Salem — Despite selling vintage kitchenware, jewelry and linens at more than 15 shows a year, Salem resident Kathryn Gionet still manages to put on her own market that has been slowly becoming a destination for all things old and cool.

The Salem Vintage Market, held at the community park on Route 82, is in its fourth year.

Gionet said she sold ceramic planters, silver dishes and other wares locally at craft fairs as a hobby, but there were no markets in the area dedicated to vendors that specialize in items that are salvaged, refurbished or “shabby chic.”

“I was on my way home from a show one day and I said, ‘I need to find out if there’s someone doing one in the area and, if not, maybe I can start one,’” she said.

“I brought the idea up to my husband, and it was funny because he didn’t really think it was a great idea," she continued, "but little did he know that the week before, I was already talking to the first selectman.”

Gionet picked the community park because it would be a great space for a market as long as the weather holds up, and after consulting with First Selectman Kevin Lyden in 2012 on getting the permits to do it, the first show was held in 2013.

In previous years, the market has attracted a variety of vendors that sell antique furniture, clothing and salvaged items, with 30 to 40 vendors signed up this year.

Christine Kelly, who joined the market in 2013, embraces a 1950s theme both at the market and at home.

She comes every year decked out in a poodle skirt and saddle shoes to sell kitchenware and clothing, and this year she’ll be towing her 1956 vintage camper with the signature black tile, and polka-dot curtains.

Kelly said she got into the craze after looking for items to put into her 1950s-themed basement.

As a child of the ‘50s herself, many people suggested that she, too, sell vintage items because she knows what to look for.

She retired four years ago to start Vintage Treasures and met Gionet at a craft fair at the William W. Backus Hospital.

“It’s a fun place to be — she’s got music, she’s got food trucks there, and it’s a fun day,” Kelly said. “It’s a whimsical day.”

Visitors often recognize items she sells because their mothers and grandmothers once used them, she said.

Richard Carr, who lives in North Franklin, has been working with furniture for 25 years and is another four-year veteran of the market.

“It’s a well-run show and (Gionet) gets top-notch dealers,” he said.

He’ll be selling at 18 markets in Connecticut and Massachusetts this summer, and he said Gionet does a great job organizing the market and making sure all the vendors are selling high-quality products.

Carr started as an antiques dealer and now works on refurbishing old furniture, especially farm tables.

He said the transition from antiques to vintage was not only easy but a necessity because younger people are more interested in a furniture piece’s aesthetics or functionality than its age.

Rusted metal wheels and other items with the “found on the farm” look also are popular, he said.

This year’s show will run on both Saturday and Sunday for the first time.

More than 1,000 people have attended the market in each of the previous years, and based on Facebook event numbers, Gionet said, the show could potentially attract 6,000 from around the northeast over the course of the weekend.

A portion of the proceeds from the June market will benefit Mitchell Farm, an equine retirement facility in Salem.

Gionet is also starting a market in October for local crafters, direct sales, food vendors and other sellers that she normally has to turn down for the vintage market.

a.hutchinson@theday.com

IF YOU GO

What: Salem Vintage Market

When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 25 and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 26

Where: 89 Norwich Road (Route 82)

Admission: $2 a person, rain or shine; leashed pets welcome.

For more information, visit www.thevintagemarketsalemct.com.