In this episode, I talk with Amy Abrams, founder of Material Matters, a vintage and contemporary home show in New York City. She is also the co-founder of the maker marketplace Artists & Fleas and the owner of the Manhattan Vintage Show. I recorded our conversation just before the first Material Matters opened, and I’m sharing it now as the show returns to the Flatiron District on November 7–8.
Amy describes her three businesses this way: Artists & Fleas is about how you make yourself interesting, Manhattan Vintage is about how you adorn yourself, and Material Matters is about the spaces you inhabit. She built Material Matters for people she calls the “home curious.” It’s a consumer-facing show that’s open to everyone, with a deliberate range of styles, eras, and price points.
Our conversation led me to three approaches I bring to any antiques or vintage show: something specific, something general, and serendipity. Something specific means shopping for a known need, with fixed dimensions and room to be flexible. Something general means following a thread, a theme you’re drawn to that evolves with your life. Serendipity is the thing you didn’t know you needed.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
3 approaches to shopping vintage shows: specific, general, and serendipity
I bring three kinds of attention to a show or fair. Something specific keeps me focused on a real need in my home. Something general, a thread I’m following, gives my collections a through-line. And serendipity is where the delight comes from. Knowing which one you’re leading with, and making room for all three, changes what you bring home.
Shopping for something specific: know what’s fixed and what’s flexible
In our conversation, I mentioned I was looking for a tall plant stand, taller than an armchair, to lift a plant into an empty corner. The height and the spot weren’t negotiable, but I was open to different materials, whether wicker, stone, or terracotta. I keep a running list on my phone of what I’m looking for, along with the height, width, and depth of each space, and I always bring a small tape measure.
Why “almost right” costs you
Something specific is the easiest kind of shopping to compromise on, because you’re motivated. I once bought an old luggage trunk on impulse to use as a coffee table, and it turned out to be too low and not quite level. I wish I’d taken more time to find the right solution.
Shopping for something general: follow your thread
Amy is drawn to art with figures or flowers, a thread that grew out of her new watercolor practice. Threads often come from your life: something you’re doing, somewhere you’ve been, someone you love. That’s one reason I say style evolves. Mine is ceramic birds, especially creamers and small vases in bird shapes, which I sometimes group together and fill with tiny flowers.
Serendipity vs. impulse buy: how to tell the difference
I have a few gut checks for an unexpected find. One is whether my heart started racing when it came into view. Another is to walk away for 30 minutes or an hour. If I can’t remember what it was, I probably didn’t want it that much.
Today’s new is tomorrow’s vintage
One of Amy’s most treasured pieces is a round wooden table she and her husband registered for at Crate & Barrel 23 years ago. Two cousins who couldn’t make the wedding bought it for them. It’s too big for the room and everyone comments on it, and it has hosted years of family meals. Now it’s vintage. Her point is that you can buy new, as long as you buy thoughtfully, because something well made will last.
Naturally eclectic, and a show for the “home curious”
I believe almost everyone has an eclectic style. Most of us live with hand-me-downs, heirlooms, roadside finds, IKEA, good pieces, and antiques, and that mix reflects who we are better than any single style label. Amy built Material Matters with this in mind: open to everyone rather than to the trade only, more manageable than the sprawling antique fairs, and deliberately varied in style, era, and price.
Amy Abrams is the founder of Material Matters, co-founder of Artists & Fleas, and owner of the Manhattan Vintage Show. Material Matters returns November 7–8, 2026, in New York’s Flatiron District: materialmatters.world. Find more episodes and full show notes at SlowStyleHome.com/podcast.
Links Mentioned In The Episode
Material Matters Website
