NOT SO BAZAAR. Locally-created online marketplace Evening Star Baazar, founded by Eclypse (pictured),  aims to platform and connect area artists and their goods to the public.

Discarded materials — upcycled with an artistic lens — can transform into unique, eco-friendly products and pave the way toward a more responsible retail experience. A new locally-owned online marketplace aims to embrace these values and uplift creations by emerging Eau Claire artists.

Evening Star Bazaar, officially founded in 2023, became an online marketplace with curations of eco-conscious clothing, artisanal crafts, and other household essentials. The business empowers smaller-scale creatives to express their unique style, with thoughtful products influenced by a circular economy model. 

Eclypse, owner and operator of Evening Star Bazaar, said she believes her deep-rooted passion for sustainability led her to discover the potential upcycling and living an eco-conscious lifestyle could have in her local sphere. 

“(Evening Star Bazaar) is going to be a platform that will assist in boosting not only their exposure but also showcase we are supporting locally and domestically,” Eclypse said. “This is a human being, not a machine – it is very important we share the story behind what it is that you are investing in and who it is you are investing in.”

Evening Star Bazaar defines upcycling as reusing discarded material – items considered to be waste – in a way to create a new product with artisanal value.

Evening Star Bazaar’s various social media platforms will provide a space for storytelling and product features, made by the network of artisans within the online marketplace. Users who see an upcycled product featured through Instagram or TikTok will soon be able to purchase through the marketplace’s website, Eclypse said. Among the first local creators to be featured is Blake’s Woodworking of Eau Claire.

 Influential figures in her family – notably the entrepreneurial spirit of her mother – drove Eclypse to create a marketplace in Eau Claire that encourages spirituality, creative storytelling, and holistic solutions to mass manufacturing the fashion industry.

 

“People are awesome; I want to know their story,” Eclypse said. “I believe in the skill sets people acquire or create for themselves and then how they bring it out into the world – it’s the manifestation of their thoughts in a sense.”

Erin Klaus, executive director of Downtown Eau Claire Inc. (DECI), said she knew Eclypse’s innovative leadership qualities had the potential to create a brand and community bigger than herself.

Since being introduced to the Evening Star Bazaar, Klaus said the business would intersect with the Chippewa Valley’s recent increase in sustainably driven events, second-hand businesses, and city-wide initiatives toward a sustainable future.

“(Eclypse) just immediately to me showed the signs of someone who cares beyond herself and really can make all these things come together,” Klaus said. “An organization like DECI would serve as a connection and then promote these amazing things that our community members are doing.”

Through Evening Star Bazaar, Eclypse said she hopes to introduce new upcycling events, workshops, and artisan markets to the Eau Claire community. For more information on upcoming artisan highlights and event announcements, visit eveningstarbazaar.com.

Find more about Evening Star Bazaar on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.