OU graduates Della Patterson and Rebecca Bean wanted to create a place where they would want to shop, a place which sells sustainable and fair trade clothes and accessories. With this in mind, Stash was born and opened last Thursday.

Co-owners Patterson and Bean are mingling recycled vintage items with imported fair trade and U.S. made items and hope to add to the diversity on Main Street.

They said they enjoy buying for the store and helping customers find a treasure. They said they are both excited to become a part of the downtown feel and they have a goal to liven up the east side of Porter Ave. and make it a cool place to shop.

“This is a store we can enjoy, we enjoy buying for it and we enjoy selling to our customers. It’s such a fun adventure,” Patterson said.

Patterson and Bean said the time was right to open up a store together. Patterson has worked for other businesses, but she said that it was always her goal to have a business of her own. And friend, Bean, said she was excited to join in because her job was ending.

“I think the store came out of a love of things and a love of the process and we saw a niche that wasn’t really filled in the community,” Bean said. “For me it was to be able to shop and make that part of our living.”

Patterson and Bean want to make their business as green as possible by reusing and reselling whatever they find.

“There is no barn sale, flea market or garage sale that we won’t go to. We want to go to the far ends of everywhere we can,” Bean said. “We sell things that we find useful, that other people are ready to get rid of, and so it’s a green business.”