By Preston Gossett | Reporter
Buttoned Bears was created in 2014 to be an outlet for Baylor students to stay up-to-date on the latest fashion trends, and today the online magazine provides just that for students.
On Saturday, they took their brand to Pinewood Coffee Bar for their annual fall pop-up shop featuring eight vendors selling products from custom made stickers to thrifted Waco clothes.
Jakarta, Indonesia, junior and current editor-in-chief Carissa Setiawan said it is important to have days dedicated to showcasing Baylor students and their businesses. By bringing friends out to support the pop-up, students foster a community and spread awareness of their fellow students’ businesses, Setiawan said.
“Our mission is providing fashion inspiration to the Waco community and promoting Waco locals and Baylor students that started their own business,” Setiawan said. “We picked vendors that are doing something unique.”
Buttoned Bear’s annual fall pop-up has been held at Pinewood Coffee Bar for the past two years since Boise, Idaho, senior Ally Whelan took over as the event coordinator for Buttoned Bears. Pinewood Coffee Bar was an obvious choice for Whelan because it’s a central location in the community, and it’s brought a lot of people together.
“Our goal is to bridge the Baylor and Waco communities and really make pop-up a place where local creators can be supported by both communities,” Whelan said. “We’re making it a hotspot for creative people — creative people inspire people to be creative.”
Olympia, Wash., grad students Brooklyn and McKenna Hooper got the idea to start their company, Oh Honey Cookie Co., through their joint love of baking. Hooper said their business started last year when they ordered a cookie cake from H-E-B. They were disappointed because as cute as it looked, it didn’t taste quite right.
Brooklyn said Oh Honey Cookie Co. got its start on Instagram when she began branding on social media.
“Everything is homemade, and that’s something that we want you to know — it’s all from scratch,” Brooklyn Hooper said. “But the first thing we’ve always said and remind each other daily is let’s have some fun. We want to spread the cookie cake love, and we make cakes for our friends — that’s what we do.”
Setiawan said Buttoned Bears is working on a separate pop-up event for the spring as well, which is a new thing she is trying to initiate because of the popularity of their annual fall event. She also said that she wants to invite local bands to play at the upcoming pop-up.
“I feel like everyone here is interested in fashion and lifestyle, so there’s something for them in Buttoned,” Setiawan said. “Our hope is that they get to find some sort of inspiration.”
Whelan said Buttoned Bears hopes to have a bigger presence on campus and continue to be a hot spot for creative students and Waco residents.
“Through our articles, photography and different things we do on campus, I hope that we can bring people into a community where creativity and community can flourish,” Whelan said. “I hope that the pop-up reach continues to grow and continues to bring the community together for really fun events.”
