On the back wall of His N Hers Flea Market at 2418 N. First Ave., a bright yellow booth overflows with carefully curated items taken from Lindsay and Earl Scott’s vast collections.
Open since February 2021, Darling Starling Vintage is quickly becoming a popular spot for its unique inventory.
Consisting of retro home decor and kitchenware from the 1950s to the ‘80s, the yellow booth’s other identifier is a sign designed by Earl when the couple started selling furniture online in 2020. While he refinishes furniture, Lindsay is to credit for the catchy business name.
“I love birds,” she says. “I was trying to think of something that would stick in people’s heads, and starlings are everywhere, all over Evansville constantly, and in the sun their colors are really pretty. But that’s kind of what we do: We have a bunch of old stuff that people kind of discard, but it’s really pretty stuff, so: Darling Starling.”
The spouses, who met teaching science at Harwood Career Preparatory High School, married in 2019. They pull most of their inventory from their personal collections and late grandmothers’ belongings stored in their West Side home, which they share with two daughters and five cats. But they also visit local estate and garage sales to find one-of-a-kind items.
Lindsay says the best sellers are miniature figurines she calls “tinies.” Furniture also moves fast but is sold online only. The Scotts hope to soon expand into a larger booth space to bring bigger items from their social media pages into the store. Part of Darling Starling’s popularity has been based on its varying purchase methods and revolving inventory. Lindsay updates the booth’s stock about every two weeks.
“I don’t ever want stuff to sit here for months and months,” she says. “That’s the whole point. This is not a get-rich scheme; this is just a little bit extra every month to help me with my classroom supplies, bills, whatever, and it’s mostly just fun.”
Photos by Zach Straw.
For the Birds
facebook.com/DarlingStarlingVintage
