Three Weekend Vintage Markets Keeping Austin Cool Year-Round

I’ll say it: Buying new stuff is lame. When you buy brand-new clothes or housewares from your average department store – a term that dates me instantly – you’re allowing the corpo-freaks in the executive suite decide your style. After all, who do you think chose that forest-green henley hanging in a rack of 50 other forest-green henleys? Some person on a runway, who caused some other person watching the runway to go back to their boss, who went back to their boss, and so on and so forth until it trickled down into your hands because you had 20 dollars and didn’t know where else to shop. Sorry for the Miranda Priestly riff, but don’t you want to be face-to-face with the person selling you an item you’ll be wearing all the time?

The cycle stops here! You live in ding-dang Austin, TX, a place that my relatives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula call “the big city.” Every week there are vintage markets popping up full of sellers who’ve hand-selected one-of-a-kind pieces. They put in the hard work – toiling in the Goodwill and Thrift Town mines – so you can take the reins of your own style. Who will you be after shopping these pop-ups? A cowboy witch? A NASCAR-loving dandy? A guy who everyone says “Woah, cool hat” to? It’s all open to ya, if you know where to look.

Guad Vintage Market

Every Sunday noon-6pm, Pavement @ 2932 Guadalupe

No-duh there’s a cool vintage market on Guad: Where are the cool college kids gonna find their looks otherwise? Of course, there’s more than just nice threads available here. Prepare for vendors hawking jewelry, CBD, art, and freakin’ free hard seltzers from Canteen. If your thrift thirst ain’t quenched after all that, this market is literally in front of Texas’ own Pavement consignment shop. So, uh, RIP to your paycheck after this one. instagram.com/guadvintageatx

Austin Flea

Weekends at various times, multiple locations across Austin

I’ve never seen a weekend where this flea market didn’t happen. Austin Flea has been cropping up in your fav restaurant and brewery parking lots since 2008, so they’ve sort of mastered the art of curated coolness. Vendors are hand-picked so you’ll find handmade and vintage biz from local folks, every time. Make sure to check their website before you jet off, though, because Austin Flea appears same-day in many places. austinflea.net

SoCo Makers Market

Fridays and Saturdays 10am-5pm; Sundays 1:30-5pm, 1511 S. Congress

They’ve got vintage; they’ve got knifemakers; they’ve even got someone who makes plates with dirty words on ’em. Anything you want a handmade version of, SoCo Makers Market has you covered. But a word to the wise, car-driver: Remember that this is South Congress, on the weekend, so know you’ll probably be takin’ a little walk from your distant parking lot. Hey! Maybe you can pick up a nice pair of walkin’ shoes at the market, too.