Businesses Bond Amid Treasures and Trinkets at Old Towne Vintage Market
- Lola Olvera
- Jul 28
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 29
The new outdoor flea market fosters collaboration between businesses and celebrates the Orange Plaza’s roots.
If you’re looking for the tiny, sparkly Harley Davidson tank top of your Y2K dreams, or the perfect vintage suitcase on which to prop up your record player at home, you just might find it at the new Old Towne Vintage Market.
A new flea market has materialized along the Orange Plaza (also known as “the Circle”), hosted by Groovy Ghost Vintage and There’s No Place Like Orange. A flock of 20-30 vintage and craft vendors – a mix of Orange Circle businesses and independent sellers – and local shoppers squeezed into the Chapman Crafted parking lot for the debut market on May 31 and the following market on July 12.
“Old Towne Orange is such a great mix of vintage and antique shops, but it was missing a pop-up market,” said Groovy Ghost Vintage co-owner Gretchen Davey. “We're excited that we can fill that gap.”
Steve Molina, Groovy Ghost Vintage’s other co-owner, has been reselling vintage at various locations around the Orange Plaza since 2013. Davey would eventually join him in his quest to find new treasures, and in December 2023, they opened their first storefront, Groovy Ghost Vintage, in the Orange Circle. Home to around 15 different vendors under its one roof, the shop is a wonderland of classic Disney VHS tapes, “I Love Lucy” collectibles, tube TVs, action figures, troll dolls and infinite more oddities. Molina had been itching to bring a flea market back to the Orange Plaza ever since the Old Town Orange Fleamarket faded from existence post-pandemic. He received early encouragement on his idea, and a local business owner recommended he team up with Brandy Romero.
Romero runs the Instagram account “There’s No Place Like Orange,” sharing local news, events and city updates to more than 46,000 followers. There’s No Place Like Orange also functions as an Orange welcome center at The Squeeze, a shared storefront where you can also purchase Old Towne-themed apparel and home goods, such as a stuffed animal of Ember, the Orange City Fire Department’s fire dog.
Planning for the new market began in January. Although Davey was initially disappointed about not being able to secure a city lot, and anxious about possible lack of interest from vendors and shoppers, everything seemed to come together fairly smoothly.
PHOTO 1: Fuddy Duddy Vintage offers a booth jam-packed with vintage clothing and unique trinkets. PHOTO 2: Wild Horses Vintage features the vintage curations of six to seven different vendors. PHOTO 3: Mercado Blanco Thrift has an extensive collection of early-2000s clothing and accessories. PHOTO 4: Lupe “Lupita” Navarro runs Crafty Catrina, selling handmade earrings, pins, bracelets, journals and more, inspired by American and Mexican pop culture. Photos by Lola Olvera, Culture OC
They had no trouble finding vendors – in fact, they heard from more interested vendors than they had room for. Turnout has proven strong for both markets, with plenty of people ready to shop and even more gathered around the perimeter drinking, snacking and socializing. Each market has featured a local food vendor – in May it was Smoqued California BBQ and in July, Baba G Mediterranean. The team initially intended for the market to take place every three months, but after Chapman Crafted conveniently offered their space to them, they decided on a monthly market, with plans to reassess after August.
Overall, it’s clear that the vintage market is right at home in Old Towne.
“We have such a unique combination of beautiful architecture that spreads beyond the core of the Circle,” Davey said. “It really puts you in that nostalgic mood when you drive in and pass the historic homes that are all so beautifully kept up. Antiques revitalized Old Towne in the 1980s – at one point it was the antique capital of California!”
Mordecai Mehau, co-owner of vintage boutique The White Rabbit, points out that people have always appreciated and collected items from the past.
“The idea of holding on to something very sentimental, wondering how many hands have held this item, how long it’s been taken care of, the history behind every item … it’s not a new concept,” he said. “I think people appreciate the stories and the value and sentiment that it brings.”
This is The White Rabbit’s fifth year in the Orange Circle and its second time vending at the Old Towne Vintage Market. Its whimsical collection of items include a rack of brightly patterned blouses and denim overalls, a hat box filled with silky scarves, a pile of hand fans and handmade earrings in the shapes of mushrooms, butterflies, cats and peace signs. As single-use items and fast fashion become normalized conveniences with devastating impacts on the environment, Mehau views vintage and antique culture as more valuable than ever. “My passion is definitely with restoring older fashion and (using) sustainable resources, especially trying to bring back the culture of thrift and staying far away from fast fashion,” he said. “Fast fashion is destroying the planet and it's not what we're about in this community.”
Meanwhile, at the Wild Horses Vintage booth, woven belts sprawl beside unique teacups and mugs used as cactus plant pots, and racks feature an impressive array of garments from the 1960s to early 2000s. Angelique Moranda, who owns the buy-sell-trade clothing store at the Orange Plaza, shares a similar love for the quality, construction and timelessness of older garments as well as the importance of keeping clothing out of landfills.
“I feel like (vintage garments were) made to last,” she said. “We’ve probably washed everything about 100 times and it’s still looking great.”
Local vendors have bonded over not only their mutual love of vintage items but also looking out for each others’ businesses amid an uptick in theft.
“Theft is a really huge problem in the Circle,” Mehau said. “People think it's edgy or acceptable to steal from secondhand businesses but the vast majority of people who sell secondhand are just barely making it. To disrespect that is really hurtful.”
Romero has been documenting thefts through her Instagram page, while Moranda has been scheduling an extra employee during shifts as an added precaution. Businesses have been sharing photos or video footage of thefts with each other so others know what to look out for. “Unfortunately, theft affects a small business's bottom line much more than a corporation's,” Davey said. “It may just be a T-shirt to one person, but it adds up if we're not vigilant. We have 15 vendors in our store, so it's not just one person being stolen from.”
Shoppers at the Old Towne Vintage Market. PHOTO 1: A shopper and her two children show off their unique sunglasses. PHOTO 2: A shopper checks out an array of vintage dresses. PHOTO 3: Shoppers can take a break and get a drink at the Chapman Crafted booth. Chapman Crafted, a microbrewery located in Old Towne Orange, has been one of the hosts at the market this summer. PHOTO 4: Two shoppers show off their outfits. Photos by Lola Olvera, Culture OC
While a lot of antique and vintage shops have been lost the last few years in the Orange Circle, Davey points out that several new ones have been gained, including Groovy Ghost Vintage, The White Rabbit, Timeless Vintage, Nonahme Vintage and Sweet Peach Vintage.
“People love to say the Circle is going downhill or that it's all just restaurants and bars,” she said. “Sure, there are a lot of restaurants compared to before, but most are locally owned. There are very few chains, and the few we have occupy large buildings that small businesses wouldn't be able to afford anyway. I think our balance is perfect right now.”
The next Old Towne Vintage Market will be a night market on Aug. 20. From 4-8 p.m., attendees can enjoy 18 vendors, food by Brew Krew Catering, sweets by Elli’s Painted Sugar, drinks by Chapman Crafted and music by DJ Resident Vinyl. 123 N. Cypress St., Orange.
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