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  • Allyssa and Dylan met in high school, coming to Eugene for University of Oregon.
  • The couple grew their secondhand clothes and accessories-selling business at UO, then opened a successful storefront in town.

From selling thrifted garments on Depop to operating two fully stocked storefronts in Eugene, co-owners of The Racks have caught the eye of most vintage clothing lovers in the county.

Allyssa Corpuz and Dylan Harloff, both 24, moved to Eugene in 2019 after the couple graduated high school in Reno, Nevada. Corpuz got a letter in the mail inviting her to University of Oregon and after her first visit to Lane County, she was hooked.

“Honestly, it was the people,” Corpuz said. “Immediately when we came up here, we felt super welcomed.”

And it was ultimately the people of Eugene and UO students who kept Harloff and Corpuz in town, the local support leading them to own a thriving business.

Building a sustainable life, together

Corpuz and Harloff met in high school. Harloff had just transferred as a new student and sat in front of Corpuz in Spanish class. One day, he got up from his desk quickly and slung his backpack over his shoulder, knocking into Corpuz. He ran out of the room without apologizing, leaving a bad impression on her.

Over time, the two got closer and Harloff asked her out during their sophomore year. Corpuz joked that they started out as a cliche, the cheerleader and the football jock, which is a total reverse of who they see themselves as now. The two have been a strong couple since 2017, and will celebrate their nine-year anniversary in February.

“We kind of grew up together in a way,” Harloff said. “We were both 15 and then we made it this far. We just never thought we’d be here, but it’s probably the best decision we’ve ever had.”

Corpuz said she was homeless during high school and Harloff became a huge part of her support system. When high school graduation and post-secondary decision time came, the two planned their futures together.

“I didn’t have my parents there to help guide me through college. I’m also a first (generation college student),” Corpuz said. “I was really just learning everything on my own and it was very scary to do so, but he was always there, every step of the way. I remember before moving out (to Eugene), he would literally sleep in my car with me so that way I wasn’t alone.”

The couple made the move to Eugene so Corpuz could study architecture. Both had jobs at the time.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they lost their jobs. To make money for rent, Corpuz turned to Depop, an online marketplace used to sell clothes and other goods.

Corpuz started thrifting with her mom. She recalled coming into elementary school in thrifted clothes because that’s what they could afford and feeling insecure. But with vintage items rising in popularity over time, Corpuz found her years of experience a huge asset.

Because most thrift stores closed their dressing rooms and paused their return policies during the pandemic, Corpuz found herself with a pile of clothes that didn’t fit. She decided to sell them.

Corpuz found she was good at operating a Depop shop — really good. She made her first sale within a few hours of creating her account and her listings kept flying. Within a few months, she was a certified “top seller.” According to the Depop website, a top seller must sell $1,000 or more per month, create at least 50 new listings per month and maintain a 4.5 or better lifetime review rating for three consecutive months.

Meanwhile, Harloff started pursuing higher education, but decided it wasn’t for him. He ended up working three jobs, including delivering papers for The Register-Guard and painting homes on contract. Eventually he also began helping Corpuz on her thrift runs, developing his own style.

Their individual skills would be key to thriving as business owners.

How The Racks came to be

In November 2021, when COVID restrictions began to lift, Corpuz started selling her thrifted and vintage items at markets in Portland. Harloff tagged along, charged with setting up all the racks and doing the heavy lifting. Around that time, they began a UO pop-up market outside the Erb Memorial Union.

Everything at their UO pop-up sold for $30 or less. Corpuz wanted to make sure the students who came by could afford their products.

“That’s where we really started getting our consistent customer base,” Corpuz said. “Everyone there loved what we were doing.”

Over the years, the pop-up became a coveted weekly event on campus. Their customers urged them to open a store.

But as their business boomed, their lives were being taken over by clothes. Corpuz said their closets were overflowing and mountains of treasured finds were scattered throughout their apartment. They realized they needed to open a storefront to keep from being buried.

In June 2024, The Racks opened its first store on Oak Street. Opening day was well attended, but it was their second grand opening to welcome UO students back to Eugene after classes started that really blew up.

“That one was insane,” Corpuz said. “The dressing room line was almost out the door. It was super packed. I remember my friends coming up to me, and they were like, ‘I love you, but I’m really overstimulated. I have to leave.'”

The success held up and the store developed a reliable customer base.

Not long after opening the Oak Street store, Corpuz and Harloff set their sights on larger locations. The 5th Street Market was their ideal location. After consistently calling, they were offered a spot in the 5th Street Market Alley, a more than 3,500 square-foot location three times the size of the shop on Oak Street.

