SOUTHEAST PUNK FLEA MARKET INTERVIEWS: PT. I
This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Southeast Punk Flea Market as it came by Hickory. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by countless works of original art, vintage clothing, records, cassettes, etc. While there, I was able to have conversations with a couple of the vendors. Here’s what they had to say:
Karly: art with a story
Karly seen talking to a customer.
First I spoke with Karly, an artist from Greenville, South Carolina. Her booth instantly caught my eye due to the nature of her work. She had a large array of work featuring fields of flowers, dark forests, portraits, and more macabre pieces such as stacks of skulls. Each piece: framed and just as breathtaking as the last.
So what age did you start painting?
“I started drawing when I was, like.. 13 maybe. Just like tracing cartoons and stuff. And then in high school I took a painting class and just kept going.”
Some of Karly’s current prints.
What are some of your inspirations? Are there any artists that inspire you?
“Usually.. music. Like all sorts of different kinds. It’s usually the way something sounds or lyrically. I have one inspired by Fiona Apple… So it has the tea kettle and she has a line that says ‘These ideas of mine percolate the mind’... so then I did kinda like a kitchen vibe, I wanted the brain to kind of look like a cake. Then she also says something about butterflies in my brain, so that’s why I did the moth. Then she says, ‘I’m a tulip in a cup, I don’t stand a chance at growing up,’ so that’s kind of why I did that one.”
The image as described above, titled: “For Fiona.”
As someone whose drawing ability stops at a sun with a smiley face on it, I thought it was incredibly interesting to see what someone can make out of a simple section of a song. So much detail in something many people would just gloss over.
So this is a traveling thing, right? Where have you been so far?
“With this event specifically, they go all over, like down to Florida. I think the farthest I’ve gone with them is Richmond. They just got back from Dawson, Alabama I think and then they’re going to Kentucky. So a little bit all over. I’ve gone to like New York for a show, but I do different oddity shows and stuff.”
An assortment of magnets Karly has for sale.
Marcus: Challenges as a vendor and life lessons
Marcus posed beside his booth.
The second vendor I had the chance to talk to was a stainless steel jewelry reseller named Marcus, also based in Greenville. Although not hand made pieces, he gave me insight into the struggles many sellers, creatives, and artists are facing right now.
What is your ordering and selling process?
“My job, since I don’t make it, is to find the factories that manufacture the kind of niche merchandise I sell. Then I do things like Renaissance fairs, viking events, pagan festivals, monthly markets… The other half of my business are goblets and tankards. This is a treasure hunt, this is all state auctions and online auctions… So, when I do a themed event like the Renaissance fair for example, I’ll have a booth of jewelry and a booth of drinkware. Here at the punk market, I bring all jewelry…”
So do you collect those [goblets] yourself?
“Yeah, so I’m a medievalist as my hobby. I live kind of a very simple life. My home is candlelit, I have a medieval tavern and armory with battle axes and swords, a feasting table, and so on. I live the life… Here the punk market really though, I’m retired, this is the best job I’ve ever had. It’s really made my retirement enjoyable. This is my recreation, my social life…”
At this point, Marcus begins to bring up a problem many vendors have been facing over the past year or so.
“The.. the tariffs have caused a little bit of stress this past year, probably for a lot of vendors. You know, we have to get our products. Even for those artists who make their own jewelry or art, whatever it is. But their products, they come from over countries, so yeah, it sometimes gets a little stressful trying to navigate through all that. Ya know, import duties, deliveries, or getting held up in customs and so on… For the most part, it’s worked out, and I’m very happy with the success I’ve had in this.”
“FACTORIES I’VE DEALT WITH FOR YEARS….SOMETIMES THEY’RE NOT SHIPPING ANYMORE”
Marcus is only one of many who have dealt with tariff related issues. Things like price hikes, shipping issues, and companies stopping exports to the United States entirely are now commonalities that affect sellers and their customers daily.
When I asked if he had a social media or website he could be found at he responded by saying he simply didn’t have time. He also gave me, in my opinion, one of the best outlooks on life one can have.
“YOU KNOW, I’M NOT GONNA DIE RICH, I’M GONNA DIE HAPPY.”
Even if you missed out on this show or any others there’s no reason to worry. Karly has an instagram and a website where you can see her art and purchase some of your own. I highly recommend checking out her beautiful work, as so much amazing art is being ignored in this day and age due to AI.