Bag A Deal at the Uptown Flea Market
On Feb. 24, the College organized a group outing to the Uptown Flea Market for students to attend from noon to 4 p.m. This event was hosted in the back courtyard of Whittier High School and was described as a “shopping trip for the ages.” Meeting in the Harris Courtyard at noon, the students traveled to the wonderful world of vintage clothing, cheap merchandise, and unique jewelry!
The flea market was open to the public and, after suffering through the packed parking lot and the long walk around the gates near the high school’s theater, attendants witnessed a market bursting with life. Despite the heat, the market was heavily packed as it had opened at 10 a.m. Fortunately, the walkways still gave you the ability to move around at your own pace.
Upon entering, shoppers were greeted by an array of merchandise. There were small cups with fictional characters and unique designs, and small tote bags with inspirational quotes on the front. One stand even greeted shoppers with small snacks, chips and granola bars, while the main sources of food were waiting at the far end of the market.
This was not the only thing that stood out at the entrance; numerous stands were blaring music from small radios that best suited the themes of what they were selling. The combination of Hispanic and metal music was not something that would be considered normal, and yet it did not seem to clash at all. The music was a source of entertainment as pairs and groups explored the area.
One of the more notable features of the flea market was the chance to get some free jeans from gram-MeDownz. The opportunity was strictly available for current voters or pre-teens with no other purchases necessary in order to encourage them to vote or start thinking about voting. While the vendors had reasonable prices, this clothing stand was the only one that was promoting free goods that were not samples of their products.
The gram-MeDownz stand, alongside booths such as Haibi Ropa, had quite the buzz surrounding their clothing stands. Multiple clothes racks filled with jeans, shirts, and belts bridged the gaps between the other flea market stands that stood next to it.
The most common items sold, however, were candles and jewelry. Almost every stand had either of the two, as if there was a pattern of candle-jewelry-candle-jewelry all connected on the same halves of the area! Though they all sold the same items, each stand had its own sense of uniqueness in terms of what exactly they were selling.
This includes the OC Homemade Candles, a potted-candle organization that sold limited selections only for the day and provided free samples with a purchase. Similarly, from Órale Boutique, you could buy gold necklaces and add a gemstone inside. On the other hand you could purchase silver earrings that have the shape of a dagger at the ends from Spidey Jewels, where you can also laser engrave your jewelry!
In the middle of the market was a coffee pop-up shop, Cafe Cordova.
Selling coffee and other non-caffeinated drinks to shoppers, Cafe Cordova is a first-generation coffee Latina-owned business that caters numerous events around Whittier! After stopping by their stand, the more unique stands were presented to the public.
Want to put your small dog in a silly costume? Maybe a poncho or a cowboy hat? Well, you can purchase it from im4pawscreations, an organization run by a wonderful, sweet lady, Mary Luque. She primarily sells small accessories and treats for dogs, even showing some of her models from past events as a reference for shoppers. Another stand sold barbecue food, primarily beef jerky or pre-cooked food, as there was no grill on sight, but that did not matter as there were food trucks right nearby!
Various food stands and trucks were present in the back of the market; they sold foods such as birria and pizza, agua frescas and matcha drinks from organizations like mj’s matcha and Chibola’s Agua Fresca & More. There was even someone selling various hot sauces for people to sample and purchase. Though limited in variety, each food truck and stand had patrons lined up as the weather was increasing in temperature and shoppers needed a quick break before resuming their shopping sprees.
Overall, the flea market was a successful opportunity for students to find little gifts and merchandise to buy either for themselves or friends. Even if the market was primarily gravitated towards the Whittier townsfolk than the College’s students, the fun environment and variety still made the trip worth walking to from Harris Hall and succumbing to the semi-warm weather and crowds.
Photo Courtesy Of Uptown Flea on Instagram
