Laptops, ceramic hands and table-top flowers are scattered atop of what was once a Taco Bell booth that vintage furniture retailer Colin Tierney scavenged on Facebook Marketplace. Behind the purple seats is an in-home showroom full of furniture that Tierney will soon carry over to this weekend’s ThirftCon Denver.
“We’ll go anywhere,” Tierney said explaining the lengths they'll go to acquire pieces. “We’ve been using it as an excuse to go on little trips.”
Sprawled across a handmade Moroccan rug, Ankles the cat lies on its back underneath a smoked glass and chrome framed Design Institute of America table.
Tierney likes chrome. And teakwood, leather, Italian postmodern furniture, vintage art exhibition prints, hand-etched octagon mirrors from the 1980’s and a 1970’s Greg Fleishman CNC chair.
“After I found it I was like ‘this is too cool of a chair to not pick up,’” Tierney said.
Tierney made Denver.Items a full-time time endeavor less than a year ago and after piquing the interest of ThriftCon organizers, will soon bring his favorite pieces to the vendors floor this weekend.
What to know about ThriftCon Denver 2024
The vintage and collectible convention will take place Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 from 10-5 p.m. at the National Western Complex.
This year's ThriftCon is a two-day event, giving attendees more time to shop, take pictures and check out various installations throughout the weekend. There will be ‘Pay by the Pound’ booths with $100 golden tickets hidden in the bins, an art gallery and live music.
General admission and early entry tickets are available for both or either days online and at the door. Children under 13 get in free. Here’s the ticket breakdown:
Saturday General Admission: $18
Sunday General Admission: $14
Two-Day General Admission: $29
Saturday Early Entry (9 a.m.): $45
Sunday Early Entry (9 a.m.): $30
Two-Day Early Entry (9 a.m.): $65
Like in years past, guests are encouraged to bring their unwanted clothing that will be donated to the Denver Rescue Mission. Look for the drop-off station.
Resellers have found some success in recent years.
Founded by Mars Conte, David Bywater and Ken Meade, and expanding to four cities in 2024, ThriftCon was first hosted exclusively in Denver back in 2019.
Vendors are given opportunities to apply for booths weeks in advance but others like Tierney are invited to be part of the local event. Some are local and others come from neighboring cities looking to showcase their product. A focus for organizers this year has been diversifying available product like collectibles, art and furniture.
“Furniture is hot right now so [ThriftCon] is smart for getting in on it,” Tierney said.
Vendors spend hours sourcing items and curating a vintage and collectible shopping experience for clients. Local furniture businesses have found some success in Denver in recent years, like Thalia Aguilera (and her dog Knives) who hosted a booth at last year’s ThriftCon.
For Tierney, this endeavor just began as yard sales on their Edgewater street corner, perusing through estate sales, Goodwill bins and wherever else he can find, “Anything unique, anything that I haven’t really seen before.”
Find Denver.Items at booth 321 this weekend. (And be on the lookout for a gold Yves-Saint Laurent lamp).
