STAR CITY — Racks of old-school West Virginia University gear, rock-and-roll T-shirts, vintage jackets and more filled Edith Barill Riverfront Park Saturday during the Star City Vintage Festival.
“I had my fingers crossed that there was a good turnout,” said Nathaniel Hart, owner of Gallery 304, which he plans to open in downtown Morgantown. “I was kind of nervous for it.”
The event, hosted by Gallery 304, featured more than 30 vendors from around the state and surrounding region. Katie Peric, owner of Rag and Bone Vintage in Pittsburgh, was among those vendors.
For Peric, Harley-Davidson shirts are among her favorite to collect and sell.
“I’ve got a lot of vintage Levi’s, vintage women’s clothes, a lot of hats and a lot of purses,” she said. “T-shirts are my main seller, though.”
Peric remembers thrifting with her mother and grandmother when she was young, which is what first got her interested in vintage clothing. When she got to college, she got more invested in the style and began adding more items to her own closet.
It didn’t take long for her friends to become interested in her clothing finds. She said some even asked to buy her thrifted clothing.
Braden Griffin, owner of Griffin Vintage, traveled from Charleston to sell his vintage finds at the festival. Griffin said the best part about being a part of the festival is getting to see new faces and old friends within the thrifting community.
“There’s not a lot of places to go for vintage besides Goodwill and maybe a couple shops here and there,” he said. “I feel like coming to an event is just fun.”
Hannah Bledsoe, a West Virginia University student, said she went to the festival to pick up some new items and enjoy a day off with her friends.
“We like vintage things,” Bledsoe said. “It was free and it was something to do.”
Max Ostrow, a Morgantown resident, bought three T-shirts to add to his collection. While he said he enjoys shopping and seeing what each vendor has to offer, he was also excited to see this type of event in the Morgantown area.
“I think it’s really cool that this happens in Morgantown because it’s a sense of community for everybody,” he said. “It’s nice to see everybody get together and have fun.”
Hart said getting the event together was a long time in the making as it was something he had been hoping to do since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Seeing it all come together and watching people enjoy the event made it all worthwhile. After seeing the turnout and interest in the festival, Hart said he is looking forward to hosting more events in the future.
Gallery 304 is set to open at the end of September on High Street. For more information, visit instagram.com/gallery304shop.
