John Mickinak began attending antique auctions with his mother when he was 12.

As a 70-year-old, the Greensburg man is a full-time antiques dealer and appraiser. While he’s made a career out of his passion, Mickinak said he’s watched his line of work lose the interest of younger generations over the years.

“Antiques are not as popular as they once were,” Mickinak said.

Mickinak is a co-manager of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts annual antiques show with antiques dealer John Kroeck. They invite dealers from all across the country to sell their vintage wares. There is something for everyone, Mickinak said, including thousands of antique items from vintage to mid-century modern — such as furniture, paintings, rugs, sterling silver, European porcelain, glass, jewelry, quilts, clothing, linens, toys and postcards.

“(Antique shows) get younger people involved,” Mickinak said. “If you go to a vintage market, well that’s what this is.”

The show featured items ranging from vintage Chippendale furniture to vinyls.

“If you have $10, you can find something to buy. If you have $10,000, you can find something to buy,” Mickinak said.

His son, Alex, theorized the younger generation’s lack of interest in antiques is because of how the trade has been marketed over the years.

“I think we should be using the term vintage,” Alex said. “The term antique is, well, antique at this point.”

Mickinak said his specialty is “anything Western Pennsylvanian.” He has a soft spot for Westmoreland County. This category includes furniture, paintings and woodworking.

He said the best thing for anyone trying to get a start in appraisals or antique sales would be to find their interests and attend local shows.

“A show like this is the best education you can have,” he said. “You can come here and pick things up, handle it and the dealer will tell you what it’s all about.”

Walking through the halls and rooms of Greensburg Country Club, shoppers were met with vintage items at every turn. There were no limits to the products’ variety. Antique guns, knives, rugs and Pepsi coolers sat on tables arranged in the club’s rooms.

The show will continue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Attendees can also bring in antique items to be appraised by experts during the show. Written appraisals cost $15, and verbal appraisals cost $7. All proceeds benefit the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes art in the region.

Vince Kosker, 74, began antiquing in 1975. He and his wife, Michelle, 69, became a sales team in 1990. The couple owns Bustles to Boho in Ligonier.

They’ve specialized in vintage clothing since 1992.

“We were kind of ahead of the game,” Kosker said, referring to the sweeping trend of thrift shopping among younger generations.

He said, 35 years later, true vintage clothing goes largely unappreciated in current times.

“(What) the vintage people are looking for now is 90s and Y2K,” Kosker said. “It has eclipsed us.”

The couple continues to sell turn-of-the-century and Victorian pieces but specialize in pieces from the 1920s and 30s. There was a time, Kosker said, when the couple didn’t even look at pieces made after the 1950s. Now, they go to special shows to sell their pieces, Michelle said.

“We still find venues for it, but not this area,” he said. “And that’s kind of the sad story of antiques in general.”

Looking back, Kosker couldn’t quite put his finger on why younger people aren’t more interested in antiquing. He said it could have been because dealers haven’t acclimated younger people to the practice, keeping it a closed community. He said it could also be attributed to the changing tastes of newer generations, which require sellers to adapt quickly. He said it has created more supply than demand.

Kosker said he and his wife are getting older and are not as serious about hunting for pieces as other sellers in their circle. They’ve kept antiquing into their retirement because they both enjoy it.

“It’s a commonality,” Kosker said. “It’s something we do together.”

Michelle’s love for the stories clothes can tell is strong. Clothes deserve to be worn and loved, not packed away, she said.

“The idea of getting a dress from the 20s that somebody’s going to be able to wear and appreciate — we’re moving it on,” she said. “The dress isn’t going to be sitting in a box somewhere. It’s going to be worn and loved and cared for. That’s why I like doing this.”

Kosker said he’s been watching local shows steadily decline because vendors are aging out and there’s not enough new sellers joining the scene. Despite not knowing how to attract younger sellers, Kosker said he supports passing the practice on to the next generation.

Connie Wood, 67, traveled from Cleveland to sell various items for her company, Sutter Antiques, at the show. It was her first time at the Greensburg show.

Wood said all paths led to her career as a collector. While she didn’t grow up in a home full of antiques, her mother had a few pieces. When she was young, Wood said, her ears would perk up when her mother said, “careful, that’s an antique.”

“There was that aura and sort of a mystery about it,” Wood said.

Wood said she and other collectors in the business have attempted to encourage young people to become the next generation of collectors.

“When people are in my booth, I encourage them to ask questions,” she said. “I also encourage people to touch something. Even if it’s locked in a case, ask me. Your hands will tell you much more than your eyes.”

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