The best streetwear store in the city is bringing a “Streetwear Culture Fest” to downtown Fayetteville on Nov. 25th, and anyone who loves art and streetwear absolutely needs to be there. Privei is hosting this one-of-a-kind experience that will feature local streetwear brands, vintage clothing, sneakers, music and more, all at the Skyview on Hay Street, right in the heart of the city.

If you’ve ever been to any kind of market, you know that you’re almost guaranteed to find something unique that you’ve never seen before. There’s a wide variety of markets to choose from depending on what you’re into as a customer, but they’re usually always fun for families and friends, and give communities a chance to support small businesses.

Fayetteville is home to a couple of great markets already. There’s the local market at the Fayetteville History Museum every Saturday, where you can find baked goods and special things for your homes. There’s also the weekly market at Dirtbag Ales every Sunday, where you can find things like your favorite local hot sauce or a unique candle.

These markets are special because the quality of the items is always something to be impressed with, and the experience of hand-to-hand shopping with a brand is a luxury. Privei plans on bringing these same values to their Market Day, but in a curated way that has never been done before.

Those familiar with Privei know that shopping in the store is a special experience. The owner, Nicolino Parisi, takes a lot of time and pride in presenting a high-quality streetwear environment for like-minded shoppers to indulge in, and he and his team plan on bringing the same energy and experience to Market Day.
“I feel like the event is a direct reflection of the store. In the store we try to keep a certain taste level with the things we introduce to our customers, with this event it’s a huge introduction to everything that the store represents, not just as a brand, but as a culture,” he said.

Market Day at Privei began as a way to connect with local creatives and artists in the city, while also giving another life and identity to the lifestyle brand that is Privei. Up and Coming Weekly had a chance to speak with Parisi, and two team members working on Market Day, James Gonzalez and Maria Tainatongo.

“We started with supporting visual artists, where we had two local artists host an exhibit and have their work hanging in the store for a period of time,” Parisi said. “Things snowballed from there, we began to let music artists have performances there, the shows increased in size and we were able to build a trust with our customers and the event goers at the same time.”

 “For me, we began Market Day to support artists in the city. Fayetteville has a buzzing art and music scene, so it was important to make that connection and make it apart of the store,” said Gonzalez, who also goes by James Vader.

Gonzalez is a recording artist that resides here in the city of Fayetteville, and has had his foot in the local music scene for over a decade. He began working at Privei near the beginning with Parisi, and the two were able to transform the store into a creative hub while maintaining their high-quality experience as a brand. Gonzalez also has experience in the art and clothing world.

He is the owner of a brand called Forty Seven Hundred (47XX). Along with his Privei manager experience, he also managed the now-closed Gallery 116th, which was located at 116 Anderson Street in downtown Fayetteville.

Local artists had the chance to submit free work for monthly art exhibits, perform music and sell clothing. They even expanded their space at one point to house a photography studio, recording studio and tattoo shop. Gallery 116th was truly a special place in Fayetteville, and
Privei is the only thing that comes close to that feeling of community and love for art that tied all of these different mediums together.

Maria Tainatongo is a local curator, brand owner of Art & Sole, and event coordinator in Fayetteville who is helping put together the special experience that is Market Day. Along with Gonzalez, they began a brand called 26. Twosix, a quarterly artist showcase that allowed 10 artists to perform 10 to 15 minute long sets and connect with new fans and other creatives in the city.

Tainatongo is in charge of curating performers, food and visuals at this Market Day, and plans to create installations that can be experienced at the event.
“Market Day is really a huge chance for the art community to come together and show unity in the city, to really support each other and put people on to new things,” she said.

Market Day has gotten a little too big to be inside of the walls of Privei, and the city of Fayetteville deserves to see this type of bridging of worlds on a larger scale, which is why it’s taking place downtown in a much bigger space and even partially using outside to host some vendors. Gonzalez’s and Tainatongo’s experiences with hosting events and being tastemakers for the art scene of Fayetteville has fueled them to help Parisi make this event come alive and be as special as it can be. They can’t wait to share all of their hard work and local vendors at Market Day.

If you’re in town for the Thanksgiving holidays, please be sure to stop by downtown Fayetteville on Nov. 25th to experience this Market Day and meet some of the most important artistic people in the city. In the meantime, please stop by Privei, located at Cross Creek Mall, right outside of Macy’s. They’re open every day at noon and they’re available for all your streetwear needs and any questions you’ll have about Market Day. Also be sure to follow Market Day’s Social media for any updates @Privei_Market_Day.