Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer plans special home goods showcase

Is it still retro if it always seems to be in style?

A visit to the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer might provide some insight.

The popular vintage vendor fair returns to Lawrenceville on Saturday with a special home show, featuring small furniture, textiles, ceramics and pottery, mid-century modern wares, vintage lighting and bar ware, along with vinyl records, toys, games, artwork, collectibles and more.

And don’t forget the slices from Badamo’s Pizza, a caffeine boost from Espresso a Mano and adult beverages from Allegheny Wine Mixer.

The event is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Teamsters Hall Local 249, 4701 Butler St. About 37 vendors will be present, says co-founder Michael Lutz.

Time to redecorate

“This is our third time doing a home show in the spring,” says Lutz, who partners with Jason Sumney and Bess Dunlevy. “We tried it once, and it turned out to be very popular. Spring is the time that people like to redecorate, so this is a good place to shop and get ideas.”

Lutz says he and his partners are longtime friends “connected by our love of vintage stuff. We love buying stuff, and we all have basements full of stuff.”

They first began selling online and at events under the name Red Pop Shop.

They founded the biannual mixer in 2012 with the aim of providing Pittsburgh-area vintage lovers with a dedicated market similar to those found in cities such as Chicago, New York and London. The mixer was a partnership with the Heinz History Center from 2013 through 2015.

Though attendance at a mixer can reach 2,000, the event has the atmosphere of “a big party for all of our friends,” Lutz says.

New for the spring home show will be early-bird shopping beginning at 8:30 a.m.

They’ve offered “night owl” shopping in the past, Lutz says, but this will be the first time for early hours.

“We’ve had people lining up outside, so we thought we’d try it,” he says. “It should be less crowded then, and people can get to everything first.”

Hip flea market

Visitors to the event might spy WQED’s Rick Sebak in the crowd. Sebak filmed a documentary about the mixer in 2018 for his “Nebby” series, calling it a “combination party-and-shopping experience, a hip flea market with really good pizza.”

“He’s been a vendor before,” Lutz says. “He won’t be vending this time, but he’ll be there, and we’re excited about that.”

A portion of admission fees from each mixer goes to a local charity, Lutz says. This time, the recipient will be the American Porphyria Foundation, chosen because Sumney was diagnosed with the rare, usually hereditary disorder in 2014.

In porphyria, the blood pigment hemoglobin is abnormally metabolized, which can affect the nervous system, skin and other organs.

“He’s getting treatment and doing what he needs to do to take care of his health, but this is something that is hitting us personally,” Lutz says.