Looking for something mid-century modern? Perhaps shabby chic or farmhouse? A vintage toy, book or some groovy threads? Maybe you just need to stock up on some DVDs because you’re fed up with all the streaming services. Or you’d like an antique dressing table or want to add to your classic Pyrex collection.
You can find all these things and a whole lot more at Vintage, Etc. in Fountain City. The business has been going for eight years and moved into the old Printing with Pride building on Tazewell Pike in late 2020. It was a big change and a big chance that proprietor Jeana Vaughn took during the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, having previously been in a much smaller space next door.
Vintage, Etc. proprietor Jeana Vaughn
One thing Vaughn and her merry band of vendors have done for years is host online live sales through the store’s Facebook page. It isn’t an auction, it’s simply here’s this, it costs this much, and whoever sticks their hand up by making the first comment to claim an item gets it. This established sales tactic helped the store push through when the economic climate was cloudy for everybody. They’re also a barrel of laughs for everyone who hops on to participate.
Vaughn and company also operate with a tremendous sense of community pride. Vintage, Etc. often hosts outdoor markets, usually with music and a food truck lined up. They also don’t take lightly to folks littering up the landscape and have joined up with Keep Knoxville Beautiful for clean-up days along Tazewell Pike (see story here).
A new annual tradition is their Fantastic Trees event that starts during the Christmas shopping season. Vendors decorate trees, usually with a theme, and after several weeks on display, silent auction style, are sold to the highest bidder. The money raised is donated to a different charity each year. Beneficiaries so far have been East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Sacred Ground Hospice House and the Office on Aging: Grandparents as Parents.
The store is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed on Thursdays) and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Follow on Facebook here to join in on the live sale fun and find yourself some new treasures.