Green Lion Eclectic: CLC Vintage Vendors

The season of summer is beloved for the vibrancy, warmth and fruitfulness of our surroundings. On Aug. 9–11, Salt Lake City will celebrate summertime, along with the best of our state’s DIY engineers, craft foodies, performers and craftspeople at the 11th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented By Harmons at the Utah State Fairpark. Every year, Craft Lake City commemorates the best of Utah’s creators, this year being CLC’s first at the Utah State Fairpark—there is much to celebrate! Visit craftlakecity.com to learn more about the 11th DIY Festival.

Longtime friends Alex Gibson and Bruno Silva have had a love for thrifting clothes all their lives. Because they were best friends that had this common interest in treasure hunting and sustainability, it would only be a matter of time before they grew into curating and selling their found items. This is where Green Lion Eclectic, a true passion project, was born. Now in their third summer of operation, they’re taking on the Craft Lake City DIY Festival.

Gibson got a taste for selling at local markets and festivals when she was helping her friends with their booth at the Urban Flea Market. This happened at a perfect time, because Gibson was already looking for a new job and itching to try something different. “We chose [the word] ‘eclectic’ for our name because we have something for everyone,” Gibson says. “We have clothes from the ’40s–’90s and tons of art and houseware.” Silva has an eye for fun T-shirts—a staple for Green Lion Eclectic’s shop—and Gibson loves fiber art like cross-stitches and tapestries. These two perspectives come together to ensure that they always have a good mix of everything available at their booths. “We love matching people with cool, special treasures,” Gibson says. “There’s a uniqueness in vintage-resell clothes, and we love encouraging customers to find themselves.”

Sustainability is a big motivator for the duo, a love for the planet plays a part in their passion for thrifting. Green Lion Eclectic is Gibson and Silva’s platform to give used items a new life, whether it’s art, clothes or housewares.

For this year’s DIY Festival, Gibson and Silva are working on some surprising, experimental things with vintage textiles as well as resell items.

While they don’t have a brick-and-mortar shop yet, Green Lion Eclectic can be found at the Sugarhood Market and the Urban Flea Market, and they’re always keeping their Etsy and Instagram updated with cool pieces. –Zaina Abujebarah

More on SLUGMag.com:

Urban Flea Market: Salt Lake’s Sunday Gem
Craft Lake City Day One: DIY Fest 2015