Heartworn Vintage Sheds Light on Value of Antiques
July 20, 2022
Glassware of all shapes, colors and sizes flood the shelves, lining the walls of Agora Downtown Marketplace’s antique store. Customers stroll in and out of the shop, flipping through records and looking at the abundance of colorful lamps.
These items find their homes within Heartworn Vintage, a locally owned thrift store in downtown Harrisonburg. Their shop doors on South Main Street have been open since 2017. The owners, Kathy Hurst and Allie Motyka, keep the shelves stocked with a vast variety of timeless homewares, clothing, and trinkets.
“These things in here are anywhere from 40 to 80 years old,” Hurst said.
As well as just enjoying the nature of thrifting, both Hurst and Motyka are passionate about creating a more sustainable future for the world, through buying and selling antiques instead of new products.
“I feel [by] saving the planet, we’re keeping [antiques] out of landfills,” Hurst said.
According to a paper published by Tiana Tucker of Elon University, “teens only embrace what has already gained a seal of approval from the cool teens; also known as the influencers, thus they gravitate toward adopting the latest styles, trends and behaviors,” which can leave already existing items in the dark. Hurst and Motyka are working to show younger generations the benefits of older technology.
“I think, mainly, it helps the younger people to see that you can consider something that is well loved and used and that it’s going to carry on for many more years as opposed to stuff from Walmart,” Hurst said.
