Highlights
- College of Liberal Arts graduates Robby Lozano and Gabe Miller are the owners of antique and handcrafted goods showroom and shop Market 1023 in downtown Bryan
- The duo credits their liberal arts education for their networking skills that helped grow their business
Since July of 2015, Market 1023 has opened its doors to the community of Bryan, intriguing shoppers with their wide variety of products and unique atmosphere. From hand-made cards to plants, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and even bandanas for your pets, Market 1023 seems to have it all. But what’s the story behind it?
“It all started in 2015 when we were moving in together and consolidating all the home décor that we both accumulated over the years,” said Gabe Miller ‘13. “At the same time, we were also working on remodeling furniture pieces and making new things. People soon started to ask us if we could make things for them, which eventually led us to creating an online shop.”
Over dinner one evening, Miller and Lozano brainstormed ideas for the name of their new business and decided on something that has sentimental value.
“We’re named ‘Market 1023’ because our anniversary is actually October 23,” said Robby Lozano ‘15. “It’s interesting because I don’t actually know what made us decide to put ‘market’ in the name, but we really have grown into that title now that we are basically a market of different vendor products.”
The duo eventually decided to take their products to the next level and participate in local shows on the weekends. Here, they began to branch out and start selling antiques as well.
While the market’s original location was the site of a garage sale their landlord happened to tell them about, they now have a prime location in downtown Bryan. When it comes to their success, they believe in the strength of their close-knit communities.
“Everything that has happened for us has been a matter of us being at the right place at the right time,” said Miller. “It’s interesting because we definitely didn’t plan on any of this happening, but it’s been great watching it grow each month. We’re excited to see where it all goes.”
And along with supportive communities, both agree that their liberal arts educations also played a key role.
“We actually both earned undergraduate degrees in political science and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in sociology as well,” said Miller. “As liberal arts majors, I think that we have a stronger sense of community and networking skills that we wouldn’t really have had we majored in something else.”
This article by Haley Venglar originally appeared on the College of Liberal Arts website.
