#FollowFriday: Snapshot of @VTGCLT

I had to make my way around Wilson from Wilson’s World to get to Amy Herman yesterday. He had just wrapped up a morning TV segment at the North Tryon warehouse that is hosting her Vintage Charlotte Summer Market this weekend.

For the shindig that starts today and continues through Saturday, Vintage Charlotte (better known as VTGCLT) is organizing more than 80 local and regional vendors decked out with vintage and handmade goods. Dream about: Housewares, jewelry, clothing, etc. Then go. Details are here.

Let’s take a look at the creative behind VTGCLT.

Age: 29

Twitter handle: @VTGCLT

Hometown: Detroit, MI

Keeping busy as: Owner at Vintage Charlotte, photography teacher at CPCC, visual artist, 1/2 of the brains behind #Instabeerupclt, co-manager of Crescent Communities Skyline Artists in Residency

(1) What is your main focus?

My focus is the creative community. That bridges across everything that I do … I would just love to see it expand and grow. I kind of break it down into what artists really need. That we need space, time, access and community. And any way to increase any of those four things, I think, is a positive.

(2) Why create Vintage Charlotte?

I’ve always been really interested in vintage. I started thrifting all of my clothes in high school and then I started an online vintage store when I was in college for some extra money. I continued doing that through grad school. When I came here I was looking for some places to sell in real life and there weren’t really any.

Have y’all peeped the #vtgclt hashtag lately? The Summer Market vendors are posting so much amazing prep work! I cannot wait to see it all on Friday!

A photo posted by Amy Herman | Vintage Charlotte (@vtgclt) on Jul 22, 2015 at 12:03pm PDT

(3) What is the goal of the market?

Vintage Charlotte collects all of these creatives and puts them in one room, which doesn’t happen very often. So there’s kind of this energy around the event … Because all of these people are coming together with one common goal, to promote each other, to promote handmade, to promote vintage, to promote shopping local.

Her first market in 2012 had 17 vendors and 800 people came. The next market had about 60 vendors and more than 1,200 people came.

(3) How do you juggle your passions?

I don’t. There is no balance. [But I make it work by] organizing, coordinating.

The #vtgclt Summer Market is two weeks away! In the meantime, I’m obsessing over the collection @shopinherited is pulling. You might have to shop early at our VIP Shop to pick up some of these special pieces!

A photo posted by Amy Herman | Vintage Charlotte (@vtgclt) on Jul 11, 2015 at 5:21am PDT

(4) What is your favorite source of sustenance in Charlotte, creative or otherwise?

My garden. It’s a learning experience, but my husband and I have been trying to create sort of a little homestead. So we have four chickens and we have raised beds and a bunch of edible plants in our yard.

Growing fruits and veggies can have such a learning curve. Last year we harvested almost nothing primarily because of all of the squirrels and bunnies, but also because gardening can be hard! Looks like I’ve figured out cucumbers and tomatoes at the very least this year! Next season’s goals include trying to end up with more than 5 beans.

A photo posted by Amy Herman | Vintage Charlotte (@vtgclt) on Jun 22, 2015 at 12:47pm PDT

(5) After the Summer Market, what’s next?

For a while I’m going to be focusing on the artist residency program at Goodyear and trying to create my own artwork there as well. I don’t know yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to involve a projector and being really obnoxious uptown. I’m pretty sure you’re going to see it from your window.

Photo by Katie Toussaint

@katietoussaint

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 9:00 PM with the headline "#FollowFriday: Snapshot of @VTGCLT."