on Friday and Saturday, and if you missed it, keep a look out for next year.
