On Saturday afternoon at 195 District Park, over 40 vendors filled their booths with colorful arrays of clothing, jewelry and art. Providence community members walked around the park, browsing through vintage selections while taking in DJ music at Select Markets’s first vintage clothing market pop-up in Providence.
Select Markets — which has been operating in Boston since 2023 — aims to build a “safe, inclusive, sustainable, diverse space to support local brands and support sustainable fashion,” according to Joaquin Crosby-Lizarde, co-founder of Select Markets.
In his junior year, Crosby-Lizarde co-founded the organization with Josh Maizes, another student at Northeastern. During their time as undergraduates, the two “realized there was a very noticeable gap in the market for these free, easily accessible and fashion forward events.”
About a month after Select Markets was founded, Roberto Cordero — who also happened to be Crosby-Lizarde’s freshman year random roommate assignment — joined the team.
“We were all really into clothes, really into fashion, but felt that Boston didn't have many events in that space,” Cordero said.
“What we found, collectively, was just not really what we thought Boston deserved,” Crosby-Lizarde said.
But these events are not “something that you only have to be into fashion to enjoy,” he added. The pop-ups also include a variety of activities including live DJs, art and interactive stations.
“It’s really to create an experience that’s built around shopping,” Crosby-Lizarde said.
A key part of event planning is selecting vendors. For each event, the team accepts applications from local vendors, then assesses each seller based on the assortment of clothing they curate, Crosby-Lizarde said. Through this selection process, Select Markets aims to ensure that they “(work) with people who really care,” he added.
“Curation is a big thing,” Crosby-Lizarde said. “We really try to make sure that the vendors we are working with are only offering really quality pieces.”
Now, Select Markets has hosted over 20 events. The expansion into Providence was a “no-brainer,” Cordero said. He added that many Providence college students “are into fashion (and) the arts,” which helped the pop-up “prosper.”
Leo Van Munching, who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2023 and is the founder of SPIKEDORB, had known about Select Markets for a couple of years.
“I’ve wanted to do it forever,” Van Munching said. He sells his own line of handmade clothing, including screen-printed T-shirts and other embroidered pieces.
“My hope is that the small artists who are bringing out their creations are doing really well,” Van Munching said. “Providence has such a lifeblood of creatives.”
Vendor Bruna Barbalho founded Fig’s Vintage Finds when she realized she “didn’t want to create new textiles,” but instead “take what’s on the planet and just repurpose it or help other people see the vision of what’s already here.”
Barbalho said she has sold at events hosted by Select Markets in Massachusetts. “It’s my favorite market to do an event with.”
“They always can bring a big crowd of people who like and appreciate all different styles and really appreciate the art of secondhand clothing,” Barbalho said.
Select Markets is also vendor Amber Jackson’s favorite market.
Jackson, co-owner of Flight Girls/Flight Studios, said she has always been a long-time thrifter and flea market shopper, but after thrifting became popular, she began selling in “full force.” Flight Girls/Flight Studios opened their first location in 2016, and now there are three.
For the two years that Jackson has sold with Select Markets, she said the markets “always bring out a good crowd.” Since its founding, Select Markets has attracted over 100,000 attendees.
“I just love it. I love how everyone showed up,” said Ella Troxell, a first-year student at Johnson and Wales University who was shopping at the market.
“This is our version of Coachella,” joked Riley Manning, a first-year at Johnson and Wales University.
Michaela Hanson is a senior staff writer covering community and culture.
