NORTHAMPTON — Lindsey Musielak was on the hunt Saturday afternoon, flipping through a bin of records with precision. Her search rules were simple.
“I’m looking to find anything good,” Musielak said with a shrug. “I like rock ’n’ roll.”
She thumbed through the collection of old vinyl with speed. The records — with their worn corners and faded covers — are the type often long-forgotten in an attic or basement. Relics from another time, long before earbuds and iPhones.
But those records took center stage at the Retrofaire Open Air Market Saturday afternoon. Everything old was new again as dozen of people pored over the crates of vinyl, tried on old clothing and browsed antique pins and buttons.
“I like the thrill of the search. I like working for my finds,” Musielak said.
The Retrofaire, in its third year, is held annually by the Northampton Arts Council. Twenty-two vintage sellers brought records, clothing and even a 1960s-era motorcycle to the event behind Thornes Marketplace.
The muggy afternoon was abuzz with the sound of jazz music and the distinct, dusty smell of the perfect vintage snag.
“This is great. It’s been steady since 10:30,” said Northampton Arts Council event producer Steve Sanderson, motioning to the crowd of shoppers sifting through clothing and examining faded magazines. The event, set to last until 6 p.m., would go on to feature jazz bands and an oyster bar.
According to the Northampton Arts Council website, all proceeds from the event benefit the organization’s BJ Goodwin Grant. The grant assists Northampton-based artists, writers and organizations to recognize exceptional work. The council receives some 70 applications each year, the website states.
Last fall, the Northampton Arts Council awarded $11,600 to 23 grant recipients. Grants ranged from $200 to $1,000 and supported dance, film and video, literature, mixed media, music, schools, theater and visual arts, according to the website.
Karen Broshears, owner of the Vintage Cellar on Bridge Street in Northampton and Vintage Cellar East in Easthampton, brought hundreds of records to the Retrofaire Saturday. Her pop-up shop, adorned with a rich tapestry, also displayed clothing, boots, magazines and posters.
“People are really looking for records,” Broshears said. “And Beatles stuff is popular.”
For Beatles fans, her husband, Michael Broshears, pointed to a pair of magazines, one published by Rolling Stone and another by the New York Times with nearly identical photos of the Beatles on their covers, going for $15 each. He brushed the curled corners of a copy of Life Magazine with the band on the cover.
“I’m asking a little more for this one,” he said. “It’s from 1968.”
At another booth, illustrator Sarah Rice and her partner Josh Steele, who runs a motorcycle shop, found a way to combine their passions at the Retrofaire.
According to Rice, Steele’s passion for vintage motorcycles has influenced her art. Their pop-up shop featured notebooks with block prints of motorcycles and several painted motorcycle helmets.
A 1960 BMW motorcycle restored by Steele sat beside their tent.
Rice also draws illustrations of Japanese botanicals and depictions of her vintage cap gun collection.
“It’s sort of tongue-in-cheek,” Rice said. “It’s like, everyone has their gun collection and then I have my cap gun collection. They’re all vintage, they all work. For a child, it was their favorite toy.”
Rice held one of her cap gun illustrations, pointing to the side of the gun and its intricate, carved design.
“Something vintage … has gained a personality. It comes with its own story, and a sense of nostalgia goes along with that,” Rice said. “It’s so different from what we have now. Everything is so minimalistic, it’s missing that aesthetic.”
For Musielak, the record hunter, her search for “anything good” led to an unexpected personal connection.
The Northampton resident and frequent vintage shopper selected a cassette tape by the Dead Milkmen, a punk rock band from the 1980s. Later, Musielak took the tape out of her pocket and turned it over in her hand.
“It’s from ’86,” Musielak said. “That’s the year I was born.”