A flea market in Birmingham is selling more than antiques and used goods. It is offering a night of live music, oddities and local art.
The Birmingham Punk Rock Flea Market is Saturday night (July 15) at Cahaba Brewing from 6 to 11 p.m. 82 vendors will sell anything from handmade jewelry and ceramics to stained glass, terrariums and jigsaw puzzles. Notable vendors include the Birmingham Humane Society, offering dog adoptions; Tragic City Rollers, a competitive roller derby league; Sidewalk Film Center and independent broadcaster Substrate Radio.
But visitors can do more than just shop. They can listen to an assortment of punk, alternative and metal music from three Alabama-based bands. A local disc jockey will also spin and mix music live.
The event will later culminate in a freak show performance. While details on the show are limited, performers Des Teni and Violet Gein are known for their body-based stunts including walking on glass and a bed of nails.
Raquel Duplin is the founder of Birmingham Punk Rock Flea Market. She said the event is a major outlet for alternative artists to network and gain more customers.
“Since the first flea market, there’s been a lot more art shows, concerts and markets in the Birmingham area,” she said. “It encouraged vendors to create their own thing [and create] their own art shows. It brings a lot of people together from not just Birmingham but Tuscaloosa, Leeds [and] Cullman. People come from all over Alabama.”
The flea market first began in March 2016 at Saturn Birmingham. Duplin had moved to the Magic City from Pennsylvania and wanted a space for artists and viewers to consume unconventional art.
“When I moved to Alabama, I was trying to find somewhere to showcase my art, which is kind of weird and not typical in what you would find at a gallery,” she said. “So, I decided to bring that concept to the Southeast. It’s just very different. You get to see some artists you wouldn’t typically see around town.”
Since then, Birmingham Punk Rock Flea Market has had one to two markets each year, and attendance can reach up to 3,000 people.
Duplin said these visitors positively impact Birmingham’s economy and tourism industry.
“People travel to come to Birmingham [for this event],” she said. “I know that a lot of vendors get Airbnbs in town. We had a vendor from Kentucky come last year, and he was so impressed with Birmingham that he was bringing a whole group of friends with him this time just to go through the City Walk and the state parks. So, Birmingham does have a lot of things to offer the community."
The event is free, but Duplin recommends visitors arrive early as parking is limited. Children and dogs are welcome. More information on the flea market’s local and traveling vendors and performers can be found at www.punkrockflea.com.
