Crafters don't necessarily call themselves that anymore.
"We upcycle, we repurpose, we comb through barns, clear out storage sheds looking for treasures, clean them up, repaint them and restore them," says Sarah Lonon Wynne,. "I have stopped on the side of the road to pick something up!"
FAQ
Vintage Market Days
WHEN — 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — Benton County Fairgrounds in Bentonville
COST — $10 today; $5 Saturday & Sunday
INFO — Vintage Market Days on Facebook
FYI
NWA Fall
Crafts Fairs
Spanker Creek Farm Arts & Crafts Festival — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Oct. 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 18, Spanker Creek Farm in Bella Vista. 685-5655 or spankercreekfarm.com.
Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Fair — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, 1991 Forest Hills Boulevard in Bella Vista. 855-2064 or bellavistafestival.….
Rodeo of the Ozarks Arts & Crafts Fair — 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, Parsons Stadium in Springdale. 756-0464 or rodeooftheozarks.org.
Fall Craft Fair — 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, on the grounds of the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs. 253-8559.
War Eagle Fair — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 18, War Eagle Mills Farm near Rogers. 789-5398 or wareaglefair.com.
War Eagle Mill Craft & Culinary Fair — 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 18, War Eagle Mill near Rogers. 789-5343. wareaglemill.com.
Sharp’s Show at War Eagle — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 18, behind War Eagle Mill near Rogers. 789-5683.
Frisco Station Mall Arts & Crafts Festival — 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 18, Frisco Station Mall in Rogers. 631-0006.
Ozark Regional Arts & Crafts Festivals — 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale and John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 17, Washington County Fairgrounds in Fayetteville. 756-6954.
This year, the crafters of the new millennium are getting a jump on the more traditional practitioners. Wynne is one of the merchants at Vintage Market Days, being held the weekend before the more venerable War Eagle Fair, Bella Vista Arts & Crafts Fair, Sharp's Show, Spanker Creek and Ozark Regional Arts & Crafts Festivals.
Wynne credits her mother with handing down the junking gene.
"My mom and I have always said our style was 'modern American garage sale,'" she says with a laugh. "We like to pick. Well, we picked so often that in order to make room for more treasures, we had to get rid of some of what we had. She signed us up for a booth [at a flea market] and called me and said, 'We're partners.'"
Now, Wynne picks with husband Shawn, and son Jake, who is 5.
"He looks for rusty things, things that just call his name," Wynne says of her little boy. "He likes anything with a pig on it. He's got a pretty good eye, so he gets to go."
What they find at yard sales and in old sheds might be repainted -- like a rocking chair she's currently fond of -- or just cleaned up like the shovel head she's used as a centerpiece.
"It's everything from primitive to industrial, a really wide assortment," she says. "It kind of depends on the mood I'm in when I walk out of the house."
When collectors walk in to Vintage Market Days, they can expect 110 vendors like Wynne, who calls her business The Crow Feather, although she's sharing space this time with SowBelly's. There will also be food, music and more, just like longtime crafts fairgoers expect.
"The ladies I pick with are somewhere between my mom's age and my age," says Wynne, who is 41. "I have friends I do this with that are 10 years younger and 10 or 20 years older. The younger generation likes to buy things that have been redone. My generation likes to redo them."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 10/09/2015