The Northeast Vintage Block Party returns to Minneapolis this Saturday, after a successful first event last September.
The block party will feature food, music, art and more than 30 different vintage clothing vendors to cultivate a sense of community, according to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association. The event lasts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is held at Fifth Street NE and Hennepin Avenue in the parking lot behind the vintage shops.
The fastest way there for students is the bus stop at Tenth Ave SE and Eighth Street SE and take the four bus route to First Ave NE and Fourth Street NE.
The block party was started last year by vintage store owners Carrie Martenson from Olio Vintage and Yana Pietras from Moth Oddities. More vintage shops and businesses on the Northeast Vintage Block joined to help support one another and their community, according to Martenson.
Now, the event is hosted by Moth Oddities, Olio Vintage, The Golden Pearl Vintage, Twelve Vultures and Gardens of Salonica along with guest artists and vendors.
Martenson said the event is for giving back to the community that surrounds the block, as they have supported the small businesses participating in the event.
“It’s amazing to see the community come out and support small businesses,” Martenson said. “I think people were really happy to be able to do that, to have an event that caters to a specific neighborhood, not just Minneapolis in general.”
DJ Jake Ryan, who provided music for the event last year and is returning this year, said he is a fan of events like the block party and thinks they are great for supporting a local community.
“I personally really love these events, I make it a point to stop at little creative markets as much as I can and buy things from people,” Ryan said. “I think it’s great for the community, especially if you have a small business.”
Martenson hopes visitors this year have a positive experience similar to last year and wants to provide a sense of community and belonging as well as some fun items for visitors to bring home with them.
“I hope we can provide some fun, unique items for them to take home, but also a sense of community and belonging so people feel welcomed and a part of the community,” Martenson said. “The whole idea is we’re trying to build the community and get people to think small and come together on a hyper local level.”
Sophie Radvan, one of the featured artists at the event this year, specializes in aura photography. Aura photography is a kind of photography that focuses on self-reflection and exploration through photographs and conversation.
Radvan said, similarly to her own craft, the event is focused on representation and reflection of self through the clothes we wear and the community we support.
“Small independent companies, especially local businesses, are the backbone of culture,” Radvan said. “They are the backbone of what makes your city, your zip code, your neighborhood, unique, special and rare.”
Martenson hopes to grow the event after this year with community feedback in the future.
“We would love feedback from people about whether there is something we’re missing, or something people would be really interested in having that we’re not doing right now,” Martenson said. “We would love to see this continue and grow and be as successful as it was the first time around.”