It’s about the small things: ‘Trinket trade treasure’ box comes to Merced
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trinket exchange box now inside Em‑Tea after being moved indoors
- Merced cafe Em-Tea hosts pastel trinket-exchange box to encourage gifting.
- Open 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; rules ban food, drinks, hygiene, glass, sharp items.
Tucked inside Em-Tea on G Street, Merced’s new pastel-pink trinket exchange box presents a whimsical way for the community to connect offline.
Trinket trading is a popular online trend, and in the past year, trade boxes have appeared in cities throughout the country. The idea is simple: Take a trinket, leave a trinket for someone else to find, and build community through exchanging small gifts.
The trading box is open during Em-Tea’s business hours, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Taped on the wall above the box is a note about which items are appropriate to exchange. People are asked not to leave food, drinks, personal hygiene items, money, sharp objects, or anything breakable or glass, among other things.
“I literally live on TikTok,” said Liz Jarquin, the local trinket collector behind Merced’s trade box.
Jarquin said she saw the idea online and followed accounts that set up trinket exchange boxes in Clovis and Fresno. She estimated the box cost around $100 to set up, from the box itself, pink spray paint and a starting batch of trinkets to get things going.
In addition to the trinket box, Jarquin uses her Instagram and TikTok accounts to review local businesses. Find her on both platforms @lizjarquinreyes.
The box at Em-Tea originally was mounted on a street pole on Yosemite Avenue in February, but was moved inside on March 2 due to theft.
Jarquin’s project is the second trinket box to come to Merced. The first is in Luna Luna 209 boutique, 1731 Canal St.,, which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
What counts as a trinket?
A trinket is a small object of little monetary value but significant emotional value.
When I visited Merced’s trinket box, I found small stuffed animals, different kinds of stickers, a variety of rubber ducks, keychains, and even handmade beaded bracelets . There also were smaller items, including tiny polymer-clay ladybugs and cute stationery.
The box is decorated in a maximalist spirit, with stickers inside and out, and messages inside written in beads. Next to a small mirror in the box, beads spell out “Hey Cutie,” and below are teeny-tiny framed prints declaring “I love trinkets!”
While all the items in the box were clean and in good condition, some, including a Hello Kitty figurine, are clearly well-loved.
I brought my own trinket to trade: a small Rilakkuma stuffed bear keychain, and I left with a delightful felted figurine of a highland cow. If you can’t find a trinket you like, Em-Tea also has a claw machine, where you can try your hand at winning a larger stuffed animal.
Jarquin said she has taken cash left in the box and used it to restock plushies, which she buys for about $4 each. While she does accept donations for the box, she asked that people contact her through the Facebook page “Trinket Trade Treasures” rather than leave money in the box.
People have left overwhelmingly positive responses on Facebook posts about the trinket box. Additionally, some visitors have left notes in the notebook next to the trinket box encouraging others to “pass it forward” and “Be kind.” Some people left notes just saying “this is amazing!” and “super cute.”
