Don’t Miss the Next Randolph Street Market Festival November 18+19!!!
Dear Randolph Street Market Lovers,
This summer, we celebrate our 20-Year Anniversary! Our survival was not inevitable.
When I embarked upon this journey in 2003, I wanted to create a Chicago version of my favorite antique flea market — London’s Portobello Road — and the Chicago Antique Market was born outside on historic Randolph street and inside Michael Jordan’s basketball gym. Customers came from far and wide to grab our treasures, everyone was making money hand over fist. I fully expected to be cashing out in about 3-5 years. I envisioned sailing Lake Michigan on my vintage sloop (JFK taught Jackie to sail on one of these!) and sunbathing on my yacht in the Caribbean.
Was I in for a gigantic surprise because within 3 years, though the Chicago Antique Market started out HOT it was suddenly NOT. The generation with the funds to shop for antiques were turned off by the word “antique” and the situation became so dire I once cleaned the parking lot after a show to save $100! But I retooled, redefined, and rebranded and now, 20 years later, the Randolph Street Antique Market Festival is sitting pretty because the West Loop draws the most affluent 25-50 residential demographic in the city.
We have the highest concentration of tech, bio chem, advertising, think tanks and start-up headquarters taking the place of the corn beef factories and flower markets. The West Loop is a globe trotter’s paradise with hotels like Robert de Niro’s Nobu and the London based Soho House. High-end amenities, shops, dispensaries, cocktail lounges and James Beard award winning restaurants abound.
Our 18-year venue the Plumbers Union compound has time traveled with us and during Covid added an architecturally significant (oxymoron!) multi-level parking garage with 24-hr manned security office. Plus, they’ve secured the entire premises with automatic gates creating a fortress on all sides. They even have car charging stations and their own fleet of electric cars; they capture rainwater in barrels and have green roofs on their new training school and the garage!
The universe heralds a new day for the Randolph Street Market Festival and we expect our 2023 season to offer gorgeous treasures for all. We welcome back any of you who had success in earlier years, as shoppers and dealers, to come back home to the fun and success you remembered from days long ago because everything old is new again, again!!
Your fellow travelers,
Sally + Randolph Street Market Festival Crew