When you walk into Oak Park Vintage Market, the store is crisp and clean. Leah Goodwin, who opened her doors about a month ago describes her store as an “untraditional modern antique store.” And I think she’s right on target. Her fresh take on some seriously fun vintage items makes this a spot that’s easy to shop.
After Leah’s father passed away last year she just couldn’t see the space — where he had operated New Era Kitchen and Bath for over 30 years — be anything other than an Oak Park family based business. Leah took a leap of faith, put her years of vintage sales and collecting to use and opened the doors as Oak Park Vintage Market.
She promises that the Christmas Tree lot that her brother has operated for years will be back in business right around Thanksgiving. With the new store being right there it is a pretty fantastic opportunity to get your Christmas tree and Christmas shopping done almost simultaneously.
As Leah said, “Dad’s heart was in the place and I felt the shop needed to stay in the family. Also I knew many of our friends and neighbors would miss buying trees here during the holidays.”
You can tell that her passion for unique and classic vintage has driven her merchandising. She carries a wide variety of jewelry from sterling to fine in every price range from $5 to $5,000. Decorative art ordains the walls, mid century furniture appears throughout, and there are even a few obscure pieces you’ll fall in love with.
Leah grew up here. And like a lot of us, is choosing to take an active party in our community as an adult. The addition of her store adds an extra retail element for that Chicago Avenue strip. Which is fantastic. Leah’s care for Oak Park and her love for her father have come to life as a good addition to Oak Park shopping.
