Anita Robinson and Danny Sun started thrifting from a young age.
They both grew up in families that taught them the value of repurposing something that feels old into something that feels brand new. Specifically, Sun said, he gets his fashion frugal streak from his mother.
“I've been going to the thrift store since I was little because my mom likes to ball on a budget,” he said.
As they got older, Sun and Robinson — both self-proclaimed shopaholics — began amassing items and started selling them on the clothing website Depop. Sun started Dummy Apparel Co. and Robinson launched Hot and Bothered Clothing.
Their paths first crossed when they graduated from being online vendors to setting up booths at events around Wichita. Recognizing each other as kindred spirits, Robinson said they both wanted more.
“We kind of felt like there was something missing,” she said. “We didn't know. Maybe it was the marketing, maybe it was the group of people there, the vendors, but we just didn't feel like we fit in 100%.”
So in 2022, they started ICT Bazaar — a banner for a series of pop-up market events that mainly take place at Revolutsia. The thing that sets them apart from other events is that they lean heavily into a theme, as well as a selective jury process in picking vendors for each event.
“We just wanted to create an environment that's very fun … we have curated vendors, but we also have the music, and we have the culture, and they just kind of all mix in this nice little bowl to create … ICT Bazaars,” Robinson said.
“The more opportunities that we can make for vendors to … make money, the better,” Sun added.
Events include things like the Boozy Love Bazaar for Valentine’s Day or the Spooky Bazaar for Halloween.
In total, they’ve organized 10 pop-up markets so far, with their next one being an anniversary event for The Workroom, which will take place in Naftzger Park on April 12. There will be more than 45 vendors at the gathering.
Robinson said they are helping The Workroom owner Janelle King host her 12th annual artisan market. King is well known for her second Saturday events.
King and her second Saturday artisan markets served as an inspiration for a lot of the work that Robinson and Sun do.
At the heart of ICT Bazaar’s pop-up events are its vendors. Robinson said they are very selective about which vendors they choose for each event. They put an emphasis on small businesses and local artists over big businesses with multilevel marketing campaigns.
“Every single one of our vendors is really unique,” Robinson said. “And I would say that we've created this community and collective of individuals to come together to each of these events and really just be immersed in the experience of being able to sell to the community.”
For Robinson and Sun, they attribute their journey to a good eye, a penchant for shopping and a love of community.
“My whole journey has been stepping stones … I had started with thrifting, and then I decided to start selling clothes, and then I decided to start doing events,” Robinson said
“We have the taste, we have, like, the vision and … it's just about putting it out there and then filling the holes,” Sun said.
ICT Bazaar’s next event is The Workroom’s 12-Year Anniversary Artisan Market, which will take place on April 12 at Naftzger Park.
