Her Collective Market
Illustration by Breanna Newburn
Article by Jayden Forsyth
NEWBERG, Ore. – From 7 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17th, the banquet rooms of Canyon Commons became a marketplace of diverse handiwork by women. This was the annual Her Collective Market, organized by George Fox University’s (GFU) Women of Color Collective (WOCC) since 2023.
This event, which was started to encourage and promote local, women-owned businesses, has become a place where many women feel welcome to show off and market their hand-made products. According to senior student and WOCC President, Jailynn Lozano, the Her Collective Market is not only about the vendors but also all those who come to check it out.
“I want everyone to have felt like they were welcome,” said Lozano. “We do lots of events and try to make it so that everyone fits in.”
Lozano, who was present at the market and welcoming visitors, sees the event as a time to connect with future members and make the club known on campus.
“We’re trying to make ourselves as available as possible to people at George Fox so they have a place to go,” she said. “We’re especially working on freshman outreach right now, because when I was a freshman, I didn’t know that I had the IRC [Intercultural Resource Center] or other resources like this.”
Her Collective Market isn’t the only event that the WOCC runs. “We do events at least once a month, but twice this month since it’s Women’s History Month,” said Lozano. “We do karaoke and other fun things, which we want everyone to feel welcome at.”
While WOCC plans many fun events, they also see importance in connecting younger women to the advice of other women with more lived experience.
“We’ve also invited women from the community to come and pass on wisdom to our generation, and to say what they wish they had done when they were twenty,” said Lozano.
Among the variety of items and commodities sold at the market were tacos, flower bouquets, jewelry and matcha. Sophomore Kaci Bowman sold handmade canvas paintings at her station.
“It’s something I like to do that I find calming and therapeutic and it’s cool that I get to share it here!” said Bowman. Aside from vendor tables themselves, market-themed images and music were present in the hall.
Her Collective Market is a safe space for students to display their skills and passions. It also serves as an inclusive event for all to come and enjoy togetherness.
