Many of you may have visited the bi-annual ASUO Street Faire @@http://serve.uoregon.edu/FacultyStaff/tabid/63/ModuleID/805/ItemID/34/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx@@put on by the ASUO event coordinators and student volunteers. Students were able to take a break from their stressful midterms and enjoy some sunshine while eating at different food vendors and shopping for a wide variety of unique jewelry and clothing.
I decided to take advantage of this fun and relaxing event to browse up and down East 13th Avenue.
The workers were friendly and eager to meet my shopping needs. I feel like some of the prices were a little high at some booths, but being the bargain shopper that I am, I managed to hunt for better deals. If the price was too high at one booth, I would walk down to another booth to determine who offered the cheapest prices. Use this technique for when the faire comes again in the fall; this is how I got wood stick earrings for $5 instead of $20.@@lol@@
One of my favorite booths this year was called ARTO’CYCLE managed by Cliff Martin. @@http://www.artocycle.com/@@He mostly sells earrings. But not just any earrings — recycled earrings. He takes odd household items, like broken toys or stripped-down electronic parts and turns them into a unique accessory. @@checked@@Some of my favorites were the earrings with Scrabble letters connected to them or even USBs hanging on the end. How crazy!@@yes, crazy would be apropos@@ Cliff said he had read a book about the environmental issue in the U.S. and was inspired to do something more beneficial for our environment.
Not only did the faire contain creative earrings, but it also had awesome clothing.
I stopped by Za Zen@@http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/42893865/portland_or/za_zen.html@@ a few times and tried on some beautiful summery dresses with lace as well as shirts with flowers and polka dots. Za Zen has a unique design with clothing that looks good on just about everyone. It’s usually the first booth in front of Condon Hall and is always a must-see. The workers are friendly and the prices are reasonable.
Enough about the clothing, how about the food?!@@like, wow!@@
I tried some yakisoba noodles with teriyaki@@checked both@@ chicken at a small Oriental food booth that satisfied my hunger needs before class. I didn’t get to try the delicious-looking elephant ears at Homemade Fried Bread but I heard great things about them. @@http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homemade-Fried-Bread/211789322185604?v=info@@
The best part about the ASUO Street Faire is that it’s always as unique as the students who shop there. It has a plethora of goods and services that would please any student. This year, there were hundreds of different rings, bracelets and earrings, as well as many different styles of dresses, skirts, and tops. I also found little Buddha trinkets, fabric wall hangings, hemp items (even a few pipes), and much more. I only spent an hour browsing before class and ended up spending only $20 for food, earrings and little trinkets.
Next time the faire comes to town, take the time and energy to search through the booths. No matter what the style you’re looking for, you’re bound to find something you love.