Coterie Market crafted a January calendar filled with budget-friendly activities, including junk journaling, vision board collages and a Renaissance fair-themed party.
Kate Yeung, a 26-year-old Gainesville resident, is a co-founder of Coterie Market. Located just a few minutes’ walk from campus on University Avenue, the cafe and retail store offers a welcoming and creative space.
“The whole idea of our business, we wanted to find a space that we could offer, like the community, to kind of gather and relax, make new memories by participating in workshops,” Yeung said.
Coterie Market is starting the new year – and academic term – with events and workshops designed to help students prepare for the semester while also enjoying a relaxing and friendly place to participate in fun activities.
The agenda kicked off with a “Craft-a-Cup” workshop Monday, followed by a vision board collage workshop Tuesday. The event allowed attendees to catch up with friends and meet new people while envisioning their goals for 2026. The workshop cost $5 and included crafting materials such as thick paper, glue, scissors, vintage magazines and markers.
Yeung said she hopes the vision boards will help attendees stay connected to their goals throughout the year.
“I hope that they're able to … take a picture and put it as their home screen, so that way they can remember throughout the year the goals that they set up for themselves,” Yeung said.
She remembers how unaffordable fun activities were when she was a student, she said, and hopes Coterie Market can offer affordable fun for students now.
The cafe hosted its first workshop in 2023, when it was still only a retail store, starting with a dried flower bouquet activity.
In addition to workshops, Coterie Market is known for its seasonal menus. Its drinks and food, including a banana matcha that has become a fan favorite, have received strong responses from customers, Yeung said.
“We try our best to keep the syrups and the flavors original, as well as kind of what you would see online in terms of trending flavors,” she said. “Gainesville doesn't really have a place that offers that type of flavor, so we always try to bring it here and with also inspiration from our travels abroad.”
Melanie Guerrero, a 21-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences senior, said she saw the workshop while scrolling on Instagram and invited her friends to join her.
Guerrero said she sees the coming year as a fresh start – a clean slate she’s intentionally written out so she can revisit it for motivation and inspiration.
Guerrero said Coterie Market is a unique place in Gainesville.
“I haven't seen anything else in Gainesville like this, where … you can socialize with other people, or bring your friends, or get to meet other people while doing a craft,” Guerrero said.
Daria Lawson, a 19-year-old UF nursing freshman, attended the workshop in hopes of relaxing.
“I feel like after a good start of the semester and getting through all of the syllabi and stuff … it's a really nice, relaxing experience, and it's a good way to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a month,” Lawson said.
Lawson said this was her first experience at Coterie Market and that she will definitely be back.
“This is really great, especially if you're just looking to decompress and put your phone down and talk to people.”
For those who couldn’t make it to the January events, more are on the way. A February events calendar is already in the works and will soon offer preregistration for events. Upcoming events will include Valentine’s Day and date night activities, such as bento cake decorating.
Contact Ornella Moreno at omoreno@alligator.org. Follow her on X @ornellamorenom.
