The Sidelot Vintage Market SeriesBy New Haven FleaClub Vandome102 Hamilton St.Aug. 8, 2026 On the morning of another brutal heat wave, a monthly pop-up “Sidelot Vintage Market” on Hamilton Street Saturday promised homewares, clothing, art, and that mysterious catch-all umbrella term, “ephe mera.” Lauren Mallet, owner of New Haven Flea, started the monthly Sidelot Vintage Market Series in April, after a trial run at last year’s East Rock PorchFest. She wanted to create a regular market for vintage and artistic vendors, especially for those who couldn’t yet afford to open a commercial space. “Rhode Island has the Providence Flea,” she said. “I wondered, ‘Why isn’t that here?'” Mallet organizes her table before more customers come in. Credit: Judy Lee Photo Here are five items that surprised me and caught my eye at Saturday’s version: 1. Palestinian Soaps and Anti-ICE caps Very cool that Mallet discovered the business at another flea market. Credit: Judy Lee Photo These two items on Mallet’s table weren’t decidedly vintage, but instead political. The scent-free olive oil soaps were made in Nablus, Palestine. Mallet discovered them at another flea market. That same business who carried them, called Stitch4Pali, a Palestinian, Mexican, and Black-owned embroidery studio, embroidered the caps as well. Mallet explained that she tries to integrate her values and politics into her work. “I will not tolerate bigotry, hatred, or discrimination,” she continued, extending that policy to the vendors she worked with for the Sidelot Series. 2. A Linocut Print That Can Live Wherever What’s upsetting them so much? Credit: Judy Lee Photo Ghouls, or aliens, or devils, joined in for a huddle. They’re worried about me, and maybe even borderline horrified.  I’m a novice at this printmaking technique, but I was impressed by the design’s fluidity. The negative space formed interesting diamonds between the bodies. Of course, the piece itself is open to interpretation, but the artist, Emily Birdie, thought they could be the “judges in your mind, that dictate your anxiety.” This print was on a thin white fabric scrap, perhaps from a shirt. But now it could be anything. Birdie likes to tell people to put a stick on its back, so that it can transform into a wall hanging. The more adventurous and crafty could sew them anywhere else. 3. A Matching Set that Makes the Outfit There’s a semblance of pattern in the purse, but not the shoes. Credit: Judy Lee Photo The vintage matching purse and heels from the 1950s or ’60s were from an estate sale. “I have asthma. It’s not good for the business,” curator Madeline Rose said with a laugh. A matching set for this particular pair of accessories is rare nowadays. It included elements that are resurging: pastels and embroidery.  In some ways, simplicity has come back again in fashion. I’m reminded of the major celebrities who wore straight colors sans patterns at Coachella. A specific combination of accessories can elevate an otherwise boring outfit. And a matching set could hold that weight on its own. The shoes were unfortunately a tad too small for my feet, but I still enjoyed looking and holding them in my hands. Bundles of thin string jutted out from a single point, where another pastel color would make for a firmer center circle. The inside of the shoes showed the flower’s more-wiry underbelly. 4. Heavy Denim that Would Outlive Me A clothing tag that is actually easy to read. Rare indeed. Credit: Judy Lee Photo Nixon-Moore had the most impressive denim collection that day. Credit: Judy Lee “Denim has a history,” Tracy Nixon-Moore of TracyLuvsVintage claimed. She washes some of that history out with multiple soaks in OxiClean and Dawn. After that, we must learn to appreciate the life that a piece of denim had before it came into our lives. I told her that my friends don’t trust modern denim because even the expensive brands wear out too quickly. She agreed, adding that she is a “natural fiber girl.” Older denim is 100 percent cotton, while the newer jeans are usually mixed with spandex. Levi’s boasts about its Silver Tab collection to this day, its branding carried by ’90s nostalgia. I wondered how it advertised this pair of the heavy thick denim jeans manufactured in the United Kingdom on October 1991, according to its paper tag. The cotton was lightly faded on all seams along the pockets, belt loops, and down the legs. The weight of the jeans could take out a small child, which is exactly what I was looking for. 5. Stitches on Speckles My favorite is the mug with the blue rose. Credit: Judy Lee Photo In an ideal world, if I pressed some beach sand together hard, I could recreate one of Dasha Yeroshenko‘s beautifully-speckled mugs. The specks look like hard dark pebbles and white sand bleached by the sun. There’s no reason to the randomness of the dots, but there is some order found in the overlaid cross-stitch pattern of a Ukrainian rose. She told me she was worried that the cross-stitch got lost in the speckles. But I loved it a lot as-is. Sometimes when we stare at clouds, we can find little pictures. If I stopped paying attention, I would lose them. I’m fascinated by how we emulate the look of a craft in other mediums. It was also a comforting thought that the cross-stitch art that Yeroshenko grew up making had returned to her practice. By the time I left the Sidelot, some shade and wind had come to relieve the vendors and customers. Everyone was helping the vendors tape down some of the lighter pieces so they wouldn’t fly away. The displays of earnestness in this community paired well with my cold agua fresca. The Sidelot Vintage Market Series will be held next month at East Rock PorchFest, on Sep.r 19. Location TBD. 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