If you are the kind of Louisvillian who is “not awake early enough for flea markets,” April Hack has the shopping event you’ve been waiting for. If you consider yourself weird, a little odd, or way out there, this is really going to be your new thing.
“If you are offbeat and feel like you don’t really belong, you’ll find other weirdos here,” says Hack, who has organized the Louis-Villainz Market for Mischief along with partner and venue owner Alison Freels.
The Friday evening vendor village will be held at The Cure Lounge, and interest has been so frantic that Hack and Freels are already planning further events, perhaps on a bi-monthly basis.
“I mentioned it to a couple of friends, and the next thing I knew, 100 people were coming. I was like, ‘holy ….,’ and we actually cut a few vendors to have room for everyone else shopping,” says Hack.
Vendors at the market will be offering bone and oddity items, leather and bondage, framed artwork, upcycled clothing and other surprising items. A glassblower will be creating custom jewelry onsite.
Hack, who likes to create offbeat events, like last year’s Louisville Hearse Society’s Photo Shoot, takes keeping Louisville weird to heart.
“I am very lucky. I get to meet so many awesome people in this great city. And it seems like all the alt people know each other. It all started with my Facebook yard sale page for goth/alt/metal people. For weeks, Alison was telling me she was thinking of a vendor village, and I finally sat down with her and wrote down the people I knew,” and the idea started coming together, says Hack.
“The Cure Lounge is perfect, too. It’s very chill, vampiric, dark, with dead trees with skeletons hanging from them. It’s right out of a Tim Burton movie. It’s the perfect spooky bar, and it makes all the weirdos feel welcome.”
The August 21st market will have around 30 vendors, and Hack will be the one “running around like crazy. But the most exciting thing is that I get to meet new people.”
Vendors/Vendorz include:
Mookie’s Bindings: handmade leather goods
Artundead: zombie teddy bears and more
Steam and Lace: steampunk jewelry and custom corsets
Unorthodox: oddities and antiques
Dragon Illuminations: dragon figurines
If you missed out on joining the vendors for this first market, Hack invites you to join the Louis-Villainz Vendorz Facebook group, to find out about future opportunities.
The Cure Lounge is located at 1481 South Shelby Street.
Photo: Louis-Villainz Vendorz Market for Mischief event, logo created by Hyacinth
