I am so tired of shopping at malls/retail outlets/thrift stores that are ‘chains’/smelly thrift stores like ‘Goodwill.’ I just don’t want stuff that is branded, or stuff that is obvious. Now that Am Appy has ‘gone mainstream’, it’s just harder to express myself without seeming like I am wearing ’some cookie cutter outfit.’

Fortunately, I was able to attend an event called ‘a street sale.’ Basically, people from around the alt part of my town do something like a ‘clothing swap.’ We just put all of our stuff on the sidewalk, and we get to look around for ’shit that looks kewl.’ It was sort of like the ‘perfect economic model’ because we were able to buy, sell, and even trade goods+services to obtain the things we wanted. No need for debit cards. For example, I traded 4 hours worth of Photoshop designing for a really sweet pair of sunglasses. I sold a cute top for the opportunity to use some one’s Wii for 30 minutes with a group of friends.

I feel excited about ‘the scene.’ Think we’re coming closer together, understanding that we don’t need a mainstream economy to continue to thrive. If we just come together, and trade our goods+services, there really isn’t a thing alternative people need, except possibly from WholeFoods/Trader Joe’s.

Does ur community have any ‘community events’ in ur local community space?
Will ‘the alt community’ be able to secede from ‘the world’ in 2k12?
What goods + services would u barter?

Previous street sale coverage
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/05/t-shirt-yard-sales-end-up-looking-like-alternative-shanty-towns.html