A crowd of fashion enthusiasts gathered at The Brewing Projekt on Sunday, Feb. 4 for Eau Claire’s third ever 715 Vintage Fest. 

Twelve vendors were there to display and sell their vintage treasures, boasting a myriad of secondhand and upcycled styles. The Fest ran from noon to 5 p.m. and attracted a number of patrons during that time.

The brewery opened up its seating area and sold drinks to patrons of the event.

The event was orchestrated by vintage retailer Jake Weiss. 

“I’ve been selling vintage for probably three years now,” Weiss said. “I’ve also been traveling around the Midwest, doing these kinds of events in places like Chicago and Minneapolis. I just felt like Eau Claire needed one.”

Weiss said a group of vendors had done several test runs at Passion Board Skate Shop in Eau Claire prior to starting the event. 

“The test runs went really well, which made us want to expand, get some more vendors and do it in a bigger venue,” Weiss said. “I’d held this type of event in breweries in the past, so I reached out to the Brewing Projekt and they agreed to help host.”

Weiss emphasized the value of the connections the vendors make by coming together to sell.

“All of our vendors are really close-knit, and so having something they can do together helps build more of a community,” Weiss said. “The Fest serves as kind of a hangout as well. People can come together, talk, get a drink, check out clothes — it’s really unifying.”

Fátima Chávez is a fourth-year women’s gender and sexuality studies and political science student at UW-Eau Claire. She attended 715 Vintage Fest as a first-time vendor on Sunday.  

Chávez initially started selling thrifted clothes on Depop. Like a number of the vendors, she learned about the fest through social media.

“I really like the environment here,” Chávez said. “So many clothes end up in landfills, and it’s just nice to give vintage clothes a new home. I’m just doing what I love.”

Third-time vendor Caitlin Falk has been selling at 715 Vintage Fest since its first market. Falk started as a vendor at another vintage market last fall. Prior to in-person sales, Falk sold on Depop and participated in clothing swaps with friends.

“Seven Suns Vintage downtown does a little market as well,” Falk said. “I did my first market with them in September. Then I just kept going with it. Getting together with people in the community and meeting people this way is a lot of fun.”

Falk said the event has grown quite a bit since the first festival. 

“It started out with just four of us,” Falk said. “So it’s awesome to see it now.”

Three more dates have been set for upcoming 715 Vintage Festival markets this spring. They will take place at The Brewing Projekt on March 9, April 13 and May 5. Weiss said another 715 Vintage Fest is likely to be scheduled during the summer as well.

“The schedule is heavily revolving around the college students,” Weiss said. “We scheduled those three during the school year so we can keep the student life here as well.”

The 715 Vintage Fest is a growing event fixing to become a staple of the Eau Claire community.

Wojahn can be reached at [email protected].