The Eagle Rock Flea Market’s Octoberfest featured local vendors and musicians who wanted to give back to their community, according to event coordinator Denise Lorenz. Lorenz said that she and Michelle Fierro organized the Oct. 25 festival alongside Brian Maneja, who represented American Legion, a veteran’s association that sponsored the event.
From vintage clothes and repurposed wood to cameras and film, each booth sold various items. George Hurtado, a vendor who said he has been selling film since 1986, displayed a booth with Canon film, Nikon film and disposable cameras.
John Minor, a vendor at the market, displayed a variety of records at his booth. The records included almost all genres of music, except for classical.
“I’ve always collected and sold records as a hobby, since I was a child,” Minor said.
Fierro said that the Eagle Rock Historical Society and Eagle Rock Branch Library had free booths at the market. She said that she is aiming to foster connections between the flea market and other organizations in the area.
“There are so many people in our midst that we feel like we’re just trying to engage with a little bit more, and that’s kind of been exciting for me,” Fierro said.
In addition to vending booths, the market hosted a variety of musical artists who performed throughout the event. One of the featured musicians at the event was Richard Coal, a DJ and multi-instrumentalist from Los Feliz. Coal said that Fierro reached out to him because of his unique, post-punk blend of music that complemented the Oktoberfest and Halloween themes of the event.
“I’ve got pretty eclectic taste, and Michelle has seen me DJ several times over the years. So she knew that I had a lot of Halloween-themed records,” Coal said.
Coal said that he has a variety of musical experience, formerly playing in a band called 13 Sky and running his own production company in LA called Open Up And Bleed.
“We don’t stick with just one genre of music. We’ve done stuff with post-punk artists, goth artists, experimental punk,” Coal said.
Coal said that his wife Laura London, a professional photographer, also had her own booth at the market selling vintage clothes.
“[I DJed] for two hours, but [I also helped] my wife vend,” Coal said. “And [I looked] around. I always have my eyes out, looking for cool stuff.”
Fierro said that the market had a family-friendly atmosphere and that it was important to give young adults in particular an opportunity to grow their own businesses.
“We had someone as young as nine and her sisters come,” Fierro said. “They’ve been consistent.”
Vendors Jana Orozco and Tony Orozco said they sold succulents grown from their own yard and showcased wooden bird cages hanging from a tent in the middle of the market. Jana Orozco said the cages were made from completely repurposed materials.
“It’s reclaimed wood from Los Angeles, wood [Tony] found on the street,” Jana Orozco said.
Although both have more than 20 years of vending experience, Maneja said he and Lorenz were unfamiliar with the responsibilities of organizing an entire event until stepping into leadership positions at the flea market.
“It was a challenge, and it’s a learning curve for all of us […] we made a lot of mistakes, but then remedied them,” Lorenz said. “That’s why we’re able to now move forward.”
According to Lorenz, the event and the market as a whole is designed to create a space for people who have lived in the area for years.
“There’s nothing in Eagle Rock for people to do like this,” Lorenz said. “We’re trying to give something back to the community.”
Contact Amalia Rimmon at rimmon@oxy.edu
