From old Maltese fizzy pop bottle caps to mid-century pottery, 32-year-old Mark, the man behind Facebook’s Raċanċ page and group has seen it all!
His retro bric-a-brac finds have been known to delight the online audience, especially when it comes to local memorabilia such as old advertising products of Maltese brands and establishments from long, long ago.
From mementos that pull on the heartstrings and remind the onlooker of a different time and place, to ones appreciated for their design or typography, or objects with interesting historical background stories, Raċanċ’s online platform has something for just about everyone. With its strong social media presence, Raċanċ has brought the rag and bone trade to the social media age, influencing others to look out for interesting historical artefacts and make finds of their own!
We caught up with Mark himself to find out more about local antiques and vintage collectibles. Here's what he had to share with GuideMeMalta!
What is the background of the platform and what does the word 'raċanċ' mean exactly?
"'Raċanċ' is a Maltese word which basically refers to unwanted stuff - "imbarazz" that people normally throw away. The Facebook page is a form of diary recording our encounters with these items, considered by many as "raċanċ", that are usually found in flea markets, antiques stores and junk shops. Apart from being a showcase for these items, we also wish for this page to be a well of memories from which our followers draw that sweet sense of nostalgia. The page therefore allows its followers to enjoy glimpses into the past and rediscover what may have been forgotten by time. For us, Raċanċ not only have a historical value but they also preserve our followers’ personal stories."
"The idea behind Raċanċ is to act as a trip down memory lane and randomly transport our followers back in time. Our project is mostly a nostalgia collection showcase page – the business side to the project is quite secondary and new. We started off with a page on Facebook in 2016, and in 2019 we ventured into rental of props as a side project called The Prophouse."
Interesting! How did you get into antiques and collectibles?
"My dad used to appreciate and collect some antiques and collectibles, mostly things from his childhood, so I was brought up intrigued by and appreciating these things. However, I really started taking this hobby seriously just over 15 years ago by collecting things that my grandparents were throwing away and buying stuff from flea markets. It’s a cliché but it is completely true - one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!"
What is it that you like about old artefacts?
"I simply love their design, patterns, shapes and colours. Apart from that I also enjoy finding quirky items, as many a times these serve as excellent conversation pieces. Apart from that, old things give us a better indication as to how our forefathers used to live - which products they used, the drinks they drank, the adverts that lured them to buy new products and so on. On top of that, collecting antiques and collectibles can also be considered as a 'green' hobby."
"I also believe that when used in good taste, old artefacts can also make for excellent decorative pieces in modern homes. Furthermore, old artefacts should be treated with respect, as these items were created when technological advances were limited and a lot of effort was put into their actual creation by our forefathers."
Agreed! How did the platform for Raċanċ start?
"Raċanċ started in 2016 as I wanted to create a page where I can showcase my ever-growing collection which has an incredible amount of items, and to share my passion with other collectors and the public in general. Admittedly, it has been a surprising success! I started by uploading a couple of items a week and adding some information about the item. At first I told myself that if I managed to reach 500 likes in one year I would continue with this project...Since then we have reached over 7,000 likes and the support from our followers is continuous and still growing!"
"I believe that the secret behind the success of our page is that what we upload is relatively unexpected. Apart from the #bottlefridays series, where every Friday we upload a different bottle from our collection, the weekly posts vary completely as can be witnessed from the vast range of photos of items on our page."
What has been the coolest find you’ve come across to date?
"It’s very difficult to pinpoint one item or the other. To be honest we consider all vintage items to be cool so I don’t have any one thing in particular. I’m always super happy to add new items to the collection, be it a bottle or a matchbox, a piece of mid-century modern furniture, retro electronics or old advertising material. No matter what - if it’s vintage and retro then it’s considered to be a cool addition."
We're with you on that! What do your customers love about buying old artefacts and advertising memorabilia, and where do you sell your finds?
"While it is always difficult to part away with items, space and storage have always been an issue since day one. As from this year we decided to start a Facebook group entitled Raċanċ – Antiques and Collectables. This new group, which is directly linked to the original page, provides followers with an opportunity to purchase vintage antiques and collectibles while helping me to make space for new items to be added to the collection."
"At the end of last year, I had the chance to join in together with creatives and artists to participate in a Pop-up Christmas Market organised by Souvenirs That Don’t Suck in Sliema. The response from those attending the event was quite encouraging and clearly confirmed that people do love vintage design and retro items. With regard to the customer base, this is quite varied and mostly includes other collectors, people working in the creative industry who tend to use our findings as a source of inspiration and those who simply purchase an item because it reminds them of the good old days."
What are your hopes for Raċanċ and The Prophouse as a business?
"2019 was an important year for us as we decided to embark on a new side project by offering our items as props for movies, media and theatre productions and events. During the past year we have worked with some amazing people from different industries and we now look forward to seeing some of these productions as these should come out in 2020. I must admit that it is always a pleasure seeing our things on the big screen, in adverts, music videos, product launches and weddings. After years of collecting (and hoarding!) we have amassed a massive collection of things from all eras ranging from the 1900s 'til the early noughties and we look forward to building our props catalogue even further in order to be of a better service to the industry out there."
"As for Raċanċ, the intention is to keep building the brand’s online presence and participate in more pop-up markets and events. As collectors, it brings us great joy to share our findings and inspire our clients to embellish their setups by using items straight from our collection. We love our stuff from times gone by, as much as we love to have them showcased in other people’s events, productions or homes!"
Thanks Mark! We look forward to your next Pop-up and seeing your items on screen!