Vintage Market at Williams Center: What’s Old Becomes New Again

By Contributing Writer Matt Payne

Photo credits: Williams Center

It was the perfect fall day for a market—warm, sunny, and beautiful—and people came out in droves to explore the wares from multiple vendors, ranging from vintage clothes, vinyl, and books to antique oddities, bits of nostalgia (I noted the very same dinnerware set with which my grandparents served lobster pie and fish chowder) and even hand-crafted ceramics and candles.

Tying everything together was a live drummer tastefully playing along to Top 40 songs (vintage, of course) with the sounds of excited customers chattering about their latest finds in the background.

It was wonderful to see Rutherford represented at the market—book and record store Soldato had a table, as did local candlemaker Binne & Clode. Alongside them were many other tasteful vendors whose tables overflowed with eclectic curation and intimate objects from decades past. Some were manning a table at a market for the first time—expanding their entrepreneurial horizons. And Rutherfordians came out, excited to spend a little time in this pop-up market, a feast for the eyes and brains attuned to the perfect buy at the newly revived venue.

Markets like this are another exciting addition to the line-up of Williams Center events. Another market is set to happen again, bigger this time, when the Holiday Market takes place on December 3. There promises to be over a dozen vendors, selling gifts of many shapes and sizes—one of them being a table of books and stationery from locals Christine and Vincent Onorati, owners of WORD bookstores in both Jersey City and Brooklyn.

Michael Olivo, who coordinates Williams Center events, says, “The markets are a great way to bring new people to the Williams Center, and because of variety there is always at least one table that a visitor can connect with. We started with the Vintage Market, a way to revive the magic of the old. Next, we’ll do the Holiday Market, as we aim to uphold the few rituals we still have in contemporary society. After that, we’ll host a Maker’s Market, which will highlight the work of local craftspeople. The Vintage Market was a great start and we look forward to building upon that.”

The Vintage Market was also symbolic of what is happening with Rutherford’s historic arts center: What better place for Rutherford to celebrate something old becoming new again than at the revitalized Williams Center?