Outside Lost Girls Vintage on Chicago ’s Division Street, a trolley waits to shuttle shoppers between independent vintage stores across the city. Inside, customers collect passport stamps, browse racks of worn leather and faded denim and line up for limited-edition tote bags tied to the second annual Vintage Store Day. What began last year as a grassroots effort among a handful of Chicago secondhand shop owners has quickly expanded into a retail event involving more than 1,100 vintage stores across North America. Inspired by Record Store Day and Indie Bookstore Day, Vintage Store Day arrives at a moment when resale culture is booming online, even as many independent vintage stores remain financially fragile offline. Founded by Emma Lewis, Sarah Azzouzi and Kyla Embrey, the initiative is designed to drive foot traffic and visibility toward independent vintage retailers by encouraging stores to operate collectively rather than in isolation—an intention that aligns seamlessly with the event’s rapid expansion.…