Weekend thifting sale exceeds vendors expectations

Last Sunday, a group of college students shared a plethora of thrifted and vintage items at the Cedar Falls River Place Plaza. The turnout was said to exceed their expectations. 

One of the “vintage dealers” Evan Suchomel started his hobby in 2015. “I originally got into vintage by going to thrift stores looking for Nikes and Air Jordan’s,” Suchomel said. “I was very influenced by YouTubers who did the same thing, but they were buying old T-shirts, jerseys and hats. I have been doing it pretty much nonstop since then.” 

Five different vendors gathered at the plaza selling thousands of items along with many other deals. Vendor Damien Lindsey said the outcome of the day exceeded his expectations, “The pop up went way better than I had ever expected. Everyone that was vending was so happy afterwards. And it being our first event like that in Cedar Falls, we are super excited to have more,” Lindsey said. 

Vendor Brandon Tubbs has been thrifting for years. “I started collecting vintage and thrifted clothes years ago as a way to express myself and look different than my peers,” Tubbs said. “It was cheap and a sustainable alternative to shopping at the mall. I also enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. You never know what you’ll find.”

Tubbs said the crowd of customers on Sunday was beyond his expectations and thrilled with the selection, and he said he is excited for his return in the future to Cedar Falls. “The ground was almost never ending, and I think everyone found something they were thrilled about. The energy was there. Our whole team is very grateful for the way Cedar Falls showed love to us. We are excited for our return in the future,” Tubbs said.

Another vendor at the event, Kyle Custer said that he fell in love with everything vintage. “I started thrifting when I was in high school right around junior year. I was looking for personal things. Senior year I moved into selling shoes, mainly Jordans. That sparked my interest in clothing and fashion as a whole. I saw there was a vintage market that I didn’t know about, so I started my research on everything vintage related and just fell in love,” Custer said. “I started out buying vintage for myself and found out there was a market and demand for vintage with my friends and some family. I started supplying them with pieces and just grew into supplying it to others and it led me to where I’m at now.”

Custer said that the customers’ reactions were the best part. “The event went crazy! It blew everyone’s expectations out of the water and into space! I couldn’t be happier with the whole turnout. I didn’t hear any negative comments, only positive and a few suggestions to help reach more people,” Custer said. “Seeing the smiles on everyone’s face was hands down the best part, and that’s the part that makes me the most happy.”

Vendors Suchomel and Lindsey will have a booth set up this coming Wednesday, Oct. 13 at the Business and Community Fair at the University of Northern Iowa, Lawther Field from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. containing all new gear.