Just over an hour outside of Vancouver, near Langley British Columbia (BC), set amongst idyllic country roads and lush farmlands, the Vintage Pasture Sale is in full swing. Located on the historic MacInnes family farm, this outdoor summer market attracts vendors and shoppers from all across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Volunteers wearing high visibility vests are directing traffic from the main road while others help people find free parking in one of the many makeshift lots onsite. And a few other volunteers, driving golf carts, are offering rides for those in need to the main entrance.

This is the second Vintage Pasture Sale held at this location, and show organizers along with the MacInnes family were better prepared for the huge crowds and resulting traffic jams at the start of the show. Tickets could also be purchased in advance online, including the early bird tickets that sold out within 24 hours.

“We learned a lot from last year,” says Melanie MacInnes who didn’t realize initially what a huge attraction the market would be for locals and visitors. However, she is grateful and thrilled to be working with Amanda Upton from Forest Knolls Vintage and Kathryn Dolphin from Copper Reata to host the market on her family farm. “We are always pivoting,” says MacInnes who is constantly looking for innovative ways to generate revenue while promoting the farm and various products.

So, when Upton and Dolphin approached the MacInnes family with the idea of hosting the market on their property, they were excited. “We were very intentional when picking our new location for the second market,” says Upton. “We wanted to find an outdoor space where people could make a day of it in a beautiful setting surrounded by vintage buildings.” Their vision was to create a family event where people of all ages could gather, shop, relax and enjoy their surroundings while also experiencing the farm and all that it had to offer.

MacInnes farm provided the perfect rural setting. Not only could they accommodate 52 vendor booths, easily handle over 1000 shoppers and offer ample parking; they also have their own brewery on site – Locality Brewing, space for food trucks, a beer garden and even a picnic area overlooking the quintessential babbling brook.

The site is also significant historically. BC’s Telegraph Trail goes through their property, it had one of the first homesteads in the area and the family lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse surrounded by rustic but functional early 1900 tractors, combines and thrashers. “I guess you can say that we collect antique farm equipment,” says MacInnes who works closely with the BC Farm Museum to find older equipment that is smaller and better suited for their land.

There is also a western town, called the Jamestown set, built on their property. It is used by production companies to film commercials as well as TV shows, most notably the popular TV show When Calls the Heart. I was lucky enough to meet one of the show’s creators and Executive Producer, Brian Bird and his wife Patty. In a golf cart chauffeured by MacInnes, I was given a private tour of the set, which was currently in use for the filming of the 11^th season of the show. Complete buildings were expertly constructed to convey an early 1900s Canadian frontier town, and Bird is proud of his art and production teams who work hard to maintain historical accuracy by staging the town and the buildings with period antiques, equipment and vintage household items sourced locally and abroad.

The set was not accessible to market goers because of filming, but Upton hopes that one day they might be able to have the market in the “town.” As relatively new show organizers and avid travellers, Upton and Dolphin have created unique market experiences based on some of their favourite markets abroad – while also combining their passion for vintage and for fostering a sense of community. But there have been challenges.

“We launched our first show in 2021 in a different outdoor location, and were in over our heads,” says Upton. Not only were people still dealing with issues related to the pandemic, there were several forest fires nearby and because the threat of fires was so high, they couldn’t have any food trucks on site and vendors could not drive in to set up their booths. Instead, they had to carry everything in from the parking lot, which was a bit of a hike. However, according to Upton, despite the hurdles, “The vendors were incredible. They were troopers and pulled together to help each other.”

Upton’s and Dolphin’s attention to detail, as well as their infectious collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit, was also appreciated by the vendors. “I’ve done many shows in the past so speaking from experience,” says first time vendor Roxanne Murdoch from Sevenfold Home, “I’d say that these ladies did such a great job of taking care of us retailers, promoting our work and creating a fun, relaxed, truly vintage feeling market. I noticed that because of how they managed the market, the comradery amongst the vendors was amazing and that in turn trickled down to our customer’s experience.”

Having now organized four markets, Upton and Dolphin continue to refine their process. Building on the success of each show, they are even more committed to strengthening their relationships with the MacInnes family, vendors and people attending the market. “It’s like a big family,” says Upton. “We love doing the show and it’s like a big reunion when we all get together. It is the most supportive community.” However, they are careful to not grow too quickly and have a waitlist of vendors.

Reprinted with permission from Canadian Antiques & Vintage magazine. For subscription information to Canada’s only national antiques and vintage publication, please call toll-free 1.866.333.3397