“We have an amazing selection of all kinds, from tye-dye to Betty Boop,” said a spokesperson for the shop. “The whole store is unique, eclectic, and we work with tons of local people to provide all kinds of unique options for our clientele.”

Another up-and-coming Springfield business offers more modern options in two locations in town. Five Pound Apparel, located on South Avenue downtown and Republic Road in Farmers Park, grew out of a custom screen-printing business started by college students. Branded items sold at either location fund a donation of five pounds of food to Ozarks Food Harvest, which feeds up to 30,000 individuals weekly.

Online or in-store, Five Pound Apparel offers masks in children’s or adult’s sizes, and offer packs if you are looking to stock up. Their masks promise to be lightweight, breathable, and come in many trendy styles.

Just blocks from Drury’s campus is a steampunk gem of Historic C-Street. A Wench in the Gear sits only half a block from the Neighborhood Market and supplies Springfield with handcrafted clothing and accessories that are made primarily with repurposed and up-cycled materials. There are custom-made corsets, coats, jackets, hats, skirt lifters, handmade jewelry, and of course, masks. Masks from A Wench in the Gear sell for $20, and are as durable as they are beautiful. There are dozens of designs and patterns to choose from, such as themed options like Harry Potter and Marvel to whimsical, unique patterns and designs. Masks from A Wench in the Gear are sure to turn a few heads.

Local artists are doing their part to relieve some of the stress that might come in times of financial tension. Artists like Deni Denwiddie offer handmade, customized masks at lower prices than online stores or chain locations. Denwiddie is a highly experienced seamstress with years of practice with the Society for Creative Anachronism, a community dedicated to historically accurate reenactment.

Dinwiddie’s masks are made to last, with filters and durable ear straps. They are easy to wash and come in a wide variety of patterns and designs. They are fully customizable, perfect for that specific socially-conscious outfit.

“I’m trying to help people out with low cost, decent looking, fun masks,” Denwiddie told The Mirror. Each purchase from her results in a 25% donation to various trans-rights organizations.

 You can contact her at Denimaskemporium@gmail.com, or visit her Facebook page, D & C Oddities and Deni’s Mask Emporium. 

Article by Forest Swisher and Cheyenne Heavener

The post Mask-less in Springfield? Where to Find Fun and Stylish Masks Locally first appeared on Drury Mirror.

As I stood looking at the giant puddle of premium unleaded on the ground and feeling slightly high off of the fumes and contemplating setting it on fire, I knew that my car’s time had come–I was about to have to wade into the terrifying depths of buying a used car alone, as a female college student. 

After having been called ‘sweetheart’ in a condescending tone by a Mazda dealer I would walk out on, and eventually finding a great family-friend salesman who seemed to not want to profoundly screw me over, I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the entire ordeal of purchasing a car.

The work before the work

Buying a car–namely, a preowned one–is a heinous process that I would not wish upon my worst enemy. It’s annoying, stressful, time-consuming, and a decision that will impact your life for potentially years to come.

Not to mention, it’s expensive.

Buying a pre-owned car is something that many college students unfortunately have to face, and often during their time in school. Moving to a university can mean moving far away from family–and all of those weekend trips or holiday visits can really put a toll on a vehicle. 

Often, freshmen drive cars to their first day in college that they drove the first day they got their license, and sometimes these vehicles are not so reliable. Balancing school, work, athletics, and other personal responsibilities is hectic enough, without the added stress of unreliable transportation. 

First, there is the stress of choosing a type of vehicle. Does 4-wheel drive matter to you when it gets icy, or for outdoor adventures? Do you prefer a car that is smaller and gets better gas mileage, but doesn’t have a lot of storage space for moving apartments? You must carefully consider your lifestyle and demands for a vehicle, first and foremost.

Then, you get to move on to what make of vehicle (the ‘brand’) you want to choose. For a college student working off of a limited budget, reliability is key, and certain brands have a solid reputation for their faithfulness (read: Honda, Toyota) even as they rack up the miles. 

Other makes of cars, while cult favorites, run the risk of costing you in the long run as they age and require more maintenance (looking at you, Jeep). You must decide if the enjoyment of such a vehicle will outweigh the potential hassle and costs associated with it.

Then, you must choose a model that works for your lifestyle needs. The popular Honda Civic may be enough for some students, but others will want the extra space and 4 wheel drive abilities of a Toyota RAV4. Others will want a sleek car with performance, or opt for a model with lavish luxury, such as a Lexus RC. 

Remember, deciding what you want is the fun part, because it does not involve a used car salesman.

The obligatory price tango

So you’ve found a brand you like? That’s great! Your work is far from over. After selecting a make and model, or a general idea of these things, you have to actually find them, within the radius that you’re willing to travel. This can be challenging, and an entire process in itself. 

Invest in a Carfax subscription for the particular cars that you’re most interested in–trust me, it’s worth it. If you buy private party, the prices are generally much lower, but you run the risk of buying a vehicle with a sketchy history. While looking at the Carfax won’t entirely eliminate this risk, it can at least confirm that the vehicle was never stolen, has open recalls, or was a flood car. 

If you buy at a dealership, the prices are much higher, you’re almost guaranteed to lose money on the value of the car you’re trading in, and you have to deal with car salesmen, but the cars generally have a more transparent history.

Come prepared

From the moment you step outside your vehicle at the car lot, you will be swarmed by hungry car salesmen who race to get to you first. It’s a little Walking Dead-esque, if you ask me. They’ll make small talk to establish you as a ‘friend,’ and then jump right in to trying to rip as many of your hard-earned dollars away from you as possible.

