MYSTIC, CT. — What began as a visit by a few curious guests has led to one of New England's most celebrated vintage markets coming to Mystic Seaport Museum for a two-day special event. 

For more than a decade, Vintage Bazaar New England has brought together vintage and antique collectors, artists, makers, and creative small businesses in beautiful settings across New England.  On August 15–16, Vintage Bazaar makes its first appearance at Mystic Seaport Museum, one of the nation's premier maritime museums.

Before inviting Vintage Bazaar to host this special two-day event, members of Mystic Seaport Museum's leadership team quietly attended the October 2025 festival in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  Without revealing who they were or why they were there, they spent more than five hours exploring the sea of vendor tents, enjoying live music, and experiencing the market as guests.  Recognizing the same appreciation for craftsmanship, preservation, and authentic experiences that has long defined the museum, they returned home and invited founder Devon Chouinard to host the event on the museum's historic waterfront campus.

"We had no idea they were there," said Chouinard.  "I was incredibly honored when I learned that they wanted to bring our market to the museum."

What makes this invitation especially remarkable is the unexpected connection behind it.  At the time of their visit, the museum's leadership team had no idea that one of Mystic Seaport Museum's most beloved historic vessels had once belonged to Chouinard's family.

Chouinard is a fourth-generation picker and antiquarian whose love of preserving the past began long before Vintage Bazaar was founded.  Her adventurous great-grandfather, Captain Phillip Corbin, was a renowned tinkerer and collector who spent much of his life rescuing overlooked objects during his travels throughout the United States.  One of his most remarkable acquisitions was an aging coal-fired wooden steamboat which he painstakingly restored at his marina in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

That steamboat was Sabino.

Once Sabino's restoration was complete, Corbin returned her to service, carrying passengers on scenic excursions and popular jazz cruises along the Merrimack River throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.

As time passed and Captain Corbin's health declined, the family knew it was time to entrust Sabino to new hands.  Their search focused on finding a steward committed to preserving the historic steamboat for future generations.

They found that steward at Mystic Seaport Museum.

After first leasing Sabino in 1974, the museum acquired and further restored the vessel, making her one of the cornerstones of its maritime collection.  Today, Sabino is a National Historic Landmark and America's oldest regularly operating coal-fired steamboat, continuing to carry passengers along the Mystic River more than a century after she was built.

"To be invited to bring Vintage Bazaar to Mystic Seaport Museum feels almost unbelievable," said Chouinard.  "I grew up hearing stories about Sabino and the years my great-grandfather spent restoring and operating her on the river.  I never imagined that one day the museum that has cared for her ever since would invite Vintage Bazaar to its campus."

About Vintage Bazaar New England

Founded by Devon Chouinard, Vintage Bazaar New England has spent more than a decade producing thoughtfully curated indoor and outdoor festivals that celebrate vintage, creativity, and community throughout New England.  Today, its events attract thousands of visitors while helping independent small businesses grow and thrive.

About Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic Seaport Museum is the largest maritime museum in the United States.  Located on 19 acres along the Mystic River, the museum features a recreated 19th-century seafaring village, a working preservation shipyard, world-class collections and historic vessels, including the only surviving wooden whaleship, the Charles W. Morgan, and the National Historic Landmark steamboat Sabino.