Corpuz set to work, using her architecture skills from the degree she earned in June 2025 to draw up a floorplan. Harloff brought her vision to life, using his painting skills to splash vibrant colors on the walls.

“I ended up putting everything in here, and at the other store,” Harloff said. “It really helped us out, because painting’s not the cheapest thing, so if I can put in the work and just pay for the paint, it saves us a lot.”

The 5th Street location opened in October 2025.

“We both had the tools ready to open both stores,” Corpuz said. “It was two different tools, but it combined, it worked well together.”

The shop is playful and roomy. It’s not overstuffed with items, giving it a curated feel. Each dressing room has a different throwback theme, like early 2000s and retro. Near the front of the store, they have displays of jewelry made by local vendors, art by local artists and other handmade goods by local businesses such as MECCA. The Racks also commissions approximately 20 other up-and-coming thrift vendors, allowing them to sell their finds at the shop to meet the needs of their impassioned customer base.

Corpuz added it was important for her to make the store accessible for all, leaving the aisles wide.

Inclusivity is a huge part of The Racks’ philosophy.

“It’s just really good to have representation in the community, and especially because I’m POC and a woman, I think that is just extremely important,” Corpuz said. “In Eugene, it’s a predominantly white community. So just forming little communities of minorities and (cultures) and different body types and different races is just everything.

“I want everyone to be able to enjoy and feel safe in one space, and that’s kind of what we are doing.”

What’s next for The Racks vintage store?

Corpuz and Harloff intend to close their Oak Street store in March. The couple moved into 5th Street with the intention of a six-month overlap with both locations open, but want to focus their efforts at the bigger location.

That’s not the only project the couple is working on.

The Racks’ seasonal magazine is also finding traction. Harloff said they’re working on their fifth edition and have received more than 100 submissions, double what they’ve previously gotten. Corpuz acts as executive director, creative director and designer.

For now, it’s mostly a passion project as they aren’t making a profit on the magazines, selling them in-store for just enough to cover the printing cost.

The couple works with more than 45 designers, models and photographers, most of whom are UO students. Each issue highlights a UO student group and sports team. The Fall 2025 issue features soccer and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), a Chicano activist group at UO.

Most of The Racks employees are UO students.

Corpuz said when they announced job openings for the 5th Street location, they received more than 40 applications in the first hour.

“It’s really nice that everyone thinks that our place is a really fun place to work at, especially because we’ve heard from other business owners that it’s really hard to get people to want to work for you,” Corpuz said.

The couple believes thrifting is the future of fashion. As malls and department stores struggle for business, people are turning to second-hand options.

“People love to buy secondhand,” Corpuz said. “It’s more affordable and it’s better for the earth and honestly, you can find way more unique pieces. The quality of the items is just so much better … There’s literally tons of clothing that goes to the landfill, and if it weren’t for people thrifting, if it weren’t for resellers, all of these clothes would just be going to waste.”

The couple has started traveling out of state more, thrifting in New York City and other locations. Eventually, they would like to make the move to NYC and open a The Racks location there. Later on, they might open a location in Los Angeles as well. Corpuz said she has been stashing a lot of her higher-end finds at home, saving them for a higher-end store. Coveted vintage items are called “grails,” and the couple is always on the hunt. Corpuz loves anything Y2K and has been delving into vintage designer pieces, while Harloff favors vintage T-shirts with ’90s cartoons or Ed Hardy designs.

No matter what, they intend to keep a storefront and don’t plan to go back to online-only sales.

“You can sell to anyone online, but in person, you actually get to meet the person,” Harloff said. “You get to see them try it on. They love it, they’ve been looking forward to (owning it) for years and now you gave that thing to them. You get to see how they react to an item and how they cherish it.”

Whenever they make the move east, Corpuz said she would pass the Eugene location down to her younger sister.

Harloff and Corpuz see The Racks growing and expanding, but they said they hope to always have a store in Eugene.

“Eugene is our home, our first home that we built The Racks at, so we’ll always keep a store here,” Corpuz said.

About Humans of Lane County

Humans of Lane County is an ongoing series published at RegisterGuard.com and in the City & Region section of Sunday’s print edition. It’s our way of shining a light on the fascinating folks who make this place one of a kind. From artists and entrepreneurs to community builders and local legends, we’re telling their stories — one human at a time. Know someone you think we should feature? Email us your ideas at rgnews@registerguard.com.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on X @mirandabcyr.



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