HENRICO COUNTY, Va. β Richmonders experienced a blast from the past at the Totally Rad Vintage Festival at the Richmond Raceway Complex on Saturday.
Sarah Emerson, co-owner of Totally Rad, explained the festival's focus on "the greatest decades" the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s really resonates with attendees.
Dozens of vendors filled the space with treasures from yesteryear. From vintage clothing and old toys to vinyl records, the festival offered something for everyone seeking a piece of nostalgia.
The vendor selection process ensures quality and variety for attendees. Emerson described how they curate their marketplace.
"Everyone's hand-selected by someone on our team, so we have the best variety of local versus non-local clothing versus non-clothing," Emerson said. "We have Chicago, Nebraska, Minneapolis. We have some down south in Florida, and then we have a bunch of great Virginia and even Richmond locals in the building."
Shoppers could find an extensive range of items spanning multiple categories.
"You'll find toys, records, home goods, collectibles," Emerson said. "There's Pokemon cards, black light mirrors, boom boxes, really anything you can think of from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s."
FULL INTERVIEW: All about Totally Rad Vintage Fest
Beyond the extensive marketplace of memorabilia, the event featured additional attractions that enhanced the retro experience. Visitors enjoyed a free vintage arcade, explored the Rad Rewind Museum, and captured memories at numerous nostalgic photo opportunity locations throughout the venue.
Emerson believes the appeal of vintage items stems from a deeper cultural longing for simpler times.
"There's a lot of different theories, but I believe that people are really nostalgic for a time before the internet really took over, and that's the early 2000s," Emerson said. "That last time before AOL Instant Messenger, text messaging, smartphones really took over, I think we're all longing for a time where we're unplugged and the nostalgic comfort of all of that."
The festival also promotes sustainability through its focus on previously manufactured goods.
"A big reason I do this is the thing about vintage products is that it's already made, it's already produced, so there's a really big passionate drive between us, our vendors, our vendors and attendees that it's a sustainability thing," Emerson said. "It's cool, we're nostalgic for it, but also it's really good for the planet, so it's a win, win, win."
This marked the festival's second year in Richmond, with organizers expanding into a second room due to increased popularity.
"We were here last year kind of just dipping our toe in the water in Richmond. We knew there was a good vibe. We knew it was going to be fun, and we all had a blast," Emerson said. "It was one of our favorite shows of the year. So we came back this year, we expanded into the second room, and it's been busy all day, so we couldn't be happier."
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
