ATKINSON — Main Street Vintage doesn’t smell like the average vintage shop — musty and dusty.
Floral scents from handmade soaps and candles waft through the downstairs portion of the shop, a welcoming scent for customers browsing vintage and antique items for sale.
Unique to individual vendors are 14 displays, decorated and assembled to match the seller’s aesthetic. Shoppers can browse from wooden cooking utensils, small furniture, silverware, plates, mugs and glasses, artwork, ceramics, rugs, mirrors, books, jewelry and other trinkets.
“They (vendors) all have a passion for this business that drives them to do this,” said owner Liza Manzi, who has her own display. “I don’t know what it is but everyone has this feeling that they want to repurpose and reuse things they love.”
Manzi will only accept vendors after viewing their inventory, which needs to be diverse and in good condition to match the mission of the shop: restoring and repurposing vintage and antique items for use or for decoration.
After 10 years of owning and operating the first-floor shop, Manzi opened the second floor last weekend. Vendors with bigger displays moved upstairs into their own showcase rooms and four or five new vendors were invited to set up displays downstairs.
All of her vendors are women, which wasn’t and still isn’t Manzi’s preference, but the atmosphere is one where vendors feel comfortable showcasing what they like in hopes that “others will love what you love and purchase something from you.”
Vendors pay a rental fee for their space and a small commission of their sales goes to Manzi to help pay for the building upkeep. Vendors are expected to come in weekly to rearrange their displays, and swap out items that aren’t selling.
Manzi’s sister, Lynne, has a display upstairs featuring small mirrors, decorated book bundles and paintings, while her mother, Jeanette, stocks a display downstairs with small decorative trinket items, including ceramic dogs of different breeds.
“We have always had a passion for older things,” Manzi said of her family. “Even as a kid, I collected older pieces and held on to the things I liked with the hope of taking them and displaying them somewhere.”
Manzi, now 62, opened her shop a decade ago after a life-changing event inspired her to seek out something different — something she was passionate about and could do on her own. Before then, she worked for Liberty Mutual and was a stay-at-home mom when her two boys were young.
“Vintage and antique items are more interesting than the newer items,” Manzi said. “It’s all about the history; all of these items have a history and we don’t know what they are but that’s what drives it.”
When Manzi first opened her shop, she catered to clients over the age of 40. As antiquing expanded and vintage items became more popular, she’s seen younger kids in their 20s, influenced by social media apps like TikTok, looking for specific jewelry or collectibles they’ve seen online.
“It’s for the better and things have really improved as far as the vintage market,” Manzi said of the younger shoppers and the online influence.
The vintage and antique business has grown exponentially and requires business owners, like Manzi and her vendors, to research trending items, dig into their own sources for unique sales and keep up with local auctions and flea markets.
“We are all excited. This is my business but these wonderful women that do this makes it easier for me because they try really hard and we all sell together,” Manzi said.