WATCH: These items have history, and each, a story to tell

• Okanagan Vintage Fair
• Variety of vendors selling products
• First-time event has been held in two years

Some think newer is better, but not this group of eclectic individuals.

On a rainy Saturday morning, a lineup of people gathered outside Parkinson Rec Centre, eagerly waiting to look around.

Inside, hundreds of people gathered to pursue vendors at the Okanagan Vintage Fair, a showcase for people who value all things old school.

“Anything you’re into, you’ll probably find something here,” Leigh Burrows, an organizer of the event, told Kelowna10. “I just really gravitate to things that are older, that have history… I just feel like it has more value when it has a story to tell.”

Burrows said it was nice having vintage aficionados come together for the first time in two years. She’s a clothing collector herself and enjoys putting on the event.

“Everybody’s been cooped up in their garages and collecting things,” she explained. “People are bringing their wares out for the first time in years, it’s exciting to see what’s out there.”

Vendors were happy to be selling their collections and interacting with fellow enthusiasts.

“I’m eclectic, I love all different things. I like learning, finding the item, researching the item, it’s just fun,” Nancy Robideau, from Vintage Pickin Finds, said.

Robideau specializes in vintage, retro, mid-century, and modern ceramics and décor, studio pottery, and Asian décor, art, and ceramics. It was her first time setting up a booth at the event and she was happy with how many people showed up.

“I was not expecting it to be this busy, but it’s awesome,” she said. “My husband said to me, ‘this is a whole lot of people that are a lot like you.’”

Cosette Robertson was selling clothes and said she’d been attending the fair for many years, but this was the first time she decided to set up a booth.

“I’m just clearing out my closet essentially, I’ve been collecting vintage stuff since I was 14 or so,” Robertson, from Vintage Vibes, said.

“I’ve always been drawn to opulent, one-of-a-kind things, just really into all the textures, colours, and it’s just fun.”