In just a few years, Mongers Market made a name for itself across the Northeast as a destination for antiques, vintage items and oddities. It drew crowds from New York, Providence and beyond. But after a few tumultuous months, its story seems to be coming to an end.
It offered everything from vintage clothes and furniture to artwork, lighting, tools, and old collectibles.
Vendors rented permanent spots in the warehouse, which they said was a big help for those used to hauling their stuff to different flea markets each week.
Its location was also ideal; it’s impossible not to notice the big red building and its logo as you drive through Bridgeport on I-95. That’s how Barry Robbins found out about the place. He has been a vendor at Mongers Market since it opened and sells hardware store items like hammers and measuring tapes.
“I was driving by one day,” he recounts, “when I saw the building and I said, ‘Wow, what's that? Antique vintage.’ Usually, I'm hemming and hawing, I'm thinking and overanalyzing. But the minute I walked through that door, I said, ‘This is where I want to be.’ A week later, I was here.”
Now that Mongers Market is closing, he said he feels heartbroken.
“I’m heartbroken because this place is magical. There's no other place like this. This isn't a typical antique center where stuff's sitting around, you go back five years later and it's still in the same spot. There's no other place like Mongers. It's incredible,” he said.
Mongers Market was originally supposed to close for the summer, work out some building issues, and reopen in the fall. But on June 6, they announced their final “goodbye” on social media. “It comes with a heavy heart, after doing everything we could to find a path forward, we’ve made the difficult decision not to reopen Mongers Market,” they wrote.
Customers say they’re heartbroken, too.
Adriana Rabedeau is a regular customer who likes to wander around the stalls and get inspiration from the old stuff to create something new.
“These types of places are timeless,” Rabedeau said. “You can come up with ideas of what you see to replace something that you have in your home. They’re also very nostalgic, and I think they need to be around”
She said the quality is better than what you would find in normal stores, too.
“I'm hoping that they're going to find another place because it will be sad. The beauty of this is that it's in one large resource. Now, you're going to have to go out. And also, there's so much stuff. How are they going to get rid of it?” she wonders.
No answer to that question yet.
