Ryan Scott Weber, the filmmaker/promoter behind such films as the "Mary Horror Trilogy", "Pretty Fine Things" and New Jersey Horror Con & Film Festival has put together another small, but very cool event.
The Horror Sideshow Market is tucked away in the showroom of the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA, and it's important to say a few words about the venue first.
Growing up in NJ, there were some awesome indoor flea markets around the state. Two of my favorites were the Union Market and the U.S. 1 Flea Market. I would wander the individual booths and stalls for hours, checking out all the merchandise. All kinds of vendors collected under one roof, and it was great! Sadly, these places are all but gone.....so I was thrilled to find out that this one still exists!
Most of the merchants sell antiques and collectibles of all kinds and one could easily spend all day browsing. There's also an arcade and a very cool model railroad exhibit.
The Horror Sideshow Market is tucked away in the showroom of the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA, and it's important to say a few words about the venue first.
Growing up in NJ, there were some awesome indoor flea markets around the state. Two of my favorites were the Union Market and the U.S. 1 Flea Market. I would wander the individual booths and stalls for hours, checking out all the merchandise. All kinds of vendors collected under one roof, and it was great! Sadly, these places are all but gone.....so I was thrilled to find out that this one still exists!
Most of the merchants sell antiques and collectibles of all kinds and one could easily spend all day browsing. There's also an arcade and a very cool model railroad exhibit.
Now....on to the main event! The Horror Sideshow Market is a collection of vendors selling amazing horror-themed merchandise, paired with a few celebrity guests and the usual horror cosplay suspects lurking around. The combination of these elements really makes this event work!
The showroom housing the event was just the right size. It's small enough for an intimate experience, but large enough for there to be a great mix of vendors. Art prints, jewelry, hand carved jewelry boxes, ceramics, collectibles and even homemade dog treats could be found. I was also happy to see that there were some vendors there that I don't recall seeing at horror conventions, which was nice.
The turnout for the event was great. In fact, if I am being completely honest, it was much higher than I had expected, and I was very happy for Ryan and his staff. In speaking to several of the attendees, every one of them told me that they were having a great time, and that it was nice to see an event like this take place in June, as there are not a lot of horror related shopping experiences available this time of year. A few people in particular said that it was great to be able to shop for unique, hand crafted items as opposed to the mass produced stuff that you find in the Halloween stores that will start popping up everywhere in a few months.
The showroom housing the event was just the right size. It's small enough for an intimate experience, but large enough for there to be a great mix of vendors. Art prints, jewelry, hand carved jewelry boxes, ceramics, collectibles and even homemade dog treats could be found. I was also happy to see that there were some vendors there that I don't recall seeing at horror conventions, which was nice.
The turnout for the event was great. In fact, if I am being completely honest, it was much higher than I had expected, and I was very happy for Ryan and his staff. In speaking to several of the attendees, every one of them told me that they were having a great time, and that it was nice to see an event like this take place in June, as there are not a lot of horror related shopping experiences available this time of year. A few people in particular said that it was great to be able to shop for unique, hand crafted items as opposed to the mass produced stuff that you find in the Halloween stores that will start popping up everywhere in a few months.
There were a few celebrity guests in attendance as well. Tony Moran, the original "man behind the mask" in Halloween, was greeting fans all day, as were the Amazing Kreskin and John O'Hurley. What I liked about the event though was, as opposed to a typical horror convention, the celebrity guests were not really the focus of the event. This was truly a horror market, and the celebrity guests were a pleasant addition to the festivities, while allowing the vendors to shine.
The vendors that I spoke to all made mention of this. They felt that the attendees were there to shop as opposed to getting autographs and photo ops. Don't get me wrong. The Horror Nerd LOVES horror conventions and meeting celebrities, but it was great to be able to pay more attention to the merchants and all the cool stuff they were selling. I left the show with several great items!
The vendors that I spoke to all made mention of this. They felt that the attendees were there to shop as opposed to getting autographs and photo ops. Don't get me wrong. The Horror Nerd LOVES horror conventions and meeting celebrities, but it was great to be able to pay more attention to the merchants and all the cool stuff they were selling. I left the show with several great items!
I cannot wrap things up without mentioning the fact that there were some great cosplayers wandering around as well, including horror convention and event mainstay Father Evil, who was sniffing out sins all day. Mike McManis was there as well, stalking attendees and there were several VERY creepy clowns wandering the show.
Amazing vendors, celebrity guests, and creepy cosplayers.....what more would you want?
Finally, I need to say that, as always Ryan Scott Weber and his staff did an amazing job staging and running this show. All of the staff were competent and sociable and everything ran smoothly. There was also a visible security presence which, without being obtrusive, made everyone feel safe.
I truly hope that Ryan sets up more of these. It's a great chance for people to pick up some horror related merchandise in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere!
The Horror Nerd rates this event FIVE BROKEN EYEGLASSES!
Amazing vendors, celebrity guests, and creepy cosplayers.....what more would you want?
Finally, I need to say that, as always Ryan Scott Weber and his staff did an amazing job staging and running this show. All of the staff were competent and sociable and everything ran smoothly. There was also a visible security presence which, without being obtrusive, made everyone feel safe.
I truly hope that Ryan sets up more of these. It's a great chance for people to pick up some horror related merchandise in a relaxed, intimate atmosphere!
The Horror Nerd rates this event FIVE BROKEN EYEGLASSES!
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