I hope by now, as a person living in the world, that you know that you should never, ever, in any circumstances, EVER pay the sticker price for a vehicle at a dealership. There is a careful negotiations process that you must go through in order to get the best deal on the car. Remember, the dealership paid next to nothing for the vehicle at auction. Don’t be afraid to low-ball and go up from there.

Also, tell them your budget is about $3,000-5000 less than it actually is. Trust me, they’ll be the first to suggest something much higher and you can use this as a bargaining point. 

Know how much the car you want–and the car you’re trading in, if you’re going that route–are worth. Print out the Kelly Blue Book value estimates–the trusted source for appraising cars–and refuse to pay a penny more than the ‘fair purchase price’ on the vehicle. 

Don’t be afraid to leave and come back another day. If the dealership is high-volume, like Reliable Superstore here in Springfield, know that the car you wanted may not be there the next day, however. There is almost always an influx of great cars in a reasonable price range in a city with a decent population, so you won’t miss out in the end. Wanting a new car, fast, may cause you to make a poor decision in your vehicle purchase.

Make sure to test drive, and point out any flaws with the vehicle. With my car, I made a huge deal out of a broken tail light, a dent in the bumper, paint slightly worn on the console, and some miniscule scratches. These are your bargaining points! I was able to negotiate the tail light getting replaced (around a $200 fix) as part of my buying terms.

Other strong points for your counter-argument could include high mileage, cosmetic defects, or that you simply don’t think that particular year of car is very good. Depending on how long the car has been at the lot and the volume of cars that the dealership sells, you may be able to translate these minor issues into thousands of dollars off the purchase price. 

Once you’ve argued and debated and fought with your car salesman, compared prices and trade-in offers at other dealerships, and considered ditching a car altogether and just riding a scooter everywhere, it’s time to finally seal the deal.

Be aware that most warranties are bogus. Make sure your salesman hasn’t slipped an unwanted little warranty in the price of the car. While warranties may sound great, they’re often limiting, hard to understand, and generally a way for the dealership to procure more of your dollars. After all, you did your research and bought a reliable car–so you shouldn’t need the warranty! Even if things break here or there, they’re unlikely to add up to the cost of the warranty. 

They’ll try extra hard to pressure you into warranties or add-ons during the final signing process, so make sure you stand firm, as you’re so close to being done.

Congrats! You’ve suffered one of the most profound financial and psychological agonies that human beings can suffer, and succeeded. Hopefully, you have a trustworthy vehicle that you don’t vehemently hate looking at, and didn’t cost you the equivalent of a year’s worth of tuition. You’d think that your wallet is done being reamed for a month until your first payment, but it’s only just beginning.

Now, you just have to pay the sales tax.

Article by Olivia Thompson.

The post Buying a car in college: A guide to getting the best deal first appeared on Drury Mirror.

Today, there is another option: online dating. Tinder is the leading dating site on the market, with 50 million users (This according to “Tinder by the Numbers: Stats, Users, Demographics & Fun Facts” from MuchNeeded.com).  Popular because of its versatility, Tinder is likely the way to get in contact with the most people the fastest.

Bumble is not the next most popular site. That honor goes to Grindr, with 27 million users.  However, Bumble (22 million users) is the most comparable, as it is the next most popular app for anyone, where Grindr is designed only for men to meet other men.

So which is better: Tinder or Bumble?

Of course, this depends on the person.  In response to the complaint of creepy men on Tinder, Bumble has it set so that. in heterosexual matches, the woman must send the first message.  (In same sex matches, either party may start the conversation.)  For some, this is a selling point.

“It is helpful to those who identify as women in feeling comfortable,” CJ Colbert explained.

For most who spoke to The Mirror, however, it was a harsh detractor. User @jamielizm on Twitter offered, “Messaging first because I’m a woman sucks, so f*ck Bumble.”  Abby Lewis explained that forcing a girl to reply first “feels aggressively heteronormative.”

Those who did prefer Bumble rarely mention the aspect of girls messaging first.  Stevie Leigh, who met her boyfriend on Bumble, mentioned the stigma of men on Tinder, the more detailed prompts on Bumble (as opposed to Tinder’s free-form bio system) and even the ability to list her favorite Spotify artists on your profile. She never mentioned the need to message him first.

One plus of the app: Bumble has you state up front what you’re looking for and tries to match you with people accordingly.  The app offers options for people looking for dates, friends and business connections. User @Jlynnmoss on Twitter said “I’ve only tried Bumble for the friends feature and that was enjoyable.  I think it’s neat that they have different ways to use their app.”

There are, however, better opportunities for gender non-conforming individuals on Tinder.

Colbert explained, “Tinder is greatly accessible to non-binary people, since it actually has multiple gender options rather than male or female… Bumble [is] very binary based.”

Jade Sause offers a warning for non-binary people on Tinder, however.

“I’ve only used Tinder.  I don’t think it is accessible at all [for non-binary people],” said Sause.

They explained that because of a lack of understanding and cultural awareness of non-binary people it made them feel like they “have to justify [their] existence to other people.”

If you’re looking to get yourself out there, you’ll likely consider dating apps.  Hopefully this is a helpful resource for you to try and decide how you’d like to pursue those interests.  Always remember that at the end of the day, you are amazing as you are, and no matter how you choose to chase after romance, don’t let the difficult parts of that chase drag you down.

Article written by Jacob Maher.

The post Tinder vs. Bumble: Dawn of Swiping first appeared on Drury Mirror.