Vintage lovers, rejoice: Dekalb Vintage Fest returned with a bang after a one-year hiatus, converting the NIU Convocation Center into a retro wonderland from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
With free entry and modest parking fees — $9 prepaid, $12 day-of — the event welcomed seasoned thrifters and curious newcomers alike.
Illinois Vintage Fest, the team behind this year’s Dekalb event, oversaw everything from vendor selection to on-site coordination — transforming the Convocation Center into a bustling marketplace filled with relics waiting to be unearthed.
Founded in 2020, Illinois Vintage Fest began as a grassroots initiative when Founder Shayne Kelly started selling vintage clothes from his parents’ garage to raise funds for the Black Lives Matter movement.
That same year, Co-Founder Anil Komuroju joined Kelly, bringing his background in marketing and logistics to help scale the operation into a statewide series of vintage events. What began as a solo effort in downtown Joliet quickly evolved into a traveling festival, with stops in cities like Urbana, DeKalb, Wheaton, New Lennox and Thornton, each hosting dozens of vintage vendors celebrating retro style and small business resilience.
“We had such a great time last time we were here,” Kelly said. “We love Dekalb. It’s an awesome place. It has such a great history, and NIU is a great school. We’re happy to be here.”
With over 80 vendors to choose from, curious crowds explored an eclectic mix of offerings. These comprised a diverse range of retro clothing, jewelry, classic video home system tapes (VHS), handmade crafts and rare collectibles. The event buzzed with lively chatter and the thrill of discovery as attendees sought one-of-a-kind items across dozens of treasure troves.
“We were born in ‘91, so we go antiquing around town sometimes,” Peter Chlebanowski said, a library specialist at NIU. “We like to see what we had when we were kids, or what our grandparents had, or great-grandparents had from when we were kids and be kind of like reminiscing. I like to reminisce.”
Curated booths brimming with vintage gems turned the venue into a stylish savanna, where bargain-hunting apex predators stalked their prey with laser focus and tote bags at the ready.
“Yes, I actually found a hoodie that I have been looking for on Amazon,” Gabriel Nagel said, a sophomore studying horticulture at Kishwaukee College. “It’s just an Obama hoodie. There was one on Amazon that was a large, that was $60 but this was only $30 and is a medium which will fit me.”
While some came with exact items in mind — like a rare Obama hoodie — others were on the lookout for something special for an upcoming occasion.
“I’m hunting for a pink dress for homecoming,” Emily Goeoske said, a junior from Batavia High School.
Next stop for Illinois Vintage Fest is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Urbana’s Lincoln Square Mall, with over 60 vendors expected and the same signature mix of vintage fashions, collectibles and community energy.
“We’re opening a new store in Urbana, Illinois,” Kelly said. “It’s actually where we host our event, which is awesome because we can have a place where people can come and hang out.”
Kelly’s new store is called Devotion.
“It’s devoted to my people, devoted to my community and devoted to obviously saving the planet by being sustainable,” Kelley said.
As the festival expands across the Midwest, its mission remains rooted in sustainability and connection.
“We live in a time where people buy things, and they throw it away,” Kelly said. “We just hope that with the items that people buy here, that they enjoy them for a lifetime. And if they ever want to get rid of them, make sure to get rid of them properly.”
One option he recommends is selling unwanted pieces to local vintage shops like Kaizen Vintage, a vintage clothing store located at 866 W. Lincoln Highway, which actively buys secondhand items to keep them in circulation.
“Everything is secondhand,” Kaizen Vintage Owner Michael Forbear said. “We don’t make anything, and we really do believe in everything being recycled, upcycled and put out into circulation for everybody to buy.”
Beyond sustainability, the fest also fosters something intangible: A sense of belonging.
“That’s the important thing especially with Vintage Fest, is that we come together and find this time to enjoy ourselves and enjoy our community and have a good time,” Winfield Wonders Owner Mike Zola said. “Because, you know, out there in the world, there’s not many places like this, people are trying to divide us but we’re here, and we can all unify under one roof.”
Zola’s business, based in Geneva, Illinois specializes in taxidermy insects primarily sold through his online shop. His booth featured meticulously pinned specimens, offering a glimpse into the natural world through a lens of curiosity and craftsmanship.
That spirit of unity is exactly what Kelly hopes to cultivate, not just through the fest, but through his new store and future non-profit work. He said they’re looking ahead to next year to expand their efforts and give back to the communities they visit.
“I’m about building a community more than anything,” Kelly said.
