Students can shop for vintage clothing, handmade goods, food and beverages from a wide range of vendors at the weekly West AVL Street Market, located at 662 Haywood Rd, every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“I still have one dress that I bought as a vintage dress when I was a student. I still have it and I still love it,” said Massi, a vintage vendor at the market.
One vendor students can shop at is Jacki Massi’s booth, providing a range of vintage finds which includes dresses, gowns, scarfs, and trinkets.
“My things tend to be romantic, whimsical or just down right cute,” she said.
A part of what makes the market fun is being surrounded by other vendors who also appreciate vintage, according to Massi.
“Many other vendors have a love of clothes as well as people that shop here, so it’s nice to have somebody else that you can talk about your hobbies with,” she said. “You learn a lot. It’s everyday, learning.”
One vendor, Kylie Willams, drove three hours from Burlington to be part of the market. According to her, experiencing the market inspired her to start selling her clothes there.
“I was like, yeah get me in, get me in here,” she said.
A part of what Willams sells are clothes for the season including jackets and winter coats and other types of clothing passed down from family.
“All my life I’ve loved vintage clothes. Just going through my grandparents attic and stuff, it’s just very sentimental,” said Willams. “I don’t support fast fashion so it’s like up my alley.”
Williams also does style bundles for people who want to reach out of their comfort zone and try an outfit picked out by her.
“I do style bundles as well. People send me their inspiration board and a budget and I’ll go and shop for them,” she said. “Pushing them out of their comfort zone is the best. I don’t know, they don’t believe it until they see it and it’s really cool to see their face.”
More vintage clothing can be found at another vendor where Lex Sugar sells clothing specifically from the year 2004 and under. Lex said he got into selling clothing because his parents and grandparents also sold clothes in flea markets..
“I was the ‘flea market kid’,” said Sugar. “My grandmother sold at the flea market so at a young age I just kind of started falling in love with fashion.”
Shopping for clothing can be exciting because you can find rare pieces, according to Sugar.
“Anytime you find anything from the 50s, the 40s, that’s incredibly rare,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not just about the sale, it’s the collection.”
Students can find the market pop-up every weekend in West Asheville, providing second-hand shopping and a hangout spot. They have free live music Sundays at 1 p.m.
“Recycle and vintage,” said Sugar.
