This past Saturday, CWRU Flea Market hosted their first flea of the 2024-2025 school year. Taking over Thwing Atrium, part of KSL Oval and, for the first time, Thwing Ballroom, this was the largest flea market of theirs that I have personally attended. Especially after remembering some of their previous events in smaller venues—such as Thwing Atrium all by itself—I was impressed first and foremost by the sheer size of the event. For a completely student-run organization, being able to fill up such a large space with vendors is no small feat.
And not only did CWRU Flea Market fill up the space, they filled it with quality retailers I was happy to support. I would say that the majority of the vendors were students, but I was surprised to see a smattering of booths from local Cleveland businesses as well. There were a lot of stalls selling thrifted clothes, naturally, but there were also ones for jewelry, crochet accessories, bookmarks, paintings and 3D beaded charms—all of which were handmade. I also saw at least two booths doing on-the-spot art, which added to the event’s overall feeling of being a creative showcase. Everything I laid eyes on, from clay earrings to plastic keychains to the racks upon racks of vintage clothing, was obviously crafted with care.
As for the clothing itself, I was again impressed with both the selection of pieces and the pricing. I won’t lie, at the very first CWRU Flea Market event, I was a little appalled by some of the price tags, which were attached to mediocre pieces not worth (in my eyes) half of what the sellers were asking for. So I was pleasantly surprised last Saturday when I found myself actively searching through racks across Thwing Ballroom, and even more so when I ultimately purchased a top. Most of the items I saw for sale were on-trend—meaning namely hailing from or in the style of the ’90s and early 2000s—and came in a variety of sizes. Plus, I would say the average price range for items was $5–20, which for college students I think is well within our means.
Beyond the actual goods to take home, the market also offered food and live music to its attendees. My friend got a cold brew coffee with milk and brown sugar syrup from Cleveland Cold Brew Coffee, and I saw other students walking around with homemade cookies from second-year student Syreeta Ferguson’s booth and bubble tea from the student boba makers at Tippit Tea. The day’s performers were Ellipses Jazz Combo, a student jazz band. Both the food and the music contributed to the flea’s lively atmosphere and made sure you stayed in Thwing for just a little longer.
CWRU Flea Market’s executive board was also quite happy with how the event turned out. In a statement they made to The Observer, they said the following: “We had an amazing turnout with lots of foot traffic, and want to extend a thank you to everyone who came to check us out. We planned diligently for this event, contacting new and returning vendors alike, talking through logistics with CWRU facilities and thinking on our feet to overcome any setbacks we faced.” The work they put in is clear—there were 227 registered attendees on CampusGroups and likely far more actually in attendance, as many people (including me) simply walked into Thwing without first registering.
If you missed this past flea market and are hoping to make the next one, there is a Food Market in Thwing Ballroom on Oct. 26 and another full-blown flea market in Thwing Atrium and Thwing Ballroom on Nov. 9. And if you’re interested in becoming a vendor, you can register on the CWRU Flea Market website. After the success of this past market, I’m sure that the next two are going to be even better—for anyone interested in clothing, art or simply a good time, CWRU Flea Market is an event you can’t miss.