⋆ The Beginning

Once upon a time, it was just Emily, her kitties, her partner, and her 1987 RV against the world. She started selling vintage under the name "Travel Thrift" while on the road to help support her little family!

⋆ Big Dreams

Emily came back to the Champaign-Urbana area to settle in and looked for ways to continue vending, but noticed a lack of local events.

With her passion of sustainability and supporting local artists and small businesses, Emily decided to open up her own monthly market! 217flea was born.

⋆ Much...much later

After doing markets solo for a couple of years (shoutout to all the friends and family who have pitched in to help!), one of Emily's recurring vendors, Katia, reached out and asked if she needed help with social media and graphic design. Katia has been a part of the team ever since!

⋆ Resistance Threads

Because of the continued support of the community, we were able to open a brick and mortar vintage store in Champaign! Emily's vintage finds went from "Travel Thrift" to "Resistance Threads" which she felt better represented her mission of supporting small business over large corporations and shopping second hand instead of contributing to clothing waste.

⋆ Divas to the front

217 Flea is now a massive monthly event in the Champaign-Urbana area, now with a primary focus on fem and queer businesses. Go girl!

⋆ What now?

217 Flea and Resistance Threads continue to grow and change thanks to you! Check out our vendor tab to learn more about joining our community!