> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.albanyscanner.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bon Marché celebrates 2 years of secondhand finds Saturday - URL: https://www.albanyscanner.com/2026/10/03/community/bon-marche-collective-anniversary-market/ - Published: 2026-10-03T00:28:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-03T01:38:10.000Z - Description: Free clothing repairs, a community dye bath and a homecoming dress giveaway are coming to Solano Avenue on Oct. 3. - Author: Allyson Aleksey - Tags: Community, Solano Avenue, Business, Arts & Culture, #articles A prom dress worn once, your favorite jeans with a hole in them and that faded shirt you're not ready to give up could all find new life at Bon Marché Collective's secondhand market. [Bon Marché Collective](https://www.bonmarchecollective.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com) celebrates its second anniversary Saturday with a pop-up [secondhand market](https://www.bonmarchecollective.com/bonmarche?ref=albanyscanner.com) on Solano Avenue next to [Abrams Claghorn Gallery](https://www.albanyscanner.com/2026/08/28/community/albany-abrams-claghorn-gallery-asks-for-help/). *Bon Marché,* meaning "good value" in French, is a fitting name for a market built around finding value in things that might otherwise go unused. Over the past two years, Bon Marché "has grown to become a real community event," the collective's co-founder Stéphanie Regni told Albany Scanner. Regni and co-founder Sarah Bly launched the Albany pop-up to encourage people to consider buying secondhand. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5501.jpg) Bon Marché co-founders Sarah Bly and Stéphanie Regni. **Courtesy* Both organizers have backgrounds in sustainability. Bly is a former sustainable fashion researcher, while Regni founded [Fillgood, a zero-waste store in Berkeley](https://www.fillgood.co/?srsltid=AU7gw4VQNLNAos1bfRaY22WVhJpAOdJFhKLreaCsS1uAuLV2c8SMdfjE&ref=albanyscanner.com). The two also drew inspiration from markets they experienced in Europe; Bly moved to Albany from Denmark and Regni is French. While regulars and newcomers can still expect to find secondhand clothes, home goods, toys and other bric-a-brac, the group has also added repair and reuse activities. "We want to explore what we can do together beyond simply consuming, even if what we’re consuming is secondhand," Regni said. Saturday’s market runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features free clothing repairs, a community dye bath and a new homecoming dress giveaway for Albany High School students. The group has made donations to organizations including Berkeley Food Network, Community Aid Network MN, SchoolCare and San Francisco Baykeeper. Bon Marché will donate 10% of the proceeds from Saturday’s event to [Inequality Media’s billboard campaign](https://www.inequalitymedia.org/?ref=albanyscanner.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/PXL_20260829_205025244.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/PXL_20260419_225518657.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/PXL_20260419_224855687.MP.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/PXL_20260419_211940162.MP.jpg) Scenes from past markets. **Bon Marché Collective* ## Homecoming dress giveaway for AHS students Saturday's market introduces a partnership with the Albany High School PTSA: a free homecoming dress giveaway Regni chairs the Albany High Prom Closet, a PTSA-sponsored project that collects formalwear and accessories and makes them available to Albany High juniors and seniors at no cost. The closet currently has more than 100 dresses, Regni said, along with suits, dress shirts, ties, shoes, handbags, jewelry and other accessories. Donations are accepted throughout the year, provided items are clean and in good condition. Saturday’s giveaway will make some of those dresses available for homecoming rather than waiting until prom season. "It makes beautiful prom attire accessible to our students at no cost, while giving a second life to dresses, suits and accessories that might otherwise sit unused in a closet," Regni said. The giveaway is open to Albany High students. Students should bring a school ID. Residents can also bring formalwear and accessory donations to Saturday's market. ## Cal students offer free clothing repairs ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/IMG_1773.jpg) reUSE offers free on-site clothing repairs. **Bon Marché Collective* [UC Berkeley reUSE](https://www.instagram.com/reuseberkeley/?ref=albanyscanner.com), a student-led organization and campus thrift store, will offer free on-site clothing repairs, including patching holes, replacing buttons and hemming. Attendees can bring up to two items for simple repairs. "Buying secondhand is a great alternative to buying new, but sometimes the most sustainable thing you can do is simply keep using what you already own," Regni said. Repairs are first come, first served; the service does not include tailoring or more complex alterations. ## Dye faded pieces on-site with a textile expert ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b5/b0/b5b0b7ec-798c-4cb6-ab42-472b59c05589/content/images/2026/10/825336762_122210586362456554_7149275209873986350_n.jpg) A participatory community dye bath will be led by Kat Peterson, a textile instructor at California College of the Arts and owner of [Baby Cats of California](https://babycatsofca.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com), an online store selling gender-neutral children's clothing. The dye bath will give attendees another way to refresh existing clothing and textiles, Regni said. "We love the idea that a favorite piece of clothing doesn’t have to be discarded just because it’s stained, faded or you’re simply tired of the color," she said. "Sometimes all it needs is a little transformation." Rather than simply dropping off an item to be dyed, participants will be able to take part in the dyeing process and learn about color and textiles. It will be the third community dye bath hosted by Bon Marché. Regni said she hopes attendees bring home more than just homecoming dresses and refreshed or repaired clothes. "That’s really what we want these activities to be about: learning practical skills, sharing knowledge, and remembering that 'new to you' doesn’t always require buying something," she said. "Sometimes you can repair, transform or rediscover something you already have." **Connect with Bon Marché on** [**Instagram**](https://www.instagram.com/bonmarchecollective/?ref=albanyscanner.com)**, on** [**Facebook**](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563696620714) **and on its** [**website**](https://www.bonmarchecollective.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com)**.** *Have questions for Albany Scanner, or want to share story tips?* [*Here's how to reach us*](https://www.albanyscanner.com/tips/)*.* ## Sign up for Albany Scanner Stories for an informed community Get updates Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.