Hotspot Flea describes itself as a place “where hotties shop.” Manic Pixie Dream Market prioritizes queer vendors, “but also accept allies!” Vendors use like “fairy core” and channel 2000s pop culture icons in their promotions.
The resurgence of vintage styles during a pandemic-era thrift wave has inspired of Generation Z — born after 1996 — to start their own vintage markets across San Diego. Lucky Stars Market, Manic Pixie Dream Market and Day-to-Day Vintage Market are among a number of pop-up events, driven and designed by young people, which have emerged in recent years.
Shoppers can find one-of-a-kind items, from tiny trinkets to handcrafted jewelry, in addition to throwback styles such as slip dresses and Carhartt jackets from the 90s. Vendors offer collections of unique pieces, often curated from local thrift stores, and their customers are able to discover new ways to express themselves. Ultimately, shopping second-hand has become a trend for Gen Z to revisit aesthetics from the past.
Alia Kircher and Adrian Reyes, both 21, are two vendors who came together to organize their own market event, Hot Spot Flea Market, based on their love for vintage fashion. Between March and October, Hot Spot runs twice a month, transforming the Normal Heights Masonic Center into an open-air flea market filled with racks of clothes, home goods and custom artwork.
Since August 2022, Hot Spot’s community of vendors has grown with an average of 150 to 250 applicants per event, despite having only a maximum of 60 slots to fill, according to Kircher. The customer base has grown as well, garnering attention on social media with over 24,200 followers on Instagram.
Before recruiting Reyes, Kircher says she found her inspiration to open Hot Spot from a sustainable fair — focusing on “affordable, second-hand and pre-loved fashion” — hosted by The Loft in UC San Diego. To her, the student-run event became a testament of Gen Z’s capabilities, and she said she realized her age didn’t limit her from creating a market of her own.
“UCSD had an event called ‘Momentum’ where they really focused on sustainability and recycling clothes. I think that’s when I first started to see people my age running markets,” said Kircher. “Lucky Stars and Day-to-Day are not a lot older than me, but they have some years on me and more experience. I started doing it (Hot Spot Flea Market) when I was 18 but before that I never thought that someone my age could run a market or an event on their own.”
Vintage markets have also been appearing in college towns across the country: Baad Sunday started at UC Santa Barbara in 2021 and Neighborhood Flea at Cal State Fullerton in 2022. Fashion clubs at universities have become outlets for students to not only express themselves, but also influence their peers to dump fast fashion — the mass production of hundreds of cheap and trendy styles — and go vintage.
Jasmin Zeis-Khalil, 19, and Nicole Rodriguez, 23, started their vintage market, Icon Market, through a fashion club at San Diego State University. Their annual market event began in 2022 on campus featuring student vendors and its own fashion show production that highlighted women designers. Prices at the market can range from $5 to $25 or up to the $70 range for designer or other high-end pieces.
Rodriguez says social media has had an impact on Gen Z to not only “normalize second-hand styles but also make it cool.” On a college campus, she says Gen Z is using social media to look for inspiration in each other and apply that to pursuing their own ions.
“There’s so much influence that goes through social media. You see what other people are doing and it doesn’t seem so impossible to do it yourself,” Rodriguez said. “I think our generation is very much influenced by social media, it’s become the way that we socialize, the way that we communicate and the way that we connect with each other. There’s a lot of inside jokes that happen within social media that creates a connection between our generation that can translate itself into the real world.”
Icon Market eventually grew on a larger scale to its new location at Westcoast Auto Gallery in Mira Mesa, but it continues to be a space that seeks to uplift women in the vintage world.
“Diversity was one of the things that made the atmosphere feel safe and inclusive. We had a diverse range of vendors that had different things to offer, not only their inventory, but their personality as a vendor, which is something that really makes a difference when you go to these events,” Rodriguez said.
An inclusive community and the drive to be independent business owners are strong characteristics among Gen Z markets. Not only are young people creating their own spaces of business, but they are also challenging the bounds of their creativity.
Bella Goodwin, 19, has been selling her screen-print designs since her sophomore year of high school. She and her friend, Mai Avital, began their small business, Mad Dollhaus, screen-printing their designs on clothes they thrifted from “last-stop-shops” — stores where unwanted clothes from thrift stores end up — to resell at a low price.
As someone aspiring to open her own storefront, she says being part of Gen Z markets has made her believe that a sustainable business is possible.
“Being the age that I am right now, I’m entering a scene of business and of fashion that is really changing,” Goodwin said. “It has to change especially where sustainability is at the forefront of all of our minds and I think business opportunities like this allows that. I would never have believed that I could make a living doing my own sustainable brand in the way that I’ve been validated from these markets.”
