The Racks is a new vintage store owned and operated by UO students located in downtown Eugene, Oregon. (Lulu Devoulin/Emerald)
With its idyllic location on the 5th Street Market between two popular Eugene hotels and close to the University of Oregon, The Racks has been packed with eager customers and vintage lovers since it opened in June.
Shop owners Allyssa Corpuz and Dylan Harloff opened The Racks together and have been together for seven and a half years. The couple moved to Eugene in 2022, where Corpuz began studying architecture at the University of Oregon and is now in her final year.
Corpuz and Harloff started their journey as vintage resellers on Depop in 2020, not expecting the tremendous growth that has occurred since then. At the time, thrift stores prohibited trying on and returning items, making secondhand shopping infinitely more difficult.
Both Corpuz and Harloff had lost their jobs due to Covid and began listing their secondhand clothes that didn’t fit on Depop, which resulted in quick sales and quickly grew their brand. In November 2021, the pair took to markets in Portland with their newfound passion for selling vintage clothing. In 2022, Corpuz and Harloff began selling their items outside of EMU on the University of Oregon campus; at first every now and then, then weekly.
EMU provided an ideal environment for a business like theirs to thrive. The central location on campus gave the students a huge exposure. They also enjoyed being able to introduce secondhand clothing to people who may not have the time to browse thrift stores themselves. By reselling the pieces they find, Corpuz and Harloff eliminate most of the process involved in acquiring secondhand clothing and give people access to fashionable secondhand clothing they may not have otherwise gotten.
“Secondhand shopping is difficult. To find good stuff, you have to go through every single rack and in a store it takes three hours to go through everything and not many people have that much time,” Corpuz said. “You can come here instead, spend thirty minutes and find exactly what you want.”
Following their success at EMU, Corpuz and Harloff continued to grow their business, visiting various markets and hosting regular pop-up events. EMU’s pop-ups were always extremely popular and successful; students were always excited to see the well-known and well-loved couple selling their finds and began asking them if they had a retail store. Corpuz and Harloff had been to over 100 markets and had seen stores similar to The Racks in Portland, but none in Eugene, so they decided to create their own space for the Eugene community. A retail store allowed them to sell in Eugene year-round and not just during the academic calendar, and also gave Corpuz and Harloff the opportunity to meet and network with Eugene locals they probably wouldn’t have met otherwise.
Not only is The Racks owned and operated by students, it was also built and designed entirely by UO architecture students. When it came time to design the new storefront, Corpuz posted a request on her social media for architecture students to get involved in the construction. She assembled a team of UO students to bring the store to life and even drew the blueprint herself. With its expressive and colorful design, the store has an eclectic and modern feel and looks like it was designed entirely by experienced professionals.
Sustainability and slow fashion are one of The Rack’s main goals as a business. The company wants to convey to the community the importance of buying secondhand items. Fashion is a major waste factor, especially with the changing of fads and trends.
“Buying secondhand clothes is so important today because climate change and waste in general are so bad. The fast fashion industry is ruining our earth by throwing millions of garments into landfills every day,” Corpuz said.
If vintage clothing isn’t your style, The Racks also offers items from over 32 small businesses, including reworked vintage items, jewelry, crocheted clothing, crocheted accessories, and jewelry. Corpuz and Harloff have many friends with small businesses that make handmade products and wanted to provide a safe place for handmade artists like them to sell their products and get their name out there.
“I love their stuff, but I don’t think they have as much opportunity to sell, especially compared to vintage dealers. That’s why I wanted to give them a dedicated handmade section in our store so people can get their name out there,” Corpuz said.
In addition to hosting other vintage resellers in the store, Corpuz and Harloff continue to forage for clothing and accessories themselves. Browsing flea markets, thrift stores and estate sales is one of their favorite pastimes, discovering items like hidden treasures and looking at discarded clothing from a new perspective.
“You can live in people’s past,” Harloff said. “You know they got this from somewhere in their life, and now I find it here.”
Another unique aspect of The Racks is their commitment to making vintage and secondhand clothing accessible to everyone. They achieve this by keeping their prices affordable and commensurate with the value of the item, with the higher priced items consisting exclusively of rare or designer pieces.
A nationwide trend among vintage and secondhand retailers is to sell simple and easy-to-find items at extremely high prices to increase profits. This makes secondhand fashion less affordable for people on a tighter budget, especially college students struggling with new bills and expenses. During their pop-up sales at EMU, Corpuz and Harloff agreed to keep their items under $30 to cater to college students and their needs.
“College is the time to find your own style; you live alone and experiment,” Harloff said. “Making clothes accessible and affordable… that’s the only thing we want to stick to.”
Corpuz became interested in clothing and searching for her own style in high school, but her journey into the world of fashion didn’t begin until college. Rather than limiting herself to one aesthetic, Corpuz likes to incorporate pieces from different trends and aesthetics to create her own style, emphasizing the versatility and malleability of fashion. Her favorite eras are ’90s and Y2K styles, especially brands like Juicy Couture and Baby Phat.
Harloff’s interest in fashion began after he moved to Eugene. He remembered his high school style as a baseball player, usually wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. As Corpuz began buying and selling more secondhand clothing, Harloff found pieces he liked and began sharing his passion for building his own style and finding secondhand fashion.
“When you look good, you feel good, you know?” Harloff said.
His vintage favorites include old Looney Tunes graphics, Y2K menswear, and brands like JNCO, Southpole, Ed Hardy, and Paco.
The Racks is open seven days a week and gains more customers every day. Corpuz and Harloff are excited to share their new store with returning and new students this fall and plan to continue hosting pop-up sales at EMU on campus throughout the academic year. In the meantime, they are dedicated to fostering a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience that is quickly becoming a staple in the community. With their passion for secondhand fashion and their connection to the student and small business community, The Racks continues to thrive as a place where people can find their unique style.
