Like many great ideas (and people), you could say Vintage Market was born in a barn. Well, we consider garages as modern-day barns, with the latter being much more romantic. Vintage Market owner, Kim Dye, began collecting, refinishing and selling antiques and re-purposed whimsy in a small store in Parkville, Mo., in the 1990s. After a damaging flood, Kim headed for higher ground and her love of all things old, new and unique took a back seat to her primary profession as a hair stylist. Ideas, however, do not sit idly in a passionate mind. As her collections continued to grow, she began hosting shopping showcases out of her Kansas City home. With some success, Kim realized an opportunity to expand her collection, fuel her own creative spirit with other like-minded purveyors, and share the humble luxuries of hand-picked antiques and vintage-inspired wares with sophisticated individuals looking for an accessible way to adorn their hearts and homes with treasures that carry genuine stories from yesterday.
In 2000, Kim and fellow Vintage Market merchants hosted their first shopping showcase, Summer Porches, from a temporary space in Zona Rosa. The response was overwhelming, as friends, fans and family members discovered a shopping experience unlike any other. Vignettes told stories around collections of antiquities. Presentation of house wares, decor, clothing, jewelry, tools and furniture created sculptural inspiration for visitors to use antique, vintage-inspired, and refurbished pieces in ways they had never considered. Vintage-meets-modern style was realized for the first time in shoppers who strolled along the winding path created in Vintage Market, where shopping felt more like an adventure and less like a trip to the mall.
After this initial success, Vintage Market proceeded to host regular shopping showcases, centered around themes that told a story about the collections shoppers could look forward to discovering once inside the shop. Always creative, always curious, Kim continues to find great joy in the stories Vintage Market tells, helping friends, fans and family to see how the treasures she sells relate to a modern way of life.
Vintage Market’s high-end flea market approach to business was a first for Zona Rosa but after several months of successful events, crowd-drawing street markets, and a supportive foundation of advocates, Vintage Market became a permanent resident in Zona Rosa Shopping Center in 2010. They now feature regular business hours in line with the commercial stores in their beautiful neighborhood, as well as a full-time customer service staff, comprised of Vintage Market merchants themselves. Talk about expert advice for your shopping convenience!
In the summer of 2010, Vintage Market added a second location to the family by hosting a very special shopping showcase in the Somerset Shops located in Old Leawood. And just like that, Vintage Market’s brand became a proud momma! Vintage Market South continues to host exclusive shopping showcases every weekend each month with a dramatic flair, while Vintage Market North maintains continual shopping hours with a welcoming and Parisian theme.
So what does the future hold for Vintage Market? You tell us! Kim and her fellow vendors thank friends, fans and family for the love and encouragement to share their passion with you. Because you’re here, we consider you part of the Vintage Market family and hope you’ll share our story with other dreamers, artists, idealists, homemakers, and friends who believe in what yesterday’s way of life has to teach us about today. Please, stop in any time, drop us a note, or connect with us online to tell us about your latest find. We look forward to talking with you soon and welcoming you home at Vintage Market!
