Students enjoy a unique Sunday morning at the Indie Flea
On Sunday, Tampa’s Indie Flea had it’s venue premier at Armature Works alongside the waterfront views of downtown. Having outgrown its previous location at the Rialto Theatre, the Indie Flea needed a new place to hosts its treasures. The market takes place every third Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the occasional pop-up market that is always announced on its Instagram@indieflea.
This multifaceted market ensures all its vendors are doing their part in protecting the environment. According to TheIndieFlea.com, “The Tampa Indie Flea is an Ocean Friendly and Zero Waste event that enforces a ban on single-use plastic for all vendors.” Allowing all environmentally-conscious Bulls to breathe easy as they collect their eclectic trinkets.
For the premier at Armature Works, the market showcased artisanal jams, handmade jewelry, vintage treasures and an accidental recurring theme of dinosaurs. Only a 15-minute drive from campus, some Bulls spent their Sunday morning perfecting their wardrobe, sampling artisanal popsicles and picking up a vinyl in mint condition.
Milena Diaz, a senior double majoring in international and religious studies, tries not to miss a single Sunday as what’s for sale is always changing.
“The vendors are only set per month so every month there will be new vendors and new merchandise, which I think is a great way to keep things fresh and keep people coming,” Diaz said. “I think it’ll be even better (at Armature Works) because there will be an entire building with all sorts of food stands and local businesses, unlike any other place in Tampa.”
Solon Harden, a senior majoring in chemistry, was one of the first to hear about the Indie Flea’s new venue as his father’s business, Soho Capital, owns Armature Works.
“It’s a easy way to get your art and other merchandise out if you’re looking to be a vendor,” Harden said. “If you just want to come visit, there’s a lot of great art and merchandise from local vendors so you get to support your local businesses and really great food.”
Sunday’s featured designer was O’Berry Succulents — a pop-up store dedicated to cute, little plant lovers. At the booth, there was an array of sparkly dinosaur pots. From a bright fuschia stegosaurus to a deep navy tyrannosaurus, any person taking those succulents home had the statement piece of the year.
The Mesozoic Era seemed to be a common theme as a few booths down was Josh Sullivan, a graphic designer from Saint Petersburg, selling cartoon dinosaur patches, pins and postcards. Lined around his booth were free pocket-sized coloring book of some of Jurassic Park’s cutest residents: a grinning pterodactyl and a fedora-wearing brachiosaurus.
Among the dinosaurs, there were severals booths of original clothing. Vendors, such as Ameraucana that creates and hand prints all their unique monster and horror-movie themed t-shirts and Dirty Denim Clothing that buys clothing secondhand and cuts and sews them into innovative pieces, all had clothing with prices ranging from $12-35.
“I definitely think it can be a great spot for college students,” Diaz said. “There’s a great environment and lots of cool merchandise that isn’t very expensive. I just got a denim jacket for $22, which is great. It has music, food and art so definitely a great spot to hang with friends and support your local businesses.”