Being a First-Time Student Vendor at DePaul’s DAB Flea Market
Returning to my apartment after spring break, I came to the realization that I had too much clothing- and half of it didn’t fit or had been unworn for the whole season. I did not need any clutter and wanted every item to be enjoyed by a new owner, but I also knew that earning a few extra bucks wouldn’t hurt either. Enter DePaul’s student activity board (DAB) and their new Flea Market event. I had attended last quarter and loved the vibes, so with limited selling experience and a slow social calendar for April, I decided to just go all in and become a vendor! My roommate and I applied, gathered up our clothes to sell, and got to work. From our experience, here is what we learned.
1. You Do NOT Need a Huge Product Offering
Being a student-run event, I felt a lot more comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying my hand at having a small thrifting business. And by that, I really mean small: at the Flea Market, there were many local businesses with rows of clothing, while we had my flimsy wardrobe rack that is normally my closet at home. Still, when I wandered the event, I found that there were some other students with similar product volume. It put it into perspective that not every venture needs to be all-out. You can try something without worrying about being a pro the first time around. The small racks were getting just as much foot traffic as the larger ones!
2. Running a Booth Builds Confidence!
If there is one takeaway from trying to run a booth/table, it is that rejection is common. People will often browse and not purchase something- I mean, that is common at department stores too. At first I was nervous if people would like the clothes we were selling, but after a while I found that any nerves were basically gone. It made me a lot more relaxed and prepared for rejection in my professional life too- since not everything in life will have a guaranteed ‘yes’ at the end. You also build confidence in communicating with people professionally!
3. Find your Priorities
Since I was not technically making any new products, this entire event had no cost (other than 6 hours of running the booth). My goal was really to clear out my closet while knowing each item was going to someone who wanted it- not a landfill. Even making one sale would be worth it to me since my priority was not making a ton. With this priority in mind, I decided to set low prices for my stuff. Our audience was college students so marking up my old sweaters did not seem like an effective plan. And it worked! People who looked at an item saw the price and had a smile checking it out.
4. Read the Room
I for sure do not read the room at times, so this was a big win for me to learn. As the day was clearing out and the quad was getting colder, I knew I just did not want to carry everything back home. I decided to cut prices in half for the last hour and earned a lot more sales as a result- even if that meant $2.50 shirts. Selling double the items at half the price was far better than selling nothing, so I was happy. With these kinds of opportunities, it really seems to be about seeing what people want and catering to that- which the Flea Market taught me firsthand.
Overall, I never expected to be a vendor at any event- nor did I think that I could do it successfully. However, using the opportunity from DAB to try something new was an amazing experience. We enjoyed the event and lived in the moment and I would absolutely try it again next quarter- with some new ideas too. Even if you are not crafty, I highly recommend getting outside your comfort zone and channeling that entrepreneur inside with a campus event like a flea market. And, if not, I hope you will consider checking out what the DAB Flea Market has to offer next year!
~Breanne