Thrifting anxiety? Looking to support locals? The Good Friend’s Market is the spot where the worlds of local creative vendors and Toronto thrifting lovers collide

By: Reema Najjar

The weekend of Feb. 25 and 26 marked the return of The Good Friend’s Market at the Ossington Strip on Queen St. W. The market held uniquely curated tables of original designs and hand-picked curated vintage closets, items ranging from clothing inspired by Y2K fashion to hand-crafted jewelry.

Event founder Quintin Ermes’ brand ‘Sloppy Seconds’, independent vintage reseller Ramona Vee’s ‘Las Primas’ and local Toronto Fashion Week featured jewelry designer Ariana Volpe’s ‘ButterbbShop.’ Local shops came to display their brands in the spirit of friendship; a curated space where fashion lovers can meet like-minded thrifters, and a networking opportunity for local vendors to connect with varied brands at the market.

Market organizer Quintin Ermes initially began re-selling vintage items in his friend’s backyard. Initially a side hustle at the beginning of the pandemic, he jump-started his brand titled ‘Sloppy Seconds,’ originally called ‘Quintin’s Closet’ — a collection of curated funky and colourful second-hand items.

The Origins

The Good Friend’s Market began in April 2022, Ermes initially collaborated with the Welcome Market, yet now is independent. Through word of mouth and reaching out to other local businesses as well as the positive feedback Ermes received from the Welcome Market, he continued to organize markets independently full-time.

“When I was working nine to five, it was nice and I liked it. But then once I was exposed to this community, you almost leave events like this with, like, a high. It feeds your creative and social needs, which is what, I think, I keep chasing and trying to do,” said Ermes.

Ermes’ ethos behind the market is in the grounding of friendship and connection. Organizing markets like these allow him to develop his sense of community by surrounding himself with the likes of creative vendors.

“The friends I’ve made now, [are now some] of my best friends [that] I’ve met through the market and I’ve seen a lot of other people make lasting friendships through it. I’ve been able to meet some cool brands that now I like to support, and have them at the market,” said Ermes.

The Thrifting Anxiety Remedy

The Good Friend’s Market is perfect for those overwhelmed by the labor that goes into thrifting from second-hand retail like Value Village or Salvation Army. Inspired by his sister’s thrift shopping anxiety, Ermes felt the market could bridge the gap for fashion consumers daunted by secondhand racks.

As thrifting has evolved into a trend amongst fashion lovers, it is only natural Value Village takes advantage of its newfound market. Value Village used to be a budget-friendly alternative for low-income families but has since evolved into a space with prices that do not reflect its initial demographic.

DeGroote School of Business marketing professor Marvin Ryder says the increase in thrifting prices can be largely attributed to the pandemic posing increased labor and rent costs for the company, according to a 2022 CityNews article. Ryder mentions Value Village now serves two different markets; those looking for affordable materials, and higher income “treasure hunters” more interested in the aesthetics or the eco-friendly implications of second-hand.

Each brand at markets like this has their specific style of brand. You can always find something that suits you

“So you’ve got two different markets — one which is terribly price sensitive and one which is not and I’m not sure Value Village, in a way, cares which market feels better served,” Ryder told CityNews.

The market’s bazaar-style organization allows vintage lovers to find new ways to level up their closet, with the comfort of knowing it goes into supporting slow-fashion and city creatives.

“I’ll take my sister, for example. She loves secondhand. She won’t go into a thrift store because she becomes just completely overwhelmed with sifting through the shit there,” said Ermes.

The market opens up avenues for consumers to discover alternative styles; without the stress of feeling unsure of a big corporation’s ethos. Instead, consumers are met with the luxury of the best items picked out, or designed by a local artist.

“Each brand at markets like this has their specific style of brand. You can always find something that suits you,” said Ermes. “I guess you just know you’re going to find something good rather than going to a thrift store[where] it might be a mess”

Looking to butter your fashion biscuits? Meet ButterbbShop

Ariana Volpe, also known as ButterbbShop, recently partnered with Fashion Kills for the Toronto Fashion Weeks A/W 22/23 runway. Volpe’s brand, which debuted only a year and a half -ago, sells hand-curated charm jewelry. Her work includes a mixture of hand-sculpted designs, nostalgia and painted charms along with air-brushed shirts. These pieces are inspired by Y2K, and Japanese street-style fashion as well as Japanese illustrators such as Ayat Takano and Takashi Murakami.

“I have always loved the ‘Kewpie’ character charms, babies, anything strange like that,” said Volpe. “I love the mix of patterns, colours, and everything bright. Sometimes things that don’t go together, I like putting them together. And I’m also really into stones and crystals, so I like using a lot of opalite and just things that give good energy into the pieces.”

After Volpe’s first meeting with Fashion Kills at the Hippie Market in the summer of 2021, they hit it off with an appreciation for each other’s aesthetics. Volpe was approached shortly after to design a 30-look collection.

“Our brands go hand-in-hand with the message and just the energy,” said Volpe.

Her designs act as a reflection of herself. A mix of jewelry and clothing “that just makes you feel something, makes you happy,” said Volpe. Emotion drives her creation, without a particular reason for a certain character, or a recreation of an original design—she’s someone that likes to wing it.

Charli XCX‘s music and energy have become a source of inspiration for Volpe’s creativity. When she was approached by the singer’s makeup artist on Instagram, she designed a customized airbrushed hair and makeup bag, which evolved into a birthday gift for the pop star.

“She found my main account of visual art and asked me if I could design a bag for [Charli]. And so from there, we were just talking for a while, and I went to the Toronto show [May 2022] and gave a hair and makeup bag that I customized and airbrushed,” said Volpe.

Las Primas

Vintage reseller Ramona Vee began her business with her cousins—Las Primas translates to “the cousins” in Spanish— and now runs the brand with her sister. The foundation of the business was inspired by her aunt in Mexico, where she used to sell a collection of vintage clothing. Las Primas is going on its third year in business.

“In 2020, we were trying to help my aunt clear [clothing], my cousins Conceta and Elizabeth asked me to join in starting the brand, and began at the [2022 summer] Hippie Market.”

Drawn to the nostalgia of the Cheetah Girls and Y2K fashion stylings of vintage Le Chateau, vintage Garage and LaSenza Girl, Vee began sourcing styles that jumped out to her.

“Staple pieces that maybe we wanted to wear, overall gorgeous pieces, not from one particular era of fashion…it’s just about finding gold, something that nobody else has, that is just exciting,” said Vee.

Las Primas sources through wholesale retailers, clothing warehouses and thrift stores like Salvation Army on Eglinton and Kennedy. Clothing warehouses are a common sourcing technique amongst most vintage resellers.

“It’s about taking the time to look through every single piece, hanger by hanger, every row, depending on what you are looking for,” said Vee. “There’s always a beautiful piece that speaks to you. I think that’s why we like thrifting, everyone’s going to find something different, and it’s going to be special to them.”