Isla Vista Farmers Market and Thriftopia collaborated alongside the Isla Vista Small Artists Cooperative and UC Santa Barbara Associated Students to host a Mini Market at the Isla Vista Community Center on Oct. 17. Fifteen booths presented a variety of wares for approximately 50 guests to peruse.
Shubham Shroff created Cachuma Coffee after having spent time crafting beverages for friends. Kyla Chambers / Daily Nexus
Thriftopia is a local organization which holds used clothing markets in I.V., frequently in and around People’s Park. The markets often host live music and art booths in addition to apparel sales.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., attendees could grab a drink, such as a matcha or coffee, and browse. There were a number of vendors selling used clothing, as well as accessories. Clubs from campus were also present, as well as a few booths of fresh produce. Blooming Energy traveled from Lompoc to offer honey from their small farm, and even a fix-it table was set up to provide repair services.
One vendor, Cachuma Café, was manned by fourth-year statistics and data science and economics and accounting double major Shubham Shroff. Shroff said he was inspired to start the business after having spent time crafting beverages for friends, who encouraged him to share his gift. Shroff said that he began to consider the project more seriously over this past summer.
“I’m going to be a senior at UCSB, I’ve got to make the most out of it,” Shroff said.
The Mini Market was the booth’s official debut, having appeared only informally near Shroff’s home in I.V. beforehand. Shroff worked in collaboration with the UCSB Rowing Team and expressed interest in supporting more clubs on campus who may be interested in fundraising with Cachuma Café.
I.V. Food Co-op brought a booth full of fresh produce to the market. Lisa Oglesby, who has served on the Co-op’s board for the past two decades, said that the Co-op attends I.V. community events as part of its outreach efforts, as well as in support of bringing a regular farmers market to the area.
Accessibility to produce is an issue of interest for I.V. Community Services District (IVCSD), which has funded Co-op membership for 333 households in I.V., according to Oglesby. This effort comes in response to concerns about food accessibility at UCSB, with 43% of undergraduates reporting food insecurity in 2023. The IVCSD began funding memberships for households in an effort to discourage residents from bringing cars, hoping that more accessible shopping will reduce their necessity in I.V., as parking is congested in the area. Oglesby explained that the IVCSD has funded memberships for all non-university housing residents in I.V., and that around a third have claimed memberships.
The Mini Market also hosted a variety of apparel booths, from secondhand clothing to jewelry and other accessories. One particular booth was Daphne Serna’s, which specializes in jewelry, accessories and other gifts.
Serna started her business to fund her degree in business administration at Santa Barbara City College after she left the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. She sources products from online wholesalers and aims to keep her prices student-friendly, with goods ranging from $1-15.
Fourth-year biology major Yumiko Florando is a board member of Kids in Nutrition, a UCSB registered campus organization, and hosted a booth focused on outreach for the organization. Kids in Nutrition teaches a seven-week nutrition course to kindergarten through second graders at local schools. Florando said that the club aims to “increase nutrition and teach kids early how to eat well and live well.”
The theme of wellness carried over to Blooming Energy’s booth, operated by Ryan Shepard, one of the business’s founders. Blooming Energy is a wellness center and farm located in Lompoc, which offers a variety of products and services, including yoga and cooking classes, aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyle practices.
“My purpose is to educate my community on food and wellness,” Shepard said.
In support of I.V. Food Co-op’s commitment to increased food accessibility in I.V., the Mini Market’s vendors will donate a portion of their profits from the event to the Co-op, which has experienced financial insecurity following the COVID-19 pandemic.
A version of this article appeared on p. 6 of the Oct. 23 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
