Charlotte Events – Vintage Market Days of Charlotte

Fall is approaching quickly and I’m so excited for our next event, Vintage Market Days of Charlotte.  I met with owner ShaunaWardlaw to learn more about the event, what you can expect, and how it all came to be!

Vintage Market Days of Charlotte
Event Information

Event Hours & Admissions

Meet Shauna!!

“My name is Shauna Wardlaw and I own Vintage Market Days of Charlotte. Once upon a time I had a small furniture flipping business with my mom. When we decided it was way too hard to sale and ship furniture on Etsy (like super expensive ) we looked into doing events. The first one we applied for was Vintage Market Days…and it was your story book, love at first sight. Sparks flew, hearts raced, cheeks flushed!! The rest they say is history! My hubby is my partner in crime on our events and we welcomed our first baby into the world in February. People are not kidding when they say it rocks your world. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to us! We also have 2 Great Danes that we love dearly. We both have full time jobs outside of planning these amazing events, so when we aren’t working, event planning, and raising our daughter, you’ll find us sleeping (if we are lucky, haha!) I absolutely LOVE being a part of Vintage Market Days® and getting to be the one that gets to showcase all these peoples talents is so rewarding! Our vendors and customers are some of the best most genuine people I’ve ever met and I’m so thankful to know them!”

• What attracted you to this industry?
  “I come from parents that are makers. My dad made my first bed, which is now in my guestroom, and my mom is always crafting and creating. When I bought my first house, I quickly became frustrated with how expensive new furniture was and how cheaply some /most of it was made. That is when I turned to vintage pieces; pieces that were made to last a lifetime. When we starting doing events, my eyes were opened to the vast world of vintage and vintage restoration and the people that are pouring their hearts and souls into their craft. When I decided I wanted to move on to the event planning side it was because I wanted to be able to help people showcase their work and give them a platform to be noticed and to grow. Someone took a chance on me once and I love knowing I have the opportunity to pay that forward by giving others their chance.”

I’m a creative person but I’m not THAT creative person. The one that can create at the drop of a dime or is always wanting to create. I have my moments, it ebs and flows. I crave organization and love the logistics of things. Sometimes those worlds do not always live in the same career. I remember after I got married looking back and thinking, “Man, I think I could be a wedding planner. I think I might actually like it.” The only event planning I had experience with, up to that point, was helping organize corporate events for my corporate world job. My first event as a vendor, which was a small side business, was with Vintage Market Days of South Texas . We setup on Thursday before the doors opened on Friday and by the end of the day on Friday I knew. I remember looking around thinking, “man, I could do this. I want to do this. This would fulfill my creative needs and also let me work with and create the structure that events needs.” It was a ‘light bulb’ moment.

• What would you say is your favorite part of what you do?
  “Hands down my favorite part of what I do is the people. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people and some of those people have become near and dear and feel more like family. I LOVE lifting them up and getting to witness all of their talents. The world of vintage is a community and it’s such a rewarding community to be a part of.”

We want our guests to feel like they have walked into a space where they can relax, enjoy time with their family and friends, and shop at their leisure. We really want it to feel like an experience and not just a shopping event.

It’s easy to see why the event has been such a success.  Shauna shares, “Our event in Summerfield, NC (I also own the Metro Greensboro Market) last September was listed as the #1 event/thing to do by a popular local magazine. This was not something that I actively pursued or a publication I reached out too. A vendor brought me the issue at out event and it was so amazing that someone out there saw our event , maybe attended our June event in Mooresville, and loved it so much that they were recommending us to all of their readers.”

Helpful Tips for the event!

For more information, visit
www.vintagemarketdays.com/market/charlotte