Goldie’s at the Marketplace: Save the Planet, Buy More Vintage!

“Save the Planet! Buy More Vintage”.

The popularity of purchasing vintage items has risen. With popular TV shows as “Pawn Stars”, “The American Pickers”, and “Antiques Roadshow”, it gives viewers a glimpse into what is perceived as “antiques”, as historic, national treasures that tell a story. Vintage items, whether it’s a classic Coca-Cola bottle, a sepia-tone photo of a city, classic story book, or an old sign, mean something to the buyer or a collector who values these items differently from just your average customer who would otherwise view them as “junk”. Those items may remind them of past childhood memories, if they have a local, historic connection to the town or city they live in, or perhaps, it is just a cool item in general. Although many vintage items are found in antique stores, they are also found at local businesses; in particular, Goldie’s at The Marketplace.

E;izabeth Emanatian and Melody Wade of Goldie’s. Photo by Amy Modesti .

Goldie’s at The Marketplace, located inside the Cohoes Downtown Marketplace (103 Remsen St. Cohoes, NY 12047), is ran by mother and daughter duo, Elizabeth Emanatian and Melody Wade. These two ladies have a special love for vintage items that capture their collecting eyes. And that love for one another and the passion they must bring these vintage items into collector’s arms runs through their veins.

The name “Goldie’s” originated in honor of Elizabeth’s grandmother, Goldie! Elizabeth’s first love of collecting vintage items came at the age of seventeen when she acquired a photo of a Clipper ship and from that point on, it was smooth sailing for the collecting bug. She had received the “junk gene”. It took some time for Melody to join in on the collecting bug with her mom but before she knew it, she became hooked.

Originally, Elizabeth and Melody began selling their items from their home garage in Troy before they transitioned over to the Cohoes Downtown Marketplace (back in the day, the current location of the marketplace was known as Fishman’s.) Only being at their current location for a few years, they enjoy being in the company of their loyal customers, new customers that discover their business through social media, word of mouth, or through their advertisement with The Xperience Monthly, and their tenants who are “family” to them.

Some of the items that Goldie’s at the Marketplace sells includes Christmas decorations from the Christmas of My Own series, lady vases, vintage suitcases, note cards, a small Radio Flyer wagon, jewelry, pins, even local collectibles from the City of Cohoes, NY. Some of the items that they have picked were made in America. Elizabeth and Melody also pick items for special repeat customers that collect specific items; a Santa head for a friend of theirs who is into all things Santa Claus and a client that Elizabeth takes care of who loves bison.

Elizabeth and Melody consider themselves to be “Vintage pickers”. Before the pandemic hit, they used to enjoy their mother-daughter trips to search for vintage items to take back to their home and their store. Now, customers bring their unwanted items to them to re-sell.

At Goldie’s, two elderly women came inside, before the shop closed, to re-sell their large assortment of jewelry, Jackie Kennedy emerald bracelets, pins, and keychains. To watch Elizabeth excitedly sort through the trinkets as if she were receiving Christmas presents to open on Christmas day, was priceless. Through her pickings, she was able to find some jewelry, some pins, and even found a bison keychain for her client that she takes care of who owns bison at his home. It was a successful transaction made and the women were going to return to Goldie’s to bring more items to sell.

Photo by Amy Modesti.

Melody made a point about her involvement as a vintage picker. To be a picker, one must be invested in the “Preservation of History” and that is certainly true. Items that once belonged to customers were at one point, nostalgic to their past & past time periods that those items existed in. To bring their once prized possessions to a store to be re-sold will be someone else’s treasured piece added to their collection. Vintage items can be recycled, re-purposed, and re-used in a modern home to give it that desired character that it needed. A customer can go about their day to buy a piece of furniture at Taft’s Furniture but at the same time, they can save money and time and purchase furniture at a vintage shop for a much cheaper cost. To have the ability and drive to preserve these hidden treasures like Melody and Elizabeth do best is amazing. You appreciate these items in a new light.

Like Goldie’s at The Marketplace on Facebook to learn more about the business and the vintage items they have to offer.  Be sure to contact Elizabeth and Melody via email (goldiesgarage19@gmail.com) or phone (518)-268-8104 if you need to bring your vintage items to the store. The Cohoes Downtown Marketplace is open Bi-weekly from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. For November, Goldie’s will be open November 7-8 & November 21-22. Like Cohoes Downtown Marketplace on Facebook to find out their shopping hours.

Support your local businesses! Don’t forget to “Save the Planet! Buy More Vintage!”