In 2018, Record Space owner Don Brazel noticed a trend emerging from the incendiary world of punk rock—flea markets themed around the genre (called “punk rock flea markets”)—were beaming down on cities across the country from Philadelphia to San Jose, boasting local vendors, live music, and a do-it-yourself spirit.
As the owner of a record store that specializes in underground releases, and the founding member of local hardcore band Bastard Squad, Brazel wanted to see one of these flea markets in his own community. Naturally, his punk instincts kicked in, and he decided to do it himself.
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Shortly after, he got some friends involved as organizers, and the first St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market was held at San Loo in June 2018. Now, on Saturday, May 27, the flea market will be held in Kiener Plaza for its fourth year (the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Brazel says the 1.9-acre venue will be one of the most radical developments of this year’s event.
“When I was growing up, there were a lot of events [in Kiener Plaza] for families,” he says. “You would go down there on the weekends and play in the fountain or listen to a band play…Being in the heart of downtown St. Louis with the Arch behind you, it’s a whole other element.”
Brazel compared the flea market to a music festival, as 10 bands will perform throughout the day, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. He says St. Louis is overlooked as a music hub, and this event is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the local scene.
Heather Gonzalez is one of the flea market’s organizers and the owner of Glamgoria, a line of horror-themed self care products. Gonzalez coordinates the event’s 50-plus vendors and will also have a table of her own. She became involved with the flea market last year, with the goal of supporting like-minded DIY businesses.
“I’m very much on the fringe, and I’m not for everybody, and I know there are a lot of vendors out there like me,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to bring a lot of people on the fringe together.”
To help you navigate the city’s fringes at the St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market, Brazel and Gonzalez have shared some of their favorite artists and vendors at this year’s event. Check out the list below, and keep an eye out for updates on the event’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Bassist David Shanle offers just one tip for festival goers who plan on watching Still’s set: bring earplugs. Coming from the self-proclaimed “loudest band on the bill,” this advice is not to be taken lightly. Still is a St. Louis–based shoegaze group that counterposes deafening walls of guitar noise with ethereal vocals and a melodic sensibility that’s unmistakably pop. Shanle encourages attendees to take in the sense of community offered by the flea market. “That’s really what it is—an alternative community getting together to support local businesses and bands that are prolific and really exciting,” he says.
As a licensed funeral director and embalmer, Katie Wilson believes in appreciating the smaller creatures found in nature, and in having open conversations about death. These ideas are reflected in her business, Uncommon Coffin, and she hopes flea market shoppers walk away with the same feelings after visiting her booth. Uncommon Coffin provides display pieces made from taxidermied insects, bones, and vintage or thrifted items. Preserved death’s-head hawkmoths (a species famous for its presence in The Silence of the Lambs) are some of Wilson’s most popular pieces, and will be available at the flea market. “Lovers of oddities will definitely find something at my booth,” she says. “I try to give back life to things that have died.”
At this year’s St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market, Glamgoria will debut its “psycho beach party” summer product line, which includes such items as a skeletal mermaid bath bomb. These items will be offered at the booth before they’re offered online. For certain products, all the profits will be donated to the St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline (SQSH), which offers emotional support and resource referrals for the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents. “It’s never been more important to support our LGBTQIA+ community,” Gonzalez says.
Japanese-style sandwich restaurant Sando Shack opened last year in Tower Grove South, but it originated as a food truck in late 2020, which you can spot at this year’s punk rock flea market. Sando Shack is known for their katsu burgers, chicken katsu sandwiches, and chicken kaarage sandos. The latter was called one of the area’s best fried chicken sandwiches by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Based in Nashville, Motorsoule Vintage specializes in vintage guitars and vinyl records, especially from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. The group travels to record shows and flea markets across the country to sell their rarities, and this will be their first time at the St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market, although Brazel has visited them in the past at record shows. “I always go to (their) booth and find some cool stuff,” Brazel says.
Brazel’s own band, Bastard Squad, plays the flea market every year. Formed in 1997, the group is a staple not just of the flea market, but of St. Louis’ punk scene. Bastard Squad is often identified with hardcore, a subgenre of punk known for its machine-gun tempos and sonic intensity. While the group certainly boasts these qualities, their tight song structures and discernible musicianship allow them to transcend the “hardcore” label and eschew easy pigeonholes.
Guitarist Kevin Tomorrow will perform twice at this year’s flea market—once with Bastard Squad, and again with his own band, Better Days, which specializes in crunchy guitar riffs, barked vocals, and skull-battering drums. Tomorrow says his favorite part of the St. Louis Punk Rock Flea Market is the opportunity to bring underground music to people who might otherwise find it daunting. “I’m firmly against gatekeeping,” he says. “[The flea market] opens the doors for people who might feel intimidated because they feel they don’t belong. This presents it in a more welcoming fashion.”
