Shop and support queer artists at the Philly Queer Bazaar

Kisha Robinson. a designer and artist, would set up her table at local craft markets, although she was often the only, or one of a few, queer creators at the markets. But as customers walked by and browsed her apparel line, they would stare and asked questions that made Robinson feel uncomfortable. The invasive inquiries left Robinson feeling unwelcome in spaces she was trying to sell her art.

So she decided to create a space where she and other artists and craftspeople could sell their work directly to an audience interested in it.

This Saturday, Sept. 29, Philly Queer Bazaar will pop up in South Street bar Tattooed Mom for its third showcase of queer artists, crafters and business owners.

"I would prefer to have a space where people who might usually have to experience that don't have to," said Robinson. "A space where less of that happens, and people are comfortable being whoever they are."

Products available for purchase range from clothes to hand drawn greeting cards to home furnishings made from repurposed items and more all made by queer identifying individuals.

If you want to wear your queerness, Lezcronymz, a lesbian owned t-shirt company with a mission to take down lesbian and gay stereotypes, will be selling their tees.

Accessorize your fit with earrings by SourPatch, and wear what owner Veronica Sterling calls "eccentric art rooted in queer black love & fashion."

Add some fun to your favorite spaces with a handmade yarn crafts by Where the Wild Things Yarn.

Also selling in the realm of decor is repeat vendor Sophie Strachan of Sophie Margot Art who is crafting up queer embroidery art for Saturday. The 5-6 inch hoops feature phrases for the LGBTQ+ community like, "Queer as heck" and "Home Sweet Homo." Strachan appreciates the community present at the Bazaar and uses the space as an opportunity to sell her queer art.

"If I'm selling in a gallery, I might not put my queer embroidery out. I keep those for queer specific audiences."

Unlike before, this Queer Bazaar will feature LGBTQ+ organizations. Robinson credits Tattooed Mom, who is hosting for the second time, with the idea to expand beyond vendors.

The Starfruit Project, an organization focused on healing and growth through writing and performance, will have a booth at Saturday's bazaar giving out information on their project. Also there will be For Brown Bleeders, a collective promoting wellness practices like meditation and providing healing resources for individuals and groups, for marginalized groups. Both organizations center on serving people of color who identify as LGBTQ+.

The Philly Queer Bazaar is free to attend and open from 1pm-5pm this Saturday, Sept. 29, at Tattooed Mom. The event is 21+ and requires ID upon entry.