Destined to recreate the feeling of a weekend spent at the Chelsea Market, I headed to the Ithaca Flea market hosted by New Life Markets, a traveling fashion market. The company Evergreen, a vintage clothing store, reaches out to companies like these to host these types of events monthly.
Racks upon racks were filled throughout Washington Park. Live music accompanied the buzz of students and locals alike. There were around 25 booths total, each encompassing a 8x8 foot plot of land with clothes of every size and shape.
While the market did have a wide range of clothes, I feel like there were a lot more oversized T-shirts than anything else on hangers. Though, there was definitely a lot to look through and many different styles. I went 30 minutes after the sale opened up so I had a pretty good selection of clothes to choose from, but as time went on, it definitely got harder as other people took their picks and bought up the vendor’s inventory.
Carrie Chalmers, one of the vendors, explained to me how most of her clothes were bought from state sales, garage sales or thrift stores and then resold at events like these. While it definitely wasn’t as cost-efficient as going to the thrift stores, they definitely had reasonable prices compared to the pop-ups that are always happening around New York City. Tops usually ranged from $12 to a rare higher end of $30 and skirts were usually around $18. Many of the pieces were more vintage featuring a lot of trends: eyelet tops, midi skirts and lots and lots of graphic shirts. There were also lots of coats and colder-weather attire, but the beating sun deterred me from looking. Maybe Ithaca won’t be as cold as last year …
Though, following some trends, I do believe that the pieces were less “mainstream” — not just the same Brandy Melville T-shirt that I see everywhere. While I myself am a victim of following top influencers for fashion advice and often collecting a similar wardrobe to them, I felt that going here allowed me to step into a new type of closet with all the attendees acting as models for a different type of look.
Seeing everyone there was a fashion show on its own of sorts. Everyone wore original outfits, all injected with creativity through a fun belt or a statement piece. I was inspired to step up my outfit game and step out of my comfort zone of my uniform jeans and a top. I even ended up buying a midi skirt, something I’ve always wanted to get, but never found one I liked.
I was both surprised and impressed by their selections, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of accessories such as belts and jewelry that usually catch my eyes at thrift markets. There was one large booth that solely advertised its jewelry, though it seemed like it would tarnish in one rainy Ithaca day. The occasional vendor stocked a limited range of jewelry, but it definitely cost a pretty penny.
Ultimately, I found the Evergreen Flea Market to be a success. It was a perfect Ithaca outing to connect with the community and to enjoy the local charm that often is forgotten about. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who is getting tired of online shopping and wants to add some truly unique and experimental pieces to their wardrobe.
Katherine Istomin is a member of the class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the social media editor for the 144th Editorial Board and can be reached at kistomin@cornellsun.com.
