From website to storefront, two ASU alumni have expanded their Ebay vintage shop to a small brick building on Tempe’s Mill Avenue.
Co-owners of Meat Market Vintage, Ben Funke and Cory Martinez, officially opened their clothing shop Wednesday on 10th Street and Mill Avenue.
Funke and Martinez decided to expand their six-year online business in late December.
Their online store has sold around 12,000 pieces of vintage clothing and accessories for women all over the world, Martinez said. Funke said they started to sell men’s clothing with the expansion of their new store.
The Tempe shop sells authentic 20th century vintage clothing starting at $8.
The owners are not used to setting their own prices because Ebay customers typically set the prices for products through bidding, he said.
Martinez said prices are reduced to be affordable for college students.
Martinez said products worth a couple of dollars at Goodwill could be greatly marked up by other vintage shops in cities such as New York and San Francisco.
Funke said it was appalling to see high prices at other vintage stores.
“We have laughed out loud at some of the prices in New York vintage stores,” Funke said.
Funke said they are still working out the new store’s kinks, but they hope to give store credit or cash for a customer’s clothing trades, similar to the barter system offered by Buffalo Exchange.
Martinez said they are trying to add to the Tempe culture and style.
“(Tempe is) never going to be Seattle, but it can be its own great city in itself,” Martinez said.
The shop’s name was inspired by a café in San Francisco called the Cigar Shop, and other businesses with ironic names.
“We already had a couple people come in and be angry that we weren’t a meat shop,” Funke said.
Meat Market shopper and Tempe resident Rachelle Diaz said it was her first time in the shop.
“It’s all of the coolest finds of thrift stores gathered in one little store,” Diaz said.
Phoenix resident Zach Glielmi said the first time he was in the store, he noticed the good music and easy-to-browse clothing. Glielmi said the prices were great too.
“There is something here for everyone,” Glielmi said. “It’s different from anything I have seen in Arizona.”
Reach the reporter at thaniab@asu.edu
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