Walking into the vintage clothing market, Resellers Row, felt like walking into a trendy party. Shoppers were dressed in colorful, stylish outfits and you could hear the excitement and chatter from outside of the space. Next to the door stood market organizer Kristin (Kiki) Castro, watching her market come to life at 6:30pm on a hot Saturday evening.
Castro's a busy woman. She's a mom, plays the drums in an all-female rock band and has about five different jobs. One of her newest gigs is coordinating local vendor markets in Bend. In August of 2022, Castro started the Bend Moonlight Market and soon after that, Resellers Row, a vintage clothing market that invites vendors from Central Oregon and beyond to sell their clothing in an air-conditioned environment.
Castro noticed other cities starting up local night markets and Bend, which didn't have one at the time, was the ideal place for the urban and eclectic market she had in mind. The Bend Moonlight Market houses unique vendors, from makers to resellers, tattoo artists, music and of course, food and booze.
Nearly a month after starting Moonlight Market, Castro decided to take on another one, with more of a focus on vintage apparel. She's always had an interest in vintage wares and had been participating in other pop-up markets herself. She saw a need for having an indoor market, safe from the winter and the heat of the summer.
According to Castro, Resellers Row typically has about 25 clothing vendors at each event. Most vendors are local, but she's recently seen interest from sellers in larger cities like Portland and Eugene. "It's important to me to support the local community, but it's nice to bring in a couple of random out of town vendors, just to kind of mix it up a little bit," said Castro.
When it comes to vendors, Castro isn't picky. She strives to have something for everyone. "I want there to be a really wide variety," Castro said. "So, we do have vendors that are more name brand, all the way to vendors that are super vintage."
One vendor, Moriah Stewart, sells and makes clothing. Her brand, Generation, is a mix of handmade clothing and pre-loved items from Japan. This was Stewart's first Resellers Row however, she typically sells her clothing online.
Stewart uses recycled tapestry blankets to make corsets, baggy pants and lace-up tops and skirts. Ever since she can remember, she wanted to have her own clothing line. Her goal was to start a sustainable brand using recycled and vintage fabrics. Her handmade clothes, with funky patterns and unique designs, make the ideal summer festival attire.
A repeat vendor at the market was Re-Spin Records and Clothing, run by couple Joe Koehler and Lauren Costelow. In addition to their four racks of men's and women's clothes were several boxes of vintage records. They only started their business in March and have big plans for its future.
Tired of working and not making a lot, plus their obsession with clothes and records, Koehler and Costelow decided to quit their jobs and pursue Re-Spin fulltime. They were inspired by storefronts in Portland and Seattle that merged record shops with other businesses, such as a restaurant or a clothing store. They saw a need for that in Bend.
Koehler and Costelow wanted to have different music than you'd typically find at your local record store. They take pride in their collection, specially curated for customers like themselves who have slightly obscure and experimental music taste.
"A lot of the artists we both listen to are like really small artists," Costelow said. "You can't find those underground artists' vinyls at Bend shops." Koehler especially wants to be a destination where "hip-hop heads," can find lesser-known artists. They are currently vending at Munch and Music every Thursday until the end of the festival and every Friday at the Bend Night Market. They also frequent monthly market, Gathered Wares, and LOGE Camp's summer concert series.
Summer festivals and markets allow vendors to have several opportunities to reach customers. But when winter rolls around, vendors are oftentimes left struggling. Koehler and Costelow plan to solve this problem for themselves by opening up a storefront.
Aside from a few indoor markets, the lack of winter events results in vendors having fewer selling destinations. Resellers Row takes place at Open Space Event Studios every few months, but Castro hopes to have them more frequently during the colder months, allowing vendors to continue selling their vintage and handmade collections.
