Monarch Way Market

shared Hoffmann, “Because, yeah, the magazine is a whole lot sexier, but I would say all the time: your responsibility is your student audience, and you’re the only organization that speaks to that audience exclusively.” This goes hand in hand with her fiery insistence in the importance of journalism in general. “There is no democracy without journalism, democracy doesn’t work without a watchdog,” says Hoffman, “Journalism is totally imperfect, and I don’t disagree with that, but it’s still the only functioning organization in our society that is equipped to be a watchdog of the government.” And similarly, a watchdog of the powers-that-be here at ODU. Hoffmann has been part of this watchdog service for many years, starting her career at ODU in 1994 under then President James V. Koch. “I saw the possibilities here.” Hoffmann remembers having witnessed the construction of the Ted Constant Center, the Village, the expansion of distance learning programs, international studies, and the improved focus on diversity here on campus. “It’s been a great place for me, it really has been.” During her time at ODU, Hoffmann has been a staple in the journalism niche, writing two books: “One Their Own: Women Journalists and the American Experience in Vietnam”, and “Theodore White and Journalism as Illusion.” Hoffmann also served as the public editor for the VirginianPilot, writing many articles for many publications nationwide, as well as academic papers on behalf of ODU. More so than that, she has touched the lives of many aspiring journalists who have gone on to pursue careers to her great pleasure. Spiders begin weaving their webs by releasing a piece of silk and waiting for the wind to pick it up. These eventual symbols of their prowess are, in part, reliant on the good fortune of the winds picking up that first strand and blowing it in the right direction. It is the craftsmanship of their design that interlocks all the pieces together to collect their prey, the morning dew, and become phantom-like symbols of personal strength and independence in the sparsely lit forest trails. But no web stays up forever. “I have to say, I’m wondering what is going to be like when I teach that last Wednesday. You know?” Hoffmann ponders, “What is it going to be like when I have my last class?” “I hope I don’t cry.” Her focus drifts into the empty air of her living room, where a blooming orchid quivered faintly in the fall breeze on her glass coffee table. Her face, most commonly adorned with a welcoming smile, is suddenly blank in a brief moment of contemplation. Though in Hoffmann’s lifetime the playing field for female journalists has shifted dramatically, she is in agreement that it is not yet equal. She leaves with a recommendation for those who have seen her as a role model and aspire to follow in her footsteps. “Keep going and understand that you have a place. And stand your ground.” Hoffmann urges, “And I know that’s hard to do.” She continues, “You have to persevere, and you have to be the best.” But, most importantly, “Read, read, read. Know things. Study.” In a piece of advice reflective of her own life’s achievements, she adds “You make your own stories, really.”

It’s a sunny, warm Saturday afternoon. Kids kick a soccer ball back and forth in the street, and a light breeze keeps it from being swelteringly hot.

When I first met Christine Harrell, she was sweet and forthcoming — asking me questions instead of the other way around. ‘What am I studying? Why ODU?’

Her kids are the ones playing in the cordoned off road — she’s a self proclaimed soccer mom.

Harrell is a mother and the founder of Equinox Coffee and Apothecafe’ Botanicals. She’s also the co-creator of a non-profit yoga and a nonviolent communication program taught in prisons. Harrell started all of these ventures with her husband, Ty Harrell, but describes her volunteer position at the Market as “kind of the one woman show.” Her husband came up with the idea for the Market, but it has become her baby. She figures out logistics around the vendors, street closures, and food, while her husband focuses on their businesses.

The Market on Monarch Way is a community market that operates in Brock Commons, located at the intersection of Monarch Way and West 47th Street. It came to fruition in April of 2021, during the pandemic. However, as the Market is outdoors, it is nearing the end of its season. Harrell hopes to see it open again in the spring, as the Market’s final scheduled date is November 20. It operates every Saturday until then, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Unlike a lot of markets, the Market on Monarch Way operates without contracts and only charges a $20 operating fee for booths (nonprofits are free).

“Community shouldn’t [cost] an arm and a leg,” said Harrell. “The money that we get from here pays for the street closures. Always trying to put it back into community is very huge for me and my husband.”

ODU alumni have held booths, and so have ODU students, teenagers, and children hosting with their parents. To many of the vendors, both community and family are extremely important.

For Jillian Smith, founder of J. Loretta, her involvement at the Market was a combination of factors. “Facebook, plus my love for cosmetics, plus my daughter’s college — it all came together,” Smith said. Facebook was where she discovered the Market.

“The company’s name is J. Loretta and is named after my mom, who was Julie Loretta. Her favorite color growing up was like this orangey-red type of lipstick. It’s something that always stuck with me, so I decided one day, you know what, let me just try and make my own,” said Smith. “And also, being a darker skinned woman, sometimes it’s harder to find things that look good on you, so I was just like: you know what? I’m going to make my own.”

Smith makes all of the cosmetics herself, and her mother and sister help to create the packaging.

“So the love of my mom’s look, and then bringing in my love of cosmetics, I just meshed everything together and that’s how it came about,” said Smith. She’s been making cosmetics for two years and describes it as a “forever thing.”

“I definitely am not going to stop because my mom will not allow me to possibly [consider] it,” Smith said, “it definitely is a forever thing for me.”

Senior ODU student Bree Ogletree has a small business on Instagram where they sell candles and crystals. Her booth at the Market is one of her first physical events. Instagram is their primary focus, and is where she is accepting orders. Their website is currently under development.

Her profitable crystal business began during COVID.

“When COVID happened, it really gave me time to sit down, and concentrate on what’s really important and what really matters, which is my friends and my family,” Ogletree said. “I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was going on with COVID, I just need-