To kick off the spooky season with a hint of nostalgia, the Orange County Market hosted a special Monstember Mini Market. The theme referenced Disney Channel shows and movies from the 2000s and 2010s, including “Hannah Montana,” “My Babysitter’s a Vampire” and “Twitches.”
With over 12 vendors to choose from at the Local Gem Collective, customers could shop for goods such as curated clothing, handcrafted jewelry and trinkets alongside delicious homemade treats. To add more incentive, the first 40 customers who arrived received a free Disney Channel-inspired pin.
On top of all the vendors present, a live drawing photo booth was also there in collaboration with @snap.scribbl on Instagram, where people could have their photos drawn in strips instead of taken in the traditional “photobooth” method.
Sophia Salazar, owner and organizer of Orange County Market, said it was fun to kick off the fall season with this event.
“I’ve been running markets for a year and a half now and just having different themes incorporated into the markets just makes it that much more fun, especially when the customers dress up in it and the vendors decorate their booths,” Salazar said. “Usually I start by making the flyer, getting the vendors in and creating the vendor list and doing a lot of online promotion.”
Throughout the event, she films clips of the market, using the reels to show people what to look forward to in future events.
“On the day of, I get here, get the spots set up and ready for the vendors to come in with all of their materials and all of their clothing and racking,” Salazar said. “They come in, set up and then once they’re set up, we’re ready to open.”
Due to the event’s popularity and the community’s impact, within 15 minutes of opening, there were already many people shopping at the market.
Salazar also emphasized her anti-artificial intelligence stance, expressing how every flyer she makes and all the promotional content for her markets are human-made.
“I love creating my own flyers,” Salazar said. “I’ve done that since the beginning and everyone else has their own arts.”
The mini market ultimately spotlights not just clothing but businesses of all kinds that may not typically have an outlet to showcase their offerings.
“It feels a little nerve-racking, especially in the beginning when I started doing it, I kind of felt like I had to break out of my shell a little bit,” said Dennise Reynoso, owner of Pink Moon Astrology. “It’s hard to put a dollar sign on something that you do when you’re not used to it, but eventually I learned that my offering had value and I kinda just trusted that.”
Other businesses that emphasize sustainability also expressed appreciation for events like this.
“I first started off with Local Gem Collectors,” said Jade Mendoza, owner of the Coach Haven booth. “I did a pop-up with them and they let me know about Orange County Market. So then I found them on Instagram and I thought I’d just reach out first.”
What makes businesses like hers so special, and what highlights the hard work and dedication put into them, is how intricate business owners can be when organizing their booths.
“So with vintage Coach bags, I individually source and I individually handpick each item as well. I just verify everything, making sure it’s an authentic Coach bag,” Mendoza said. “If they come in not so great condition, I do restore them.”
With flea markets, people aren’t just supporting sustainability, but they’re also able to find unique and curated pieces that are typically difficult to find or aren’t able to find at all.
“It’s nice to be able to have someone come in, find what they like,” said Izabella Ramirez, owner of The Petal Heart. “You know a lot of these pieces that I look for, you don’t really find nowadays.”
Salazar expresses that anyone is welcome to her events, as long as they are “magical and amazing people,” which is ultimately all she wants in the community.