With thrifty fashion resurfacing amongst Gen Z, vintage and second-hand shops in Boston have become a huge part of fashion and sustainability! The draw of aesthetic and curated vintage has brought locals in from all over the tri-state area, making Boston one of the biggest scenes for thrift markets. It has only grown in popularity over the past couple of years, which has spotlighted thrifting as a central way of promoting sustainable shopping amongst the younger generations, making it the perfect Earth Day activity! While there are always vintage and thrift markets all around the central Boston area, I want to highlight the Original Markets Foundation and their annual FOUND Outdoor Market, spearheaded by Megan Fehling-Singh and her co-founder, Rob Singh. I got to experience their event myself to celebrate Earth Day in 2024, and was amazed by how extravagant the market was, and the number of people they amassed.
I had the opportunity to chat with Megan a year ago, in which we got to explore how she came up with the idea of FOUND, and what her goals are for her fashion empire. Her first experience working with second-hand sellers was after her freshman year at Emerson College in 2020, when she started working at a local vintage store. Like many small businesses, her store was barely able to survive the pandemic, but determined to keep their doors open for as long as possible. During her time as a manager at the store, Megan started to recognize how much these small businesses impacted the city’s vibrancy and liveliness, and how, without their presence, the city had lost its creative spark.
“I saw the growing love for small vintage businesses and wanted to build a community where fashion lovers could truly belong.”
– Megan Fehling-Singh
This was the basis for her mission, as she was determined to bring back this spark by creating a community for small businesses and vintage sellers to collaborate and build within their city and the surrounding states, which is how Original Markets was born in 2022. Fenway Flea was the second installment of markets Megan created, followed by the opening of Original’s store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. FOUND was born on Earth Day 2023, as a massive cohort of second-hand sellers on Tall Ship Pier in East Boston, which Meg regards as a pivotal point for the organization. Not only has FOUND Market been a huge success, but it fulfilled Meg’s intentions of creating a community and gave small-business owners a chance to build connections with other owners. Since then, the FOUND family has grown its reach, opening a store in Central Cambridge, as well as held a record number of markets since the beginning of the year.
In celebration of Earth Day this year, I got to check out this amazing thrift market again, and once again, it lived up to the hype! The setup was a little different from last year, a bit more spread out, but it still had that same super vibrant, lively vibe. Tucked into the quiet open space at Cambridge Crossing, there were over 80 vendors packed in with racks of vintage clothes, handmade jewelry, and cool accessories. Honestly, it took me three full laps around just to feel like I saw everything.
The weather mostly cooperated, too! Aside from a few random wind gusts sending price tags and tote bags flying, it was a gorgeous day to be outside. Tons of people were wandering around, checking out booths, chatting with vendors, and just soaking it all in. One of my favorite parts was seeing some familiar faces from last year’s market — it shows how strong and welcoming the community is that Megan has built up.
After almost three hours of browsing (and way too much back-and-forth over what to get), I finally walked away with four awesome pieces for myself, and even a few gifts for friends and family back home! I try to be good about not going overboard when I shop, but these finds were just way too good to leave behind.
Even if you don’t have much luck shopping, there’s something so fun about rummaging through the racks and bins, meeting the shop owners, and hearing the stories behind how they find or make their pieces. To be honest, that’s probably one of my favorite things about these markets! Curating and upcycling are honestly such cool, eco-friendly hobbies, and it’s incredible to know there are people like Megan who are committed to giving these artisans a community. The whole FOUND crew is just an amazing group of great people, and if you haven’t been yet, you should definitely check out one of their future outdoor events, starting with this one at Tall Ship on May 11!