On a chilly, cloudy day at UO, the EMU Crater Lake room’s energy overflowed from the second floor where the UO Flea Market was held. Some shoppers wore serious faces as they looked for a good find, while others chatted among friends while trying on different items.
UO Flea Market hosted the Valentine Flea market, its second event, on Monday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Twenty-six different vendors, including vintage clothes, jewelry, and even tooth gems, lined up.
“Thrifting was the first thing I did when I got my first car,” said Josie North, a freshman at UO, said as she was trying on a vintage sweater at one of the clothing vendors.
North “loves old people’s clothes,” and she got into thrifting about two years ago. Her mom doesn’t like thrifting, so North had to go to thrift stores herself. Now, she appreciates the accessibility of the flea market being on campus.
(Alyssa Garcia)
Many of the vendors were selling vintage clothes or goods like jewelry, while Morgan Glinski set up a booth to put on tooth gems with her tools and display the shiny gems. Glinski said that having tooth gems brightens a smile even more with its shining features. “It is even more gorgeous with sunlight,” she said.
Glinski first became interested in tooth gems when she was in high school. She said that in her hometown near LA, tooth gems are extremely popular. She and her friend started playing around with embellishing their smiles, and soon, Glinski was hooked.
It was in November last year when Glinski decided to get certified and start her own business. Along the way, she met Colin Baloun, co-founder of the UO’s Flea Market, and through this connection she hosted a booth for the first time in a flea market environment.
(Alyssa Garcia)
Baloun started his vintage small business in high school and continued opperations in college from his dorm room. “My room was filled with clothes but I knew what I was doing,” he said.
He then started selling his vintage clothes in front of the EMU, and he noticed that more people started to do the same thing. “Running a small business as a student can be lonely,” Baloun said, so he started to seek ways to get student business owners to get together.
He found the perfect opportunity:, the Oregon Innovation Challenge (OIC) led by Jeff Sorensen, Ddirector of Eentrepreneurship Bbusiness at the Lundquist College of Business. The OIC is a program designed to support student entrepreneurs. Baloun had the opportunity to pitch his business plan to Sorensen and other business experts and was able to get funds to start off his business, the Flea Market.
Olivia Roberts joined Baloun in the process, supporting his vision as a co-founder. Ailsa Huerta, media intern, runs the social media for the market and makes sure the events are known by the UO community.
At the event, Baloun and Huerta both shared that there was a greater turnout than they had expected and that the energy of the room was vibrant and warm.
While many vendors had clothes, Amyah Millner decorated her booth with light purple-themed vintage tablecloths holding hand-made jewelry. Millner started her business in 2021, selling hand-saw tote bags. Inspired by posts on Pinterest, she then expanded her creations to checker crochet bags.
“I kept failing,” she said, as some of the techniques were difficult. But she kept creating, and then rebranded the business to “Stellaer Studio Co.,” focusing on second-hand materials and experimenting with different materials.
While she was in school at UO, she started selling her handmade goods in front of the EMU, just like Baloun. “I enjoyed meeting cool people and interacting with student customers,” Millner said as she hosted a booth at the UO Flea Market for the second time.
Miller started a hand makers market in Portland in June and she has seen success in that. “I want to support young creatives,” she said.
UO Flea Market will host another market in the spring term and details can be found on their Instagram.
