Ten Years of The Alaska Vintage Home Market
Contributed by James Embree
Spring is in the air and The Alaska Vintage Home Market at the Alaska State Fairgrounds is right around the corner. This year’s event, celebrating ten years, will be the biggest yet, with over 100 vendors in the barn plus dozens of food trucks outside and live music on the Blue Bonnet Stage. It’s the spring shopping tradition that you don’t want to miss.
The first Alaska Vintage Market was ten years ago and was held in the old railroad depot in downtown Palmer. But the response from excited customers overwhelmed the organizers, with people waiting in line for an hour just to get in the door! The event moved the next year to the much larger venues at the Alaska State Fairgrounds where the Alaska Vintage Markets have become a tremendously popular bi-annual event. Creative Alaskan vendors gather from all over the state to show their amazing local merchandise. There are vendors from Fairbanks, Juneau, the Kenai Peninsula, Eagle, Haines, Delta Junction, Girdwood, and of course many from all around the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage.
So, come out and support over 150 local small businesses all gathered in one place for you to enjoy. From handcrafted woodwork to hand made jewelry, to upcycled furniture, to original works of art, most of our vendors design and make the products that they sell, so this is truly the ultimate expression of shopping small and shopping local! The event is on Mother’s Day weekend, so treat your mom to a nice outing to the Vintage Market and get her a unique gift and a delicious goodie from a food truck.
The event is May 10-12. Hours are Friday 2-7; Saturday 10-6; and Sunday 10-4. Cost is $5 at the gate on Friday and Saturday, free on Sunday. Parking and children 12 and under are always free. You can also buy a weekend pass for $10 that gets you in all three days and includes exclusive early bird shopping hours on Friday from noon to 2:00.