A British Invasion : Sola Ope at Eastern Market

Who can forget the oft-heard cry " The British are coming, the British are coming"? Perhaps the first time this phrase was heard was back in 1607, when the Virginia Company's ships first invaded the Chesapeake and sailed up what is now the James River. What did the original inhabitants of the Western hemisphere think when viewing this bizarre group coming ashore? One can imagine--maybe something like, "how interesting--they wear many things on their bodies and objects on their heads." Later, of course, when this "new-found" land mass was forming into a "new country," there were many disagreements between old world England and its overseas descendants about...taxation, tea, immigration laws, "that peculiar institution", indigenous folks, etc. All these little peccadilloes resulted in a small skirmish, known on this side of the pond as "the American Revolution". I think the British think about it as a "colonial uprising."

It was an amazing time here in the eighteenth century. The cry again rang out that the British would soon arrive. And, lucky for us, those guys had such a sense of style and decorum. While many colonists had taken a lesson from their sometime 'friends,' their indigenous brothers and sisters, and wore buck skins and coon skinned hats, the English were civilized and wore the most fashionable blazing 'red coats'. How dashing the English were--and so easy to see and shoot. One can only imagine that while "we Americans were hiding in trees" the British were kind enough to line up and come to the field of battle with musicians in tow. What class! What panache!

Much later, after the British got over us poppin' a cap up there @!%--oops, I mean their defeat at the hands of those dastardly colonial rebels--they invaded the U.S. again, only this time it was a cultural invasion. Not a swarm of locusts, but four very thin beetles with straight-legged pants, bad haircuts and a poor sense of rhythm. The 1960's saw the American music and cultural scene laid waste by the English marauders. "She loves me yeah yeah yeah" was on everybody's lips. We became "Rolling Stones" in our own country. Folks from Biloxi, Mississippi, to Long Beach were trying to sport that interesting hair style-sorta like a monk's cut, just put the bowl on the head and cut. Later still, and with more style and rhythm, came Sade. Then cable came into our homes, and who can forget "Downtown Judy Brown," MTV's first cool V.J. The the American R&B scene was rocked by...Soul II to Soul. What style--they were the "New Soul" coming out of the "ole world."

It should also be noted that in the nineteeth century, we were perhaps less invaded than redesigned by the artistic philosophy of William Morris. In the states, one can find the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement from California to New York.

And now we at Eastern Market have not only been invaded but conquered. Put a Union Jack on us: we are hooked on the elegant accessories of Sola Ope, hailing from Devon, England.

Sola, like many of the artists at Eastern Market, was born in the heady days of the 1960's--to be exact, 1967, a fine year in which to be born if I do say so myself. She grew up in Devon and Shropshire, in the English Midlands. Her father studied in the States at Howard University, taking a degree in Economics and Accounting. He was a high school teacher in England. Her maternal uncle also came to America to study at Howard and later settled in Tacoma Park, Maryland.

Sola went to Exeter University in England and studied political science, but the lure of traveling led her to terminate her studies and become a civil servant. She moved from Devon to London and was employed as the private secretary to the Secetary of State for Transportation. But America was calling. She moved to the States at 26 years old. As of this past May, Sola has been in America for sixteen years. In conversation with Sola (a name which means "gift from God"), she told me she wanted to "live the American Dream." I asked what that meant to her. Well, at that time she watched a great deal of T.V. in England and thought we all lived like folks in California i.e. sun shine, a car, white picket fence, loads of free time, laid back, easy. Then of course she moved here, started working as a paralegal in a law office, and now knows Americans work way too hard. Also, our health care system stuns her-- our lack of universal heath care for all.

Sola stared knitting and crotcheting at four years old. It was something she learned how to do in kindergarten. Her mother also knitted. During college, Sola made and sold sweaters for extra money; when she came to the states, her law office colleagues complimented her on her accessories. She began to sell them to her work colleagues. "It was a no-brainer to me, as a way of making extra money." With all this encouragement and a taste for risk, Sola took a sabbatical from the law office, got a part time job at RiteAid, and started doing shows to sell her work, initially dismissing Eastern Market as too complicated to get into and requiring too much commitment of time, energy and resources.

Thus, she started her career as a professional artist/designer on Saturdays at another market in the city. That market, now defunct, was started by an Eastern Market artist (photographer) Abner Ofer; it was called Western Market. After a time she says..."I had the bug, I was just ready to start doing Eastern Market..." "Now I do fairs, festivals and Eastern Market". Sola Ope started at The Flea Market at Eastern Market in 2004. Sola trades under the name Scarvelous

(Sola Ope's Stand at Eastern Market)

On design- It goes without saying that I am a devoted fan of Ms. Ope's work. I first noticed her hats a couple of years ago in the dead of winter and thought "hmm...cool! Different, maybe not ideal for standing outside at the Market in ten degree weather but...in the early fall and spring they are a real possibility." Sola Ope's style is post modern 70's, and her work is knitted or crotcheted; she mostly crotchets the hats now. Knitting, she could complete only about three or four hats in a day, but with crotchet she can make ten to twelve hats in a day. When wearing these caps, cock them to the side and give confident attitude. Her patchwork scarves and bags have an English uptown paisley feel. You will be accepted as an original in any of her accessories. But I love the crotcheted hats the best. I remember last year at the "Downtown Holiday Market" seeing many a Brooks-Brothers-wearing woman leaving Sola Ope's booth looking cooler and hipper then when she went in--who'd've thunk it? Sola's hats gave Brooks Brothers a touch of urban chic.

(Scarvelous-The Sola Ope style)

In asking about the future, Ms. Ope stated that "my intention is to stay at Eastern Market. It is basically the only game in town." Sola has made a home for herself at the market. She told me, "On the weekends I love the community, I love getting up on Saturday and Sunday mornings knowing I am going to hang out with my friends." I have often noticed (because my booth is catty-corner to the school yard in front of The Monument) that Eastern Market artists Paul Bierman ( BoxBoy- paper) and/or Cigdem, and Mazhar Ertekin (imported jewelry) help Sola set up her tent in the mornings. I regularly see her talking with Katrina Ullrich (Red Persimmon -fair Trade importer). It is so bad sometimes I don't recognized her friend Susan Johnson (Lilypad Designs-paper jewelry) when she does not have a Sola-scarvelous hat on. Sola in the mornings, in the search for coffee, is often in the company of friends Candace Marsella (Smashing Jewels,-handmade beaded jewelry) and/or Elizabeth Stevenson (Elizabeth Designs-textiles). These are just a few of the friends that Sola has made at Eastern Market. She emphasized how important these people are to her, "...especially when you do this (pointing to her crotcheting) and you are like isolated all week ..."

(Scarvalous hats for children)

I asked Sola now, after six years at Eastern Marketm what has impressed her. She said, "In the winter Tom Rall (founder of The Flea Market at Eastern Market) comes around every Sunday and thanks every last one of us for showing up. He is one of the nicest guys that I have ever met."

Witnessing,

(Sola's hands flying)

(Sola Ope working at her stand at Easten Market)

Sonda T. Allen

Turtle's Webb