Furries, vendors and punks filled up the backyard venue Oakland Secret and a neighboring cafe on Sunday for Punk + Furry Mart #4.
Attendees shopped, listened to live music and met new people at the venue in 577 5th street in Oakland, better known as Oakland Secret, and Shapeshifters Cafe on 571 5th street including the street in front of it.
Oakland Secret is an artist-owned event venue for musicians, artists, performers and organizers in the Bay Area who are of marginalized identities, according to its official website.
Anyone interested or involved in the furry fandom, punk scene, vulture culture, therianthropy and comics were appreciated and represented by the mart.
A small stage in Oakland Secret’s backyard allowed for an open mic aside from bands, while allowing a space in front for crowds to get close and record.
As live music played, the sound of conversation filled the air as attendees visited a variety of crafts from local artists in the bay area.
Rachel Saepharnnario, a vendor at the event, offered customers jewelry, candy and crocheted items.
“Its nice to be in a community sharing my art with people and seeing other peoples art,” Saepharnnario said. “I think it’s awesome that we all get to be here together.”
Over 40 vendors had tables set up displaying its self-made crafts, such as comics, clothes and customized jewelry.
Business cards and Instagram handles were given out to promote handmade products.
The event organizers, Dylan Gibson and Maggie Fisher, have held similar events in the past, with this mart taking three months to plan, according to Gibson.
“I really wanted there to be a very safe and also financially accessible space for furries and for just generally people who can share who they are,” Gibson said. “It is truly my passion project. It kind of feels like a very small, furry convention at this point.”
A sense of safety and inclusivity radiated from the mart as both organizers welcomed all ages with no set door fee, furry or not.
“I would say that everyone, whether they’re a furry or not … if they’re a therian, a punk, an artist, you know, they literally have no clue and don’t give a shit about any of those things, I think they should come to this market, just meet people, make friends,” Gibson said.
The event was on Gibson’s birthday, but he managed to completely steer the attention away from him and make it about giving back to the community and bringing life and culture to Oakland.
Like other punk shows in the Bay Area, the event was NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds), meaning although there was an entrance fee, nobody was turned away.
A consensus among attendees was how inclusive the event was, as well as how diverse the entertainment options and individual vendors were.
Scoopie Benton, a vendor at the event, sold Pokémon key chains, handmade buttons, prints of his art and original comics.
“I really like this community. This is probably one of the best free, outside of furry conventions, non-convention events that I’ve done,” Benton said. “I think that anyone who’s not a furry is more than welcome here, it’s just a lot of fun art to see fun people.”
Fisher, one of the co-organizers, said it’s always nice to see new attendees and small businesses support alternative communities.
“I love the vibe it brings because a lot of people get to meet other people who are interested in the same thing and it just brings more community together,” Fisher said. “I’d say it’s definitely worth it. I can understand it could be overwhelming with the amount of people in here, but everyone’s very kind and welcoming and we’d love to see more new faces.”
