Photograph courtesy Tasty Bird Vintage
Just more than a month after Tasty Bird Vintage quietly launched in Walnut Hills, the eclectic antique marketplace is celebrating its initial success and a new expansion with a grand opening event on November 15.
From 5 to 9 p.m. at 2533 Gilbert Ave., Tasty Bird Vintage will extend its normal hours for an evening filled with music, snacks, beverages, and exclusive giveaways for shoppers. The market invites the community to browse its expansive collection of Mid-Century Modern furniture, timeless fashion staples, standout artwork, vintage collectibles, and vinyl records. Tasty Bird’s collection focuses on timeless pieces from the 1930s through the 1990s and its slogan, “Delightfully Retro. Slightly Offbeat. Always Tasty,” speaks to the style of pieces showcased throughout.
Photograph courtesy Tasty Bird Vintage
Founded by husband and wife Jason and Leah Brown, Tasty Bird is every antiquer’s dream, featuring more than 8,000 square feet of handpicked vintage goods presented by more than 30 local vendors. With the addition of The Underwing, a newly opened lower level of the store, Tasty Bird Vintage is unveiling even more space for new vendors.
According to Leah, the couple’s goal for The Underwing was to make it feel cozy, inviting, and visually interesting to customers. “We had set out thinking it would definitely be more vibe-y, lots of vintage clothing, hopefully lots of records.”
When seeking out vendors that would sell their inventory at the antique market, the Browns made an effort to find talented vintage retailers with a distinct identity, especially those who didn’t yet have their own storefront. Tasty Bird’s Instagram describes itself as a community of “style-forward sellers who celebrate character, craftsmanship, and storytelling.”
Jason adds that one of most rewarding parts of the experience has been connecting with local small business owners and offering them a space to curate their pieces. “We are sort of fostering a community of vendors who are all on the same page, and know each other, and are supporting one another. We didn’t want this to be a competitive space in any way.”
For many of the sellers, Tasty Bird Vintage serves as their first retail space. The Browns worked closely with each vendor to create detailed mini storefronts and thoughtfully crafted displays. “We envisioned it as a vintage design center, so that people could come in here and see complete vignettes of everything right here for [their] living room,” says Leah. “I love the hunt at regular antique malls, but we wanted this to be more visionary.”
Photograph courtesy Tasty Bird Vintage
Beyond offering community for vintage sellers and buyers, Jason hopes the antique market will bring more visitors to see what Walnut Hills has to offer and support other businesses in the area. In fact, Tasty Bird Vintage is named after the neighborhood’s beloved former fried-chicken shack, Tasty Bird Poultry, which opened in 1953 on the same street as the aptly-named vintage store. The chicken joint served Cincinnati for decades, bringing the flavor of soul to the Midwest until its doors closed in the mid-2000s.
“If you’re talking to anyone who’s been in the neighborhood for a really long time and you mention Tasty Bird, they’ve always got a story,” says Jason. Leah adds that while painting the storefront’s facade, passersby expressed that they were touched by the namesake. “People would be getting off the bus and ask what we were doing and hear that we were calling the shop Tasty Bird, and they would tell us all their stories about how they used to go there.”
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