Sustainability, unique finds: Vendors at Greensburg Vintage Market see variety of values, motivations for buying secondhand

If Harry Miller has learned anything from more than 40 years selling antiques, it’s that people will collect anything.

“There’s probably somebody that collects ping pong balls in different sizes and colors and whatnot,” said Miller, 62, of Pulaski.

Owner of Catman Collectibles, Miller joined more than 50 other vendors lining the pathways in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park on Sunday for the Downtown Greensburg Project’s Vintage Market, held once a month since May.

Vendors sold vintage clothing, antique household items, jewelry, plants, crafts and food. Live music echoed off the walls of the Robertshaw Amphitheater.

For the past five years, Miller has sold at vintage markets throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania with friend Deb Rock, owner of Kitty Cat Clothes. A portion of their proceeds support local cat shelters.

“Every Monday is a trip to either Walmart or Tractor Supply to get food or litter or both,” Miller said.

Miller pulls items from family members’ garages, estate sales and flea markets, including glassware, barware, furniture and other household items. He focuses on antiques from the 1950s to the ’70s, but he finds younger audiences lean toward pieces from the ’80s and ’90s.

“People in their 20s and 30s now were born in the (’90s), and that’s their nostalgia,” he said. “They tend to gravitate toward their youth. They’re reliving their younger years.”

When it comes to clothing, ’70s jeans and Carhartt apparel are top sellers among young people, said Rock, 69, of Ross.

Picking through Rock’s clothing racks is like walking through history. Disco jumpsuits from the ’70s are hung right next to Steelers apparel and “crazy sweaters” from the ’80s and ’90s.

Rock also salvages old paintings, documenting a biography of the artist on the back of each piece.

“This guy is 103 years old,” Rock said, picking up a nature painting. “He was a pilot in World War II, and he did these paintings when he came back.”

Despite her love for ’80s punk and rock ’n’ roll fashion, Sarah Everett sees a resurgence of ’90s clothing, particularly among Gen Z.

Everett, 28, of Pittsburgh’s North Side has hosted a booth called Crimson Threads at Treasure Trove Fleatique near the city’s Crafton neighborhood for four years. She was drawn to the unique styles and positive environmental impact of shopping secondhand.

“People want something different than what you can get in the mall, which is what a lot of older clothes usually have to offer, because they’re very eclectic and eccentric,” she said. “I love eye-popping pieces that stand out.”

Selling antiques seemed like the natural step for Earl Freeman when he retired about five years ago.

Freeman’s family has pieced together an antique farm equipment display at the Westmoreland Fair for the past 55 years.

“When my dad passed away, he asked that we continue,” said Freeman, 61, of Greensburg, tears filling his eyes. “I go to other places to see what other people have, and it’s just a personal thing I enjoy.”

People who are downsizing their homes or clearing through the possessions of a deceased loved one contact Freeman for help. His basement is filled with antiques for future vintage markets — along with a 12-foot-long box trailer and storage locker.

“We’ve got anything and everything. My wife’s friends would call her and say, ‘Hey, do you have this? We’re looking for something for the kitchen,’ ” said Freeman, owner of Freeman Vintage. “Pretty often, we had it.”

Freeman’s collection Sunday primarily focused on ’80s Steelers merchandise. But he never knows what will sell when he sets out for a vintage market.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “You can go to one show and sell one thing. You go to another show, and it’s something completely different.”