Thriftopia hosted “Youtopia” on Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Isla Vista Community Center and People’s Park. The event featured a variety of vendors with vintage clothing for $30 or under, a farmers market, a fix-it fair for damaged items, live music and an art walk. 

The live music performances were coordinated with help from the Sounds of Isla Vista Instagram. Jack Dindia / Daily Nexus

The event was organized by Brittney Cotledge, a Santa Barbara resident and the sole organizer behind all Thriftopia events, which is a flea market featuring affordable vintage clothing in I.V. This is the second ever Youtopia following its debut in October of last year. The event distinctly features the local farmers market and the fix-it fair. Cotledge was inspired by the Woodstock music festival to feature live music at the event.

The fix-it fair allowed participants to get repairs from volunteers for items including bikes, clothes, instruments and more. Henry Sarria, a retired materials engineer and Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer, helped repair participants’ bikes and skateboards. The Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) provided him with different parts for repairs with no cost to participants. This was Sarria’s sixth time participating in a fix-it fair, saying it’s a “fantastic thing.”

“[Isla Vista is] not a city or a town — we’re a community — and we’re supposed to stand up for each other. No matter how tough times get, that’s what we do, is we stand up for each other. I love doing this,” Sarria said. 

Sarria repairing a students bike. Jack Dindia / Daily Nexus

Event organizers upheld a $30 or under price limit to to ensure that the event was affordable for local students, especially considering the rising price of vintage clothing.

“I didn’t want people to walk away feeling icky that they spent too much money, because vintage can get very expensive, especially when it comes to super unique items,” Cotledge said. “So I just wanted people to come here and have a good time and not feel like they spent a lot of money.”

One of the vendors, Xiann Fitzpatrick, traveled from California Polytechnic University, Pomona to sell her merchandise after meeting Cotledge at Bad Sunday, another Santa Barbara flea market organized by Cotledge. 

“I love our hostess. She treats us all really good. I like the community here as well and also to do the marketing on Instagram, like this was promoted as well. So I was like, let me give it a try,” Fitzpatrick said. 

The event is largely funded by vendors who pay for a spot to sell their merchandise. Student vendors paid a $25 fee, while official small businesses paid $65. The fees went towards the venue, advertisements and other costs of the event. 

The art walk featured at the event allowed artists to promote their artwork in a “safe and welcoming environment,” according to Cotledge. Artists had to pay a $15 vendor fee and artists who applied were able to showcase at the event. One of the artists was fourth-year biopsychology major Sofia Bowers, who sells acrylic and watercolor paintings of the coastal landscapes of I.V. under the name “Cecily By The Sea.”

“[Youtopia] is very immersive. It’s like core I.V. culture. You get a taste of everything, and it feels very unifying,” Bowers said.  

The live music performances were coordinated with help from the Sounds of Isla Vista Instagram, which included the event details in a post and facilitated band submissions. Cotledge ultimately decided which bands were the best fit. 

First-year psychological and brain sciences major Deana Ali discussed how the event served as a “little break” from her schoolwork. She said her favorite part of the Youtopia was watching the music performances, with particular interest in the band Uncle.

Cotledge also discussed how the event picked up traction, stating that its success was “kind of on accident.”

“I just wanted to do something sick out here with a bunch of vendors and live music. And it all just kind of worked out and got its natural hype. I really love posting on social media, making little reels and videos, and it just picked up a lot of traction. It became what it was today, kind of accidentally, and it blew up on its own,” Cotledge said.

A version of this article appeared on p.4 of the Jan. 30, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.

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