Eduardo Olivares has lived in Eugene since he was 5 years old. Growing up, his parents not only worked full-time jobs but did everything they could to make ends meet. His father worked as a welder while also working on cars and his mother was a seamstress that sold jewelry and perfumes on the side. Olivares’s parents worked hard for his future and inspired him to pursue his passion for clothing.
In January 2021, Olivares opened The Neighborhood Eugene Sustainability Team (N.E.S.T.) with his business partner Harrison Stevens. The N.E.S.T. sells vintage University of Oregon merch but has since expanded to sell streetwear. The store is located next to campus on the corner of East 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street. The N.E.S.T. is also currently partnering with Oregon Sneakers to sell at The N.E.S.T. It is open 1-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
The N.E.S.T. hatched when Olivares was still a third-year advertising major and a sports business minor, but it was cultivating much before then. In 2019, as a freshman, he created his thrifting company: BounceBack Thrifts. Soon after, he met his future business partner, the then-junior Stevens, who already had his established brand of Stanley Thrifts. Olivares usd to sell clothes from his own home as he had a brand without a store, but that would soon change once he and Stevens came together.
“I was driving down from Portland, and I called Harrison, and he said he was down, and then we got to work,” Olivares said. “I remember I found a for lease sign on the window, and I called it without thinking, and we kind of just made it happen.”
What was once a side-hustle became a full-time job for Olivares. Being in school was definitely a hindrance but proved to also be helpful. He would get out of class for the day and be able to implement what he learned to build The N.E.S.T.
“I was learning skills in my classes that I would take and utilize to build the brand so it went hand-in-hand,” Olivares said.
Originally, Olivares and Stevens scavenged local thrift stores for vintage clothing to sell. With the increase in pop culture interest in vintage wear during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became easier to find clothing and business boomed.
Now, The N.E.S.T. sources from wholesalers, warehouses leaving “no stone unturned,” Olivares said. Anyone can take part in buying, trading and selling of clothes at The N.E.S.T. making it a hub for campus fashion.
“The brand as a whole was created by students for students. We wanted to create a community here that we didn’t see,” Olivares said. Follow the N.E.S.T. on Instagram for event and sales updates.
