The Stood Flea Returns

By Tia Porter

From vintage rings to crocheted flowers, the Stood Flea has it all. Sellers and buyers alike gathered for the first Flea of the semester on Sept. 28, proving that one student's "trash" can be another student's treasure.  

"This is the first one this semester," said Evan Marrinan, a senior majoring in psychology, "and I was like, thank God, because I need to sell this stuff."  

An official schedule for this semester's Stood Flea hasn't been announced yet, but it usually returns every other Sunday in the afternoon. The Flea is open to all students; anyone can attend or set up a table as long as they have a More Card. A handful of students used this opportunity to scatter around the Stood, preparing tables filled with items to sell. 

Marrinan gathered some of his grandmother's vintage rings, necklaces, bracelets, and brooches to sell at the Stood, hoping the students on campus would be interested.  

"I started last semester because I had all of this jewelry," Marrinan said. "I sifted through the stuff that I already liked, and then I was like, ok… I want to get rid of the rest. So, I was like, oh, I know the perfect spot. The gay people on this campus love jewelry, and they love gaudy jewelry. And so, I was like, I'll set up at the Flea."  

Evan Marrinan selling his grandmother’s vintage jewelry (Photo by Tia Porter) 

Evan Marrinan selling his grandmother's vintage jewelry. (Photo by Tia Porter) 

While Marrinan was initially nervous, he had a positive experience. "This actually was really easy, and I actually made quite good sales, not to pat myself on the back."  

The Stood Flea isn't just a convenient place to declutter by selling old jewelry. Some students also used the opportunity to promote their own art. Freyja Berger, a senior majoring in creative writing, brought zines and merch from her band.  

"I'm a writer," Berger said. "I wanna at least do a little bit of art and share some of that. Maybe make a little money off of it."  

Like many other students, Berger started attending the Stood Flea her freshman year in hopes of getting rid of what she didn't need. Since then, she has moved on to creating art with the intent of selling it to other students. 

"During the semester, it's hard to make money," Berger said, "because it's hard to get a job in this area. So, I'm just trying to have something to keep me afloat, basically, through my art."  

Berger wasn't the only one selling homemade art; several tables were selling paintings and crochet trinkets. Percy Fisher, a sophomore history major, crocheted "star babies" for this semester's flea market.  

Percy Fisher and one of his crochet star babies (Photo by Tia Porter) 

Percy Fisher and one of his crochet star babies. (Photo by Tia Porter) 

"I came here last year, and I thought it was really fun," Fisher said.   

Students went in and out of the Stood all afternoon, often leaving with something special, whether that was a piece of art or some thrifted clothing.  

Kami Forde with a table filled with self made art (Photo by Tia Porter) 

"At first, I was a little skeptical, honestly," said Conor Duperrouzel, a freshman majoring in theater and performance, "but there was actually some nice stuff here that I was interested in. I got some pins; I got some jewelry. It was pretty awesome."