At many Eugene pop-ups and events, a blue bus is often parked at the scene. This bus turned thrift store, the Steezy Bus, has garnered plenty of attention from students and the community.
Stella Hucka and Joey Arrieta are the two behind the wheel of the Steezy Bus, which is named in remembrance of a friend of Hucka’s brother. Both Hucka and Arrieta previously worked as managers at separate thrift stores and gained experience working with the logistics of selling second-hand clothing. Hucka was already pursuing the Steezy Bus when she met Arrieta, who was captured by her idea and eventually encouraged her to commit to the bus full-time. Now engaged, the two run the business together with Hucka curating the inventory and Arrieta handling the finances.
The idea for the Steezy Bus was inspired by Bumble Boutique, founded by Sarah Hambrick, which first began selling vintage clothes out of a trailer before it became an established brick-and-mortar store. Hucka’s brother had been living out of a bus for some time and was looking to give up his lifestyle. He offered up his bus for Hucka to begin a new business venture selling second-hand clothes. Soon, the bus would be completely transformed into a working thrift store with the help of her dad.
The Steezy Bus’ first pop-up was in June of 2023 at Hop Alley Brewery. In the beginning, Hucka was only dedicating her time once a month to the business, but then it quickly became an everyday commitment. She put in her two weeks as a manager and rented a warehouse the next day.
The couple uses the warehouse to store hundreds of curated second-hand pieces, which they source from thrift stores all over Oregon. They take pride in having a large selection for their customers, often driving several hours in every direction to find new items.
Warehouse space allows for the Steezy Bus to hold “styling appointments” in which Hucka and Arrieta browse a client’s personal Pinterest page to gather an understanding of their style and fashion inspiration. They then pull fifty or so items, all in the client’s size, onto a rack before the scheduled meeting time. This allows for a special, personalized experience completely tailored to each client. When asked if anyone’s ever walked away from a styling appointment empty-handed, Hucka said no, which serves as a testament to the couple’s combined skill as fashion curators.
“We had a gentleman come in, and we had prepped a rack for him. He bought every single item off the rack except for one solely because it didn’t fit,” says Hucka.
When looking through the racks of the Steezy Bus or its accompanying warehouse, you can find items of all kinds of brands and different eras, from Gunne Sax to Brandy Melville. The shop encompasses all styles, both those timeless and trending. The items run in straight sizes and plus sizes in both clothing and shoes. Hucka dedicates herself to keeping up to date with the details of all the pieces currently in their rotation. When pulling a lingerie slip off the rack, Hucka could immediately recall the brand and era from halfway across the store.
If you’re ever in need of a new wardrobe, the Steezy Bus is the place where you’re statistically unlikely to walk away unsatisfied. Though their warehouse is located on 5th Ave, you’re bound to find the blue bus parked just around the corner